Psychology
Terms
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- long term potentiation
- the long-lasting enhancement in communication between two neurons that results from stimulating them simultaneously.[1] Since neurons communicate via chemical synapses, and because memories are believed to be stored within these synapses,[2] LTP and its opposing process, long-term depression, are widely considered the major cellular mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.[1]
- metacognition
- is the knowledge (i.e. awareness) of one's cognitive processes and the efficient use of this self-awareness to self-regulate these cognitive processes
- method of loci
- a technique for memorizing many things and has been practiced since classical antiquity. It is a type of mnemonic link system based on places (loci, otherwise known as locations), used most often in cases where long lists of items are concerned. It was taught for many centuries as a part of the curriculum in schools, enabling an orator to easily remember a speech or students to easily remember many things at will. There are different techniques and approaches for the "Method of Loci", and in medieval schools (as in Aristotle, Topics, Bk. 8), "Ars Memoriae" was considered to be equally a part of dialectics as of rhetoric.
- mental age
- a controversial concept in psychometrics. It is an intelligence test score, expressed as the chronological age for which a given level of performance is average or typical.
- L-dopa
- an intermediate in dopamine biosynthesis. In clinical use, levodopa is administered in the management of Parkinson's disease. It is also used as a component in marine adhesives used by pelagic life.
- measures of variability: range and standard deviation
- Range:simply the highest score minus the lowest score. Standard Deviation:the square root of the variance
- linkage analysis
- occurs when particular genetic loci or alleles for genes are inherited jointly. Genetic loci on the same chromosome are physically connected and tend to segregate together during meiosis, and are thus genetically linked. Alleles for genes on different chromosomes are usually not linked, due to independent assortment of chromosomes during meiosis.
- localization of sound (how is it done? Why are two ears needed?)
- a listener's ability to identify the location or origin of a detected sound or the methods in acoustical engineering to simulate the placement of an auditory cue in a virtual 3D space .
- major neurotransmitters
- Acetylcholine - voluntary movement of the muscles. Norepinephrine - wakefulness or arousal. Dopamine - voluntary movement and motivation, "wanting", pleasure, associated with addiction and love.Serotonin - memory, emotions, wakefulness, sleep and temperature regulation. GABA - inhibition of motor neurons. Glycine - spinal reflexes and motor behaviour. Neuromodulators - sensory transmission - especially pain.
- measures of central tendency: mean, median, mode
- Mean: measure of central tendency determined by adding all scores together and dividing by the number of scores. Often referred to as the statistical average.Median:A measure of central tendency that uses the middle most occurring score in a distribution (the score that occurs at exactly the 50th percentile).Mode:A measure of central tendency that uses the most frequently occurring score. A distribution with two or more scores that are equal and occur most frequently is called multi-modal.
- milieu therapy
- A form of psychotherapy, usually conducted in a hospital or other facility that can function as a therapeutic community and provide a stable environment, in which personal growth and behaviour change may be promoted through interaction of individuals within the total therapeutic environment.
- loss of information from short term memory
- A condition which is characterized by the loss of a persons short term memory. See free access online books about Short-term memory loss below.
- Limbic system: structures and function
- A brain system that plays a role in emotional expression, particularly in the emotional component of behavior, memory, and motivation.
- Martin Seligman's "learned helplessness"
- A condition that occurs after a period of negative consequences where the person begins to believe they have no control.
- lithium (bi-polar disorders)
- Lithium affects the flow of sodium through nerve and muscle cells in the body. Sodium affects excitation or mania.Lithium is used to treat the manic episodes of manic depression. Manic symptoms include hyperactivity, rushed speech, poor judgment, reduced need for sleep, aggression, and anger. Lithium also helps to prevent or lessen the intensity of manic episodes.
- mental set
- Many people approach problems in similar ways all the time even though they can't be sure they have the best approach or an approach that will even work. Doing this is an example of mental set -- a tendency to approach situations the same way because that way worked in the past. For example, a child may enter a store by pushing a door open. Every time they come to a door after that, the child pushes the door expecting it to open even though many doors only open by pulling. This child has a mental set for opening doors.
- linear perspective
- a depth cue that is related to both relative size and the next depth cue, texture gradient.
- Kubler Ross' stages of dying
- Denial, Anger, Depression, Bargaining, Acceptance
- longitudinal study
- A research design that assesses the effects of development (maturation) by using the same subjects over an extended period of time
- learning curve
- refers to a relationship between the duration of learning or experience and the resulting progress. Initially introduced in cognitive psychology, over time the term has acquired a broader interpretation, and expressions such as "experience curve", "improvement curve", "cost improvement curve", "progress curve"/"progress function", "startup curve", and "efficiency curve" are often used interchangeably, depending on the contex.
- memory: kinds (sensory, short-term, long-term)
- Sensory:ability to retain impressions of sensory information after the original stimulus has ceased. It refers to items detected by the sensory receptors which are retained temporarily in the sensory registers and which have a large capacity for unprocessed information but are only able to hold accurate images of sensory information momentarily. The two types of sensory memory that have been most explored are iconic memory and echoic memory Short term:sometimes referred to as "primary," "working," or "active" memory, is said to hold a small amount of information for about 20 seconds. Long term:Relatively permanent memory.