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cognition
the mental processes such as perception, attention, and memory and so on
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reaction time
how long it takes to respond to presentation of a stimulus
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structuralism
our overall experience is determined by combining basic elements of experiences, called sensation
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introspection
a technique in which trained participants described their experiences and thought processes in response to stimuli
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classical conditioning
how pairing one stimulus with another, previously neutral stimulus causes changes in the response to the neutral stimulus
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operant conditioning
foucused on how behavior is strengthened by the presentation of positive reinforcers such as food or social approval
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the misbehavior of organisms
learning could not override instinct
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Skinner argued children learn language...
through operant conditioning
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Chomsky aruged..
that imitation and reinforcement do not completetly explain how children learn language
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emperical
relying on or derived from observation or experiment
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reductionism
attempt to understand complex phenomena by breaking them down into their components
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methatheory
guiding principle for cognitive psychgology
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information
collection of facts or data; knowledge derived from perception, experience, study or instruction
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processing
a series of actions, changes, or functions brining about a result
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the channel capacity analogy
humans are limited-capacity information processors like telephone wires
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the computer analogy
human information processing may be like a computer
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What is reaction time typically measured in?
1000 milliseconds=1 seconds
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What does reaction times tell us?
when people know what to expect reaction times are faster;learning and memory processes help reduce reaction times
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Accuracy measures
how many errors subjects make; often measured as proportion or percent correct
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Speed-accuracy trade off
as speed increases, accuracy decreases
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Neurons
building blocks of the nervous system; cells specialized to receive and transmit information in the nervous system
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each neuron has a...
cell body, an axon, and dendrites
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cell body
contains mechanisms to keep cell alive
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axon
tube filled with fluid that transmots electrical signal to other neurons
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dendrites
multiple brances reaching from the cell body, which recieves information from other neurons
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action potential
neuron receives signal from environment; information travels down the axon of that neuron to the dendrites of anothe neuron
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Measuring action potential
microelectrodes pick up electrical signal, placed near axon, active for ~1 second
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What do you measure in action potential?
the size is not measured; size remains constant. the rate of firing is measured; low intensities: slow firing; high intensities : fast firing
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synapse
space between axon of one neuron and dendrite of another
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when the action potential reaches the end of the axon...
synaptic vesicles open and release chemical neurotransmitters; neurotransmitter cross the synapse and bind witht he receiving dendrites
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neurotransmitters
chemicals that affect the electrical signal of the receiving neuron
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excitatory
increases chance neuron will fire
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inhibitory
decreases chance neuron will fire
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communication netween neurons
not all signals received lead to action potential; cell membrane processes the number of impulses received
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an action potential results only if the....
threshold level is reached; interaction of excitation and inhibition
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frontal lobe
reasoning and planning; language, though, memory, motor functioning
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parietal
touch, temperature, pain, and pressure
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temporal lobe
auditory and perceptual processing; language, hearing, memory, perceiving forms
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occipital lobe
visual processing
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thalamus
processing information from vision, hearing, and touch senses
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hypothalamus
body's vital drives and activites (eating, drinking, sleep, sexual activity)
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hippocampus
learning and forming memories
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amygdala
emotions and emotional memories
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primary receiving areas for vision
occipital lobe
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primary receiving areas for touch, temperature, pain
parietal lobe
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primary receiving area for hearing, tast, smell
temporal lobe
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coordination of information received from all senses
frontal lobe
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fusiform face area (FFA) responds specifically to...
faces; temporal lobe; damage to this area causes prosopagnosia (inability to recognize faces)
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parahippocampal place area (PPA) responds specifically to...
places (indoor/outdoor scenes); temporal lobe
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extrastriate body area (EBA) responds specifically to...
pictureof bodies and parts of bodies
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Brain lesions
examine brain damage during autopsies
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Method: electrical activation
single cell recoring, event-rekated potentials (ERP), electroencephalograms (EEG)
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Method: Brain Imaging
positron emission tomography (PET), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), computerized axial tomography(CAT)
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future detectors
neutons that respind best to a specific stimulus
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simple cells
neurons that respond best to bars of light of a particular orientation
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complex cells
neurons that respond bestto an oriented bar of light with a specific length
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specificity coding
representation of a specific stimulus by firing of specifically tuned neurons specialized to just respond to a specific stimulus
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distributed coding
reprensation by a pattern of firing across a number of neurons
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