psychology test 1 Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers
question
sensation is to perception as ___________ is to ____________
answer
stimulation; interpretation
question
the minimal stimulus necessary for detection is called the _____________, while the smallest noticeable change in a stimulus is referred to as _______________
answer
absolute threshold; difference threshold
question
when Ann went to her doctor, he gave her a hearing test. during the test, the doctor presented tones to Ann through earphones. The tones started at a low intensity and then became louder. The doctor asked Ann to raise her hand whenever she started to hear a sound. The doctor was testing Ann's ____________
answer
absolute threshold
question
some people believe that ________ are messages that can be sent to consumers, prompting them to buy a product without their being aware of receiving such messages
answer
subliminal stimuli
question
when you first put your hat on, you can feel it quite easily, but after a while, you forget that you are wearing a hat at all-the sensation is gone. what happened?
answer
habituation
question
our eyes don't adapt completely to a repeated visual stimulus because _________
answer
eye movements called micro saccades cause the stimulus image to vibrate slightly on the retina
question
microsaccades are ________
answer
tiny vibrations of the eye that prevent images from fading
question
which part of the eye is a muscle that regulates the size of the pupil?
answer
iris
question
when we describe someone's eyes as green, technically we are referring to his or her green ________
answer
irises
question
which of the following is true about cones? a. they are responsible for black and white vision b. they are found mainly in the center of the eye c. they operate mainly at night d. they respond only to black and white
answer
b. they are found mainly in the center of the eye
question
it is difficult to distinguish between colors at night because _________
answer
we are seeing primarily with the rods
question
if an artist were to blend red, green, and blue paints together, the result would look _________
answer
black
question
a person with red-green color blindness will see the world in _______
answer
blues, yellows, and grays
question
all fo the following are true about color blindness EXCEPT: a. people are either unable to distinguish two or more hues from each other or unable to see hue at all b. most color blindness is a result of sex-linked inheritance c. it seems to be more common in women than men d. most people who are color blind cannot distinguish red from green
answer
c. it seems to be more common in women than men
question
why do researchers believe color deficiencies often have genetic cause?
answer
more males than females suffer from color deficiencies
question
one of your mother's siblings is always known for putting together awful-looking colors while getting dressed. who is this person more likely to be?
answer
your uncle, because men have more problems with color vision
question
what is the basic function of the outer ear?
answer
to concentrate and funnel sound waves to the eardrum
question
what are the hammer, anvil, and stirrup?
answer
tiny bones located in the middle ear
question
conduction hearing impairment refers to hearing problems that originate in the ________
answer
eardrum and middle ear
question
where are the taste receptors located?
answer
on the taste buds
question
what are the five primary tastes?
answer
bitter, salty, sour, sweet, unmami
question
the kinesthetic sense are concentrated with _________
answer
the location of body parts in relation to each other
question
which is the best description of the vestibular senses?
answer
they have to do with movement and body position
question
similarity is the tendency to perceive ___________
answer
things that look similar as being part of the same group
question
________ is the retention of memory for some period of time
answer
storage
question
the three parts of the information-processing model of memory are ________
answer
sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory
question
which memory system provides us with a very brief representation of all the stimuli present at a particular moment?
answer
sensory memory
question
you are out for a drive with the family and are lucky enough to get a window seat. the rapidly passing scenery you see out the window is first stored in ________
answer
iconic memory
question
which type of memory allows us to have meaningful conversations?
answer
echoic memory
question
information gets from sensory memory to short-term memory through the process of ________
answer
selective attention
question
Jamal is trying to buy something over the phone. He asks his partner to read him his credit card number. However, when he tries to repeat it to the sales clerk on the other end of the line, he can't remember all the numbers. Jamal is coming up against __________
answer
George Miller's magic number 7, plus or minus 2
question
Loni is asked to memorize the letters I K T E A L N in no particular order. she memorizes them by reorganizing them into the words INK and LATE. this tactic is called _________
answer
chunking
question
maintenance rehearsal is defined as _________
answer
repeating some bit of information over and over in one's head in order to maintain it in short-term memory
question
the portion of memory that is more or less permanent is called _______
answer
long-term memory
question
which type of long-term memory is most difficult to bring into conscious awareness?
