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AP Psychology Unit 7 - Cognition (Thinking and Language) Flashcards

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11215324568cognitionall the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.0
11215324569concepta mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people.1
11215324570prototypea mental image or best example of a category.2
11215324571algorithma methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem. Contrasts with the usually speedier—but also more error-prone—use of heuristics.3
11215324572heuristica simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone than algorithms.4
11215324573insighta sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem; it contrasts with strategy-based solutions.5
11215324574creativitythe ability to produce novel and valuable ideas.6
11215324575confirmation biasa tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence.7
11215324576fixationthe inability to see a problem from a new perspective, by employing a different mental set.8
11215324577mental seta tendency to approach a problem in one particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past.9
11215324578functional fixednessthe tendency to think of things only in terms of their usual functions; an impediment to problem solving.10
11215324579representativeness heuristicjudging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes; may lead us to ignore other relevant information.11
11215324580availability heuristicestimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are common.12
11215324581overconfidencethe tendency to be more confident than correct—to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments.13
11215324582belief perseveranceclinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited.14
11215324583intuitionan effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted with explicit, conscious reasoning.15
11215324584framingthe way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments.16
11215324585languageour spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning.17
11215324586phonemein language, the smallest distinctive sound unit.18
11215324587morphemein a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or a part of a word (such as a prefix).19
11215324588grammarin a language, a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others.20
11215324589semanticsthe set of rules by which we derive meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences in a given language; also, the study of meaning.21
11215324590syntaxthe rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences in a given language.22
11215324591babbling stagebabies spontaneously uttering a variety of words, such as ah-goo23
11215324592holophrastic stagethe stage in which children speak mainly in single words24
11215324593two-word stagethey start uttering two word sentences25
11215324594telegraphic speechearly speech stage in which a child speaks like a telegram—"go car"—using mostly nouns and verbs.26
11215324595linguistic determinismWhorf's hypothesis that language determines the way we think.27
11215324596memorythe persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information.28
11215324597encodingthe processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.29
11215324598storagethe retention of encoded information over time.30
11215324599retrievalthe process of getting information out of memory storage.31
11215324600sensory memorythe immediate, very brief recording of sensory information in the memory system.32
11215324601short-term memoryactivated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as the seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before the information is stored or forgotten.33
11215324602long-term memorythe relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.34
11215324603working memorya newer understanding of short-term memory that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information, and of information retrieved from long-term memory.35
11215324604parallel processingthe processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving.36
11215324605automatic processingunconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, such as word meanings.37
11215324606effortful processingencoding that requires attention and conscious effort.38
11215324607rehearsalthe conscious repetition of information, either to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage.39
11215324608spacing effectthe tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.40
11215324609serial position effectour tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list.41
11215324610visual encodingthe encoding of picture images.42
11215324611acoustic encodingthe encoding of sound, especially the sound of words.43
11215324612semantic encodingthe encoding of meaning, including the meaning of words.44
11215324613imagerymental pictures; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding.45
11215324614mnemonicsmemory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.46
11215324615chunkingorganizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.47
11215324616iconic memorya momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second.48
11215324617echoic memoryA momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds.49
11215324618long-term potentiation (LTP)an increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. Believed to be a neural basis for learning and memory.50
11215324619flashbulb memorya clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.51
11215324620amnesiathe loss of memory.52
11215324621implicit memoryretention independent of conscious recollection. (Also called non-declarative or procedural memory.)53
11215324622explicit memorymemory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare." (Also called declarative memory.)54
11215324623hippocampusa neural center that is located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.55
11215324624recalla measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.56
11215324625recognitiona measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple-choice test.57
11215324626relearninga measure of memory that assesses the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time.58
11215324627primingthe activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.59
11215324628déjà vuthat eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.60
11215324629mood-congruent memorythe tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood.61
11215324630proactive interferencethe disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.62
11215324631retroactive interferencethe disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.63
11215324632repressionin psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness.64
11215324633misinformation effectincorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event.65
11215324634source amnesiaattributing to the wrong source an event we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined. (Also called source misattribution.) Source amnesia, along with the misinformation effect, is at the heart of many false memories.66
11215338083Broca's areaControls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.67
11215346735Wernicke's areacontrols language reception - a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe68
11215352629Broca's aphasiacondition in which the affected person to be unable to speak fluently, to mispronounce words, and to speak haltingly69
11215359010Wernicke's aphasiacondition in which the affected person to be unable to understand or produce meaningful language70
11215388421overrregularizationpart of the language-learning process in which children extend regular grammatical patterns to irregular words71
11215409600language acquisition device (LAD)Chomsky's term for a hypothesized mental structure that enables humans to learn language, including the basic aspects of grammar, vocabulary, and intonation.72
11215425861Ebbinghaus forgetting curvethe course of forgetting is initially rapid, then levels off with time73
11215430065Ebbinghaus' Retention Curveas rehearsal increases, relearning time decreases74
15141098255Elizabeth LoftusResearcher on memory construction and the misinformation effect created doubts about the accuracy of eye-witness testimony75
15141166346Universal Grammar (Chomsky)A linguistic theory that the ability to learn language is innate, distinctly human and distinct from all other aspects of human cognition.76
15141173523Noam Chomskytheorist who believed that humans have an inborn or "native" propensity to develop language77
15141187821linguistic relativity hypothesisthe theory that thought processes and concepts are controlled by language78

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