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Psychology Exam 2

TermDefinition
Nervous System A network of billions of cells in the brain and the body, responsible for all aspects of what we think, feel, and do.
Neurons The basic units of the nervous system. Cells that receive, integrate, and transmit information in the nervous system.
Dendrites Branchlike extensions of the neuron's cell body with receptors that receive information from other neurons.
Cell Body Part of the neuron where information from thousands of other neurons is collected and integrated.
Axon A long, narrow outgrowth of a neuron's cell body that lets the neuron transmit information to other neurons.
Terminal Buttons Parts of the neuron, at the end of axons, that release chemical signals from the neuron into the synapse.
Synapse The space between neurons where communication takes place through neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters Chemical substances that carry signals from one neuron to another.
Myelin Sheath A fatty material that covers and insulates some axons to allow for faster movement of electrical impulses along the axon.
Presynaptic Neuron The one that sends the signal.
Postsynaptic Neuron The one that receives the signal.
Broca's Area A small portion of the left frontal region of the brain. This area is crucial for producing speech.
Medulla A hindbrain structure at the top of the spinal cord. It controls survival functions such as heart rate and breathing.
Pons A hindbrain structure above the medulla. It regulates sleep and arousal and coordinates movements of the left and right sides of the body.
Cerebellum A hindbrain structure behind the medulla and pons. It is essential for coordinated movement and balance.
Somatic Nervous System It transmits sensory signals and motor signals back and forth between the CNS and the skin, muscles, and joints.
Sympathetic Nervous System The Four F's --> Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Sex.
Parasympathetic Nervous System Rest and digest.
Autonomic Nervous System It transmits sensory signals and motor signals back and forth between the CNS and the body's glands and internal organs.
Endocrine System A communication system that uses hormones to influence mental activity and behavior.
Hormones Chemical substances, released from the endocrine glands, that travel through the bloodstream to targeted tissues.
Genes The units of heredity, which partially determine an organism's characteristics.
Plasticity A property of the brain that causes it to change through experience, drugs, or injury.
Consciousness The combination of a person's subjective experience of the external world and the person's internal mental activity.
Normal Waking State of Consciousness A state of consciousness that reflects a clear awareness of the external world and inner mental activity.
Altered State of Consciousness A state of consciousness that may reflect either a more vivid awareness or a less clear awareness of the external world and inner mental activity.
Global Workspace Model Consciousness is a product of activity in specific brain regions.
Attention The focusing of mental resources on specific information to become consciously aware of that information.
Change Blindness A failure to be aware of visual information when one's attention is directed elsewhere.
Subliminal Perception The processing of information by sensory systems without a person's conscious awareness.
Short-Term Memory Capacity: +/- 7 Primacy: Beginning of list. Recency: End of list. Duration: 20-30 seconds.
Long-Term Memory Capacity: Unlimited. Duration: Anything longer than 30 seconds and can last up to a lifetime.
Declarative Memory Memories of facts or events. Often learned quickly.
Procedural Memory Memory of how to do something. Often learned slowly and with multiple trials.
Semantic Memory Facts/general knowledge.
Episodic Memory Things that have happened to us.
Split Brain A condition in which the corpus callosum is surgically cut and the two hemispheres of the brain do not receive information directly from each other.
Circadian Rhythms The regulation of biological cycles into regular, daily patterns.
Melatonin A hormone that aids regulation of circadian rhythms. Bright light reduces production and darkness increases production.
Stage 1 Sleep EEGs show slower theta waves as a person begins to drift off.
Stage 2 Sleep EEGs show K-complexes and sleep spindles as a person becomes truly asleep.
Slow-Wave Sleep EEGs reveal large, regular delta waves as a person is substantially less conscious and is hard to awaken.
REM Sleep EEGs show beta wave activity as a person experiences rapid eye movements, dream, and paralysis of motor systems.
Dreams Products of consciousness during sleep in which a person confuses images and fantasies with reality.