answer
procedural memories
question
recalling the definition of long-term memory is an example of _________
answer
semantic memory
question
in the game show Jeopardy contestants are tested on general information. the type of memory used to answer these kinds of questions is __________
answer
semantic
question
Jesse still has very vivid memories of his first romantic kiss. this example illustrates a specific form of _______ memory known as an ________ memory
answer
episodic; autobiographical
question
when asked to recall the date of John Kennedy's assassination, Peter draws a blank; however, when asked whether it was October 24, 1962, November 22, 1963, or February 1, 1965, he correctly answers with the second of the choices. this example most clearly demonstrates the value of _________
answer
retrieval cues
question
the best place to take your biology exam to ensure good retrieval of biology concepts is in _______
answer
the biology classroom
question
Janie is taking an exam in her history class. on the exam, there is a question that asks her to state and discuss the five major causes of the Trans-Caspian War. Janie remembers four of them. she knows there is a fifth and can almost remember it; she knows that it starts with a "T." Janie is walking down the stairs, when all of the sudden, she remembers that the fifth point is taxes, but its too late. Janie was suffering from
answer
the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
question
Meryl is trying to memorize the names of the bones in the hand. she had gone through a list of them when her phone rang. after she gets off the phone, she is MOST likely to remember the first few bone names because of the _________
answer
primary effect
question
a witness of the stand swears that he saw someone commit a crime. must you believe that the testimony is valid when a witness testifies so forcefully?
answer
no, because there is a great possibility of a "false positive" identification
question
T/F memory trace decay theory can explain forgetting from sensory memory and short-term memory but does not adequately explain forgetting from long-term memory.
answer
true
question
T/F the hippocampus appears to be responsible for the storage of new long-term memories. if it is removed, the ability to store anything new is completely lost.
answer
true
question
what part of H.M's brain was damaged and what memory problem did this cause him?
answer
had hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus and amygdala-->he couldn't remember
question
discuss different ways that sleep can affect one's memory
answer
Memories rehearsed during sleep are more likely to be consolidated. One can't learn something new while sleeping, but information can be better consolidated while sleeping. Sleep deprivation severely interferes with hippocampal function and memory.
question
which type of research design would provide evidence of casualty, rather than purely descriptive data?
answer
survey
question
experiment
answer
determine cause and effect relationships
question
naturalistic observation
answer
watch subjects in their normal environment
question
case study
answer
study one individual in great detail
question
would you rather find a weak positive or a strong negative correlation
answer
weak positive
question
"control" as in psychology fourth goal
answer
how it can be changed
question
"control" as in control grop
answer
subjet in an experiment who are not subjected to the independent variable and who may receive a placebo treatment
question
what are Maslow's hierarchy of needs
answer
self-actualization, esteem, love/belonging, safety, physiological
question
placebo effect
answer
phenomenon in which the expectations of participants in a study can influence their behavior
question
curare, a poison, works by
answer
blocking receptor sites and acting as an antagonist for acetylcholine
question
pain-controlling chemicals in the body are called
answer
endorphins
question
which of the following are the three basic types of neurons?
answer
interneurons, sensory neurons, motor neurons
question
LaKeisha stepped on a piece of glass and quickly pulled her foot away from that sharp object. which of the following are responsible for sending a message to the muscles in Lakeisha's foot, resulting in her pulling he foot away from the piece of glass?
answer
sensory neurons
question
the peripheral nervous system consists of
answer
all of the nerve cells that are not in the brain and spinal cord
question
Vladimir is typing on the computer keyboard. the motion of his fingers on the keys is probably being controlled by the
answer
motor pathway neurons
question
involuntary muscles are controlled by the ______ nervous system
answer
autonomic
question
the part of the autonomic nervous system that is responsible for reacting to stressful events and bodily arousal is called the _______ nervous system
answer
sympathetic
question
as Molly is walking across campus, a car swerves toward her. her heart races and sweat breaks out as she jumps out of harm's way. this mobilization of energy is due to the action of Molly's ________
answer
sympathetic nervous system
question
endocrine glands _________
answer
secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream
question
if Mindy's doctor has taken a series of images of her brain using x-rays, then she has likely had a
answer
CT
question
Libby's physician refers her to a medical center in order to have the biochemical activity in her brain analyzed. she is given an injection of a radioactive glucose-like substance and then is told to lie down with her head in a scanner. the technique being used is ______
answer
positron emission tomography (PET)
question
an auto accident rendered Chris's nervous system unable to send messages for him to breathe, so he is on a respirator. which brain structure was damaged in the accident?
