 | Term | Definition |
| |
pineal gland |
this structure controls our circadian rhythm |
| |
female |
this gender is subject to a biological cycle that is approximately 28 days long |
| |
90 minute |
sleep cycles tend to repeat in cycles of this length |
| |
parallel |
the non-conscious mind processes some information in this manner |
| |
serial |
the conscious mind processes information in this manner |
| |
sleep apnea |
a disorder in which an individual momentarily stops breathing during sleep |
| |
narcolepsy |
a disorder in which an individual falls quickly asleep involuntarily |
| |
insomnia |
a disorder in which an individual is unable to fall asleep or remain asleep |
| |
REM |
the acronym that is used for the period of sleep in which most of our dreams occur |
| |
latent |
Freud's term for hidden content of dreams |
| |
manifest |
Freud's term for the surface content of dreams |
| |
consciousness |
awareness of ourselves and our environment |
| |
activation synthesis |
the idea that dreams are our brains' attempt to make sense of random neural energy released during sleep |
| |
hypnosis |
a social phenomenon in which expectations and suggestibility play parts |
| |
depressants |
these reduce neural activity and slow body functions |
| |
opiates |
these mimic the activity of endorphins |
| |
withdrawal |
this occurs when neurons flooded with a mnd-altering drug reduces the natural production of a neurotransmitter |
| |
psychoactive |
term that describes all mind-altering drugs |
| |
stimulants |
these increase sympathetic nervous system effects |
| |
hallucinations |
these are sensory experiences without sensory inputs |
| |
delusions |
these are irrational, egregiously false beliefs |
| |
twin studies |
one way to study the genetic contribution to addiction |
| |
memory |
persistence of learning over time |
| |
flashbulb |
type of memory of a personal experience that is very vivid and usually contains emotional content |
| |
encoding |
preparing sensory input to be stored in memory |
| |
storage |
the process of keeping memories in the brain for long periods |
| |
retrieval |
bringing memories to consciousness from long-term storage |
| |
effortful |
practicing your lines for the school play is an example of ___________ encoding |
| |
automatic |
remembering that the answer to a test question was on the top of the page in your textbook is an example of __________ encoding |
| |
serial position effect |
phenomenon in which, when trying to memorize a list of words, we tend to remember best the words at the beginning and the end of the list |
| |
spacing |
term that describes studying one hour a night for 5 nights rather than 5 hours in one night |
| |
semantic |
encoding the meanings of words is ___________ encoding |
| |
iconic |
term refers to visual memories |
| |
echoic |
term refers to auditory memories |
| |
LTP |
acronym that refers to "exercising" neurons to make them stronger |
| |
hippocampus |
limbic structure involved in memory formation |
| |
declarative |
memories that are explicit, generally semantic or episodic |
| |
implicit |
memories used without conscious recall |
| |
working |
another term for short-term memory |
| |
recognition |
simple method of identifying previously learned material, often seen in multiple choice tests |
| |
proactive |
interference in which old information interferes with new information |
| |
retroactive |
interference in which new information interferes with old information |
| |
heuristic |
a short-cut to problem solving, a rule of thumb |
| |
algorithm |
a step-by-step process for solving a problem |
| |
confirmation bias |
a phenomenon in which we tend to value highly information that supports our opinions |
| |
concept |
a collection of objects (in a schema) |
| |
proposition |
a statement about something in our schema |
| |
prototype |
the most representative member of a concept |
| |
representativeness |
a specific heuristic that leads us to compare things to a prototype |
| |
availability |
a specific heuristic that says that vivid information in our minds is considered reliable |