Activation-Synthesis Theory The idea that dreams are the result of the brain's attempts to make sense of random brain activity by combining the activity with stored memories.
Insomnia A disorder characterized by a repeated inability to sleep.
Sleep Apnea A disorder in which a person, while asleep, stops breathing because the throat closes.
Narcolepsy A disorder in which a person experiences excessive sleepiness during normal waking hours, sometimes going limp and collapsing.
Hypnosis A social interaction during which a person, responding to suggestions, experiences changes in memory, perception, and/or voluntary action.
Sociocognitive Theory of Hypnosis Theory that hypnotized people are not in an altered state of consciousness, but they behave in a way that is expected in that situation.
Dissociation Theory of Hypnosis The idea that hypnotized people are in an altered state of consciousness where their awareness is separated from other aspects of consciousness.
Flow A high focused, altered state of consciousness, when awareness of self and time diminishes due to being completely engrossed in an enjoyable activity.
Opioids Psychoactive drugs that create an altered state of consciousness by reducing pain and producing pleasure.
Hallucinogens Psychoactive drugs that create an altered state of consciousness by affecting perceptual experiences and evoking sensory images even without sensory input.
Addiction Compulsive drug craving and use, despite the negative consequences of using the drug.
Tolerance A physical aspect of addiction that occurs when a person needs to take larger doses of a drug to experience its effect.
Withdrawal A physical and psychological aspect of addiction that occurs when a person experiences anxiety, tension, and cravings after stopping use of an addictive drug.
Sensation The sense organs' detection of external physical stimulus and the transmission of information about this stimulus to the brain.
Perception The processing, organization, and interpretation of sensory signals in the brain.
Sensory Receptors Sensory organs that detect physical stimulation from the external world and change that stimulation into information that can be processed by the brain.
Transduction A process by which sensory receptors change physical stimuli into signals that are eventually sent to the brain.
Absolute Threshold The smallest amount of physical stimulation required to detect a sensory input half of the time it is present.
Difference Threshold The minimum difference in physical stimulation required to detect a difference between sensory inputs.
Lens The adjustable, transparent structure behind the pupil.
Retina The thin inner surface of the back of the eyeball. It contains the sensory receptors.
Rods Sensory receptors in the retina that detect light waves and transduce them into signals that are processed in the brain as vision. They respond best to low levels of illumination, and therefore do not support color vision or seeing fine detail.
Cones Sensory receptors in the retina that detect light waves and transduce them into signals that are processed in the brain as vision. They respond best to higher levels of illumination, and therefore are responsible for seeing color and fine detail.
Bottom-Up Processing Perception based on the physical features of the stimulus.
Top-Down Processing Perception based on knowledge, expectations, or past experiences, which affect the interpretation of sensory information.
Eardrum A thin membrane that marks the beginning of the middle ear.
Cochlea A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear that houses the sensory receptors.
Hair Cells Sensory receptors located in the cochlea that detect sound waves and transduce them into signals that ultimately are processed in the brain as sound.
Temporal Coding The perception of lower-pitched sounds.
Place Coding The perception of higher-pitched sounds.
Papillae Structures on the tongue that contain groupings of taste buds.
Olfactory Bulb A brain structure above the olfactory epithelium in the nasal cavity. From here, the olfactory nerve carries information about smell to the brain.
Pressure Receptors Sensory receptors in the skin that detect tactile stimulation and transduce it into information processed in the brain as different types of pressure on the skin.
Fast Fibers Sensory receptors that quickly convey intense sensory input to the brain, where it is perceived as sharp, immediate pain.
Slow Fibers Sensory receptors that slowly convey intense sensory input to the brain, where it is perceived as chronic, dull, steady pain.
Explicit Memory Requires conscious thought.
Implicit Memory It is acquired and used unconsciously and can affect thoughts and behaviors.
Proactive Interference The disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.
Retroactive Interference The disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of prior information.
Created by: MaddieDeLash
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