answer
medulla
question
a college student is having difficulty staying awake during the day and sleeping through the night. her difficulties are most likely due to problems in the __________
answer
hippocampus
question
katie has grown up sleeping with a fan running in her room since she was an infant. this provides white noise to drown out the television programs being watched by other family members who were still awake. in an effort to save electricity, her mother has started coming into her room and turning her fan off after she thinks katie is asleep. however, each time katie wakes up and asks for the fan to be turned back on. katie is selectively attending to certain kinds of information in her surroundings, which has been linked to the ___________ part of the brain
answer
reticular formation
question
if your __________ was damaged, you might walk oddly and have trouble standing normally
answer
cerebellum
question
rats that have a damaged _______ will show no fear when placed next to a cat
answer
amygdala
question
Al is trying to decide whether the shower is hot enough to step in. Hal is listening to his MP3 player. Sal is looking at a beautiful painting in an art museum. which individual is using his parietal lobe
answer
Al
question
parietal lobe
answer
function includes processing information about touch
question
why is the cortex in the brain so wrinkled?
answer
allows a much larger area of cortical cells to exist in the small space inside the skull
question
neurotransmitter that causes the receiving cell to stop firing
answer
inhibitory
question
the cell body of the neuron, responsible for maintaining the life of the cell
answer
soma
question
endocrine gland located near the base of the cerebrum which secretes melatonin
answer
pineal
question
glands that secrete chemicals called hormones directly into he bloodstream
answer
endocrine
question
long tube-like structure that carries the neural message to other cells
answer
axon
question
chemical found in the synaptic vesicles which, when released, has an effect on the next cell
answer
neurotransmitter
question
bundles of axons coated in myelin that travel together through the body
answer
nerves
question
branch-like structures that receive messages from other neurons
answer
dendrites
question
endocrine gland found in the neck that regulates metabolism
answer
thyroid
question
thick band of neurons that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres
answer
corpus callosum
question
part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord
answer
central
question
part of the limbic system located in the center of the brain, it acts as a relay from the lower part of the brain to the proper areas of the cortex
answer
thalamus
question
endocrine gland that controls the levels of sugar it the blood
answer
pancreas
question
fatty substances produced by certain glial cells that coat the axons of neurons to insulate, protect, and speed up the neural impulse
answer
myelin
question
the basic cell that makes up the nervous system and which receives and sends messages within that system
answer
neuron
question
chemical substances that mimic or enhance the effects of a neurotransmitter on the receptor sites of the next cell
answer
agonists
question
part of the lower brain that controls and coordinates involuntary, rapid, fine motor sites of the next cell
answer
cerebellum
question
process by which neurotransmitters are taken back into the synaptic vesicles
answer
reuptake
question
a group of several brain structures located under the cortex and involved in learning, emotion, memory, and motivation
answer
limbic
question
chemicals released into the bloodstream by endocrine glands
answer
hormones
question
brain structure located near the hippocampus, responsible for fear responses and memory of fear
answer
amygdala
question
operant conditioning
answer
the learning of voluntary behavior through the effects of pleasant and unpleasant consequences to responses
question
latent learning
answer
learning that remains hidden until its application becomes useful
question
T/F Bandura's seminal study of observational learning involved watching children and their interactions with Bobo dolls
answer
True
question
A child is wetting his or her bed. according to our textbook, punishing the child would be the best way to permanently stop this behavior. you would recumbent that the child be given no food on the day after a bedwetting incident. this is because punishment is guaranteed to stop bad behaviors.
answer
false
question
classical conditioning was accidentally discovered by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov while he was studying salivation in dogs
answer
false-digestion in dogs
question
in Bandura's study of observational learning, the abbreviation AMID stands for __________
answer
attention, memory, imitation, desire
question
Cheryl is trying to teach her son to do the laundry by watching her. according to observational learning theory, to be effective what must occur?
answer
her son must be motivated to learn how to do the laundry
question
a young boy is watching TV. in one show he sees a bully steal a lunch from another child. the bully then enjoys eating the other child's lunch. because this boy feels that his mother makes him a rather skimpy lunch and he is always hungry at school, he starts stealing other kids' lunches at school. according to Bandura's theory of observational learning, his hunger at lunchtime is most influenced by which factor?
answer
desire
question
a congressional hearing is taking place in Washington D.C. the representatives are discussing whether the portrayls of violence on children's TV shows are perhaps contributing to the violence we see in schools today. the work of what psychologists is most relevant to their discussion?
answer
Bandura
Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New