Ch 6 Vocab

Front 1

selective attention

Back 1

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus, as in the cocktail party effect

Front 2

inattentional blindness

Back 2

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

Front 3

visual capture

Back 3

the tendency for vision to dominate the other senses

Front 4

gestalt

Back 4

an organized whole. gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

Front 5

figure-ground

Back 5

the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)

Front 6

grouping

Back 6

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

Front 7

depth perception

Back 7

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance

Front 8

visual cliff

Back 8

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

Front 9

binocular cues

Back 9

depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes

Front 10

retinal disparity

Back 10

a binocular cue for perceiving depth: by comparing images from the two eyeballs, the brain computes distance- the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object

Front 11

convergence

Back 11

a binocular cue for perceiving depth; the extent to which the eyes converge inward when looking at an object. the greater the inward strain, the closer the object

Front 12

monocular cues

Back 12

depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone

Front 13

phi phenomenon

Back 13

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession

Front 14

perceptual constancy

Back 14

perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent lightness, color, shape, and size) even as illumination and retinal images change

Front 15

perceptual adaptation

Back 15

in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field

Front 16

perceptual set

Back 16

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

Front 17

human factors psychology

Back 17

a branch of psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use

Front 18

extrasensory perception (ESP)

Back 18

the controversial claim that perception can occur part from sensory input. said to include telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition

Front 19

parapsychology

Back 19

the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis

Front 20

biological rhythms

Back 20

periodic physiological fluctuations

Front 21

circadian rhythm

Back 21

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (i.e. temperature, wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle

Front 22

REM sleep

Back 22

rapid eye movement sleep, a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur. aka paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active

Front 23

alpha waves

Back 23

the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

Front 24

sleep

Back 24

periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness- as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation

Front 25

hallucination

Back 25

false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

Front 26

delta waves

Back 26

the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

Front 27

insomnia

Back 27

recurring problems in falling or staying asleep

Front 28

narcolepsy

Back 28

a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. the sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times

Front 29

sleep apnea

Back 29

a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings

Front 30

night terrors

Back 30

a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during stage 4 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered

Front 31

dream

Back 31

a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person's mind. dreams are notable for their hallucinatory imagery, discontinuities, and incongruities, and for the dream's delusional acceptance of the content and later difficulties remembering it

Front 32

manifest content

Back 32

according to freud, the remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from is latent, or hidden, content)

Front 33

latent content

Back 33

according to freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content). freud believed that a dream's latent content functions as a safety valve

Front 34

REM rebound

Back 34

the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation (created by repeated awakenings during REM sleep)

Front 35

hypnosis

Back 35

a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur

Front 36

posthypnotic suggestion

Back 36

a suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized; used by some clinicians to help control undesired symptoms and behaviors

Front 37

dissociation

Back 37

a split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others

Front 38

psychoactive drug

Back 38

a chemical substance that alters perceptions and mood

Front 39

tolerance

Back 39

the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug's effects

Front 40

withdrawal

Back 40

the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug

Front 41

physical dependence

Back 41

a physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued

Front 42

psychological dependence

Back 42

a psychological need to use a grug, such as to relieve negative emotions

Front 43

addiction

Back 43

compulsive drug cravings and use

Front 44

depressants

Back 44

drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions

Front 45

barbiturates

Back 45

drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment

Front 46

opiates

Back 46

opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety

Front 47

stimulants

Back 47

drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, and ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions

Front 48

amphetamines

Back 48

drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes

Front 49

methamphetamine

Back 49

a powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, with speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes; over time, appears to reduce baseline dopamine levels

Front 50

ecstasy (MDMA)

Back 50

a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and long-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition

Front 51

hallucinogens

Back 51

psychedelic ("Mind-manifesting") drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input

Front 52

LSD

Back 52

a powerful hallucinogenic drug, also known as acid

Front 53

THC

Back 53

the major active ingredient in marijuana; triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations

Front 54

near-death experience

Back 54

an altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death; often similar to drug-induced hallucinations

Front 55

dualism

Back 55

the presumption that mind and body are two distinct entities that interact

Front 56

monism

Back 56

the presumption that mind and body are different aspects of the same thing