Psychology Test 1
Terms
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- MRI
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), scans the body and reconstructs an image. great for distinguishing soft tissue (brain) from skeletal structures
- rods
- visual receptors responsible for vision at night or in the dark. 120 million in each eyes
- retinal disparity
- eyes do not see the same thing, ties in to depth perception
- placebo
- you fake out the participants by giving them a fake form of what the experimental group is getting so they THINK they are getting the same treatment
- Accommodation
- process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far on objects
- efferent neurons
- from the brain to the outside of the body
- size-distance relationship
- farther objects seem larger although they are the same size as objects close by. optical illusion with the turtle
- optical illusions
- fool the size and shape constancy
- random assignment
- randomly assigning participants to a experimental or control group to balance out any pre-existing differences
- absolute refractory period
- the short period after a neuron fires in which it cannot be fired again by any stimulus no matter how strong
- inter neurons
- signaling or communication from one part of the brain to another
- Cones
- receptors that and closer to the center of the eye (fovea) for color and vision in light 6 million
- Weber's Law
- for any sense, the size of a JND is proportional to the size of the original nstimulus
- Feature Detectors
- nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus (ie shape, angle, movement)
- Ganzfield
- german for "total field" meaning everything you see is the same
- Gestalt Principal of proximity
- group nearby figures together
- subliminal stimuli
- below threshold stimuli
- Nysagamus
- eyes are always shaking so receptors don't become fatigued
- paleomammalian brain
- superior to the reptilian brain, controls emotions, sexdrive, smell
- hypothalamus
- located in the limbic system, performs specific body maintenance duties (hunger, thirst, body temperature, and sexual behavior) helps govern endocrine system, linked to emotions (pleasure)
- Lens
- Behind the pupil, focuses incoming light rays into an image on the retina
- amygdala
- located in the limbic system, influences aggression and fear.
- dependent variable
- variable that is dependent on the wiggled variable
- lymbic system
- a "doughnut" shaped system at the border (limbus) of the brain's older parts and the cerebral hemispheres
- Retina
- Light responsive inner-surface containing rods and cones.
- Wavelength
- the length of a wave from a certain point to a corresponding point such as electromagnetic radiation and sound reverberation
- ganglion cells
- cells involved in color vision and paring of colors. American flag demonstration
- corpus callosum
- axon fibers connecting the two cerebral hemispheres
- absolute threshold
- the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
- synapse
- junction (gap) between axon of sending neuron and dendrite or cell body
- determinants of speed
- diameter, length, myelin sheath
- lightness constancy
- the lightness of the object remains relatively constant despite light changes around the object
- Hypothesis
- A testable prediction- implied by a theory
- brightness (Intensity)
- the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, determined by the amplitude
- Axon
- extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers. sometimes encased with myelin
- neurotransmitters
- Chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons
- Gestalt Principal of continuity
- perception of smooth continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
- action potential
- neural impulse that travels down an axon
- medulla
- base of the brainstem, controls heartbeat and breathing. reptilian brain
- double-blind
- researchers and participants are both blind to who receives the real treatment and who gets the placebo
- hue
- the color of light determined by the wavelength
- Experimental Condition
- the condition being tested and compared to the standard or control condition
- basilar membrane
- in the cochlea, a membrane that separates the 2 fluid filled tubes
- Operational Definition
- a statement of the procedures
- reptilian brain
- brain stem portion, primitive and regulating area
- accommodation
- lens becomes thicker (close) or thinner (farther) based on distance
- Color Blindness
- Condition in which one is missing one or more of the 3 receptors (dichromat, monochromat)
- shape constancy
- although the image may change, our brain knows that the shape stays the same
- hindsight bias
- i knew it all along phenomenon. something seems obvious that it was going to happen after it occurs
- Dendrite
- Branching extensions of a neuron that receive the messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body
- reticular formation
- within the brainstem, network of neurons that controls arousal and sleeping/waking
- all or none law
- neurons either fire or they don't. they don't fire. neurons fire at the same strength despite stimulus strength
- Iris
- portion of the eye with pigmentation, surrounds the pupil
- independent variable
- the variable that is being evaluated or tested. The one being wiggled
- Hawthorne Effect
- When you observe people in an experiment (they know you are observing them) they change or do not act naturally
- Fovea
- Area of sharpest vision, surrounded by cones
- relative refractory period
- after absolute refractory period; a neuron can be stimulated only by a stronger stimulus.
- cornea
- tansparent layer around eye, that provides protection and bends light to provide focus
- Theory
- An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events(an idea used to explain some phenomena)
- Control Condition
- being compared to the experimental condition. the one not being manipulated, the standard
- psychophysics
- study of the relationship between physical characteristics of stimuli and psychological experience of them
- Cell Body
- Connected to the dendrites and is the cell's life support center
- Difference Threshold (just noticeable difference)
- minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time- amount that can be barely or not at all noticed
- pain
- dependent on number of neurons firing and how frequently each is fired; also bradykinin (painful chemicals)
- correlation
- when one trait or behavior is said to accompany or compliment another
- autokinetic effect
- "self movement" effect
- afterimages
- Images continue to appear after they a gone due to images persisting upon the retina
- afferent sensory
- outside of the brain sensory that travels (sends signals) to the brain
- Frequency
- The intensity of a given wave due to number of wavelengths
- trichromatic theory
- Color vision based on 3 classes of cone recptors (RGB)
- pupil
- a small adjustable opening surrounded by the iris
- endorphins
- "morphine within", natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure
- relative motion (motion parallax)
- used in depth perception, ie pigeons... objects in the foreground move more than objects in the background
- size constancy
- our brain knows that the size of an object stays constant despite distance and size on the retina
- Figure-ground
- ability to separate elements based upon contrast
- myelin sheath
- dictates the speed of neurosignals. insulating layer around peripheral neurons. formed by schwann cells
- amplitude
- The height of a wave from one point to another, determines intensity
- cerebral cortex
- ultimate control and information-processing center, covers the cerebral hemispheres
- middle-ear
- area between the eardrum and the cochlea
- illusory correlation
- the perception of a relationship where none exists
- hair cells
- within the cochlea, respond to sound with vibration and produces and electric signal
- Gestalt Principal of similarity
- group similar figures together
- neomammalian brain
- posterior of the head, adjacent to paleomammalian, reasoning area of the brian....divided into the neocortical left and neocortical right
- Visual Purple
- Makes it easier to see at night, wears down with age
- Blind Spot
- Area of worst vision where the optic nerve enters the eye
- common fate
- things that move together are perceived as a unit