Psycholgy Test Chp 1 & 2

Front 1

long term memory

Back 1

this type of memory is stored in the cortex and there may be no upper limit for how long these memories can be stored in the brain.

Front 2

independent variable

Back 2

consists of a control and experimental group; the method or treatment given to the participants in the study.

Front 3

confabulation

Back 3

the tendency to fill in the missing pieces of our memory with details that sound plausible.

Front 4

recency effect

Back 4

the information learned at the end of a list or training session is more likely to be recalled than information from the middle.

Front 5

contingency

Back 5

required for associative learning to occur; refers to the attribute of a stimulus, behavior or event predicting the future occurance of another stimulus, behavior or event.

Front 6

correlational design

Back 6

a design that consists of two or more dependent variables and no independent variables in which the subjects were chosen randomly. This design allows the researcher to determine relationships.

Front 7

ANOVA

Back 7

also known as the F test; an inferential statistic used to analyze experimental design when you have more than two groups.

Front 8

dependent variable

Back 8

the behavior, trait or characteristic that is measured in a study; for example: errors, activity, estrogen levels or temperature.

Front 9

extinction

Back 9

the gradual elimination of a behavior acquired through classical or operant conditioning.

Front 10

conditioned drug response

Back 10

a classically conditioned response that produces a change in our physiology that mimics that of a drug (e.g., the high produced when heroine addicts inject water).

Front 11

fixed interval

Back 11

a reward is delivered based on a fixed amount of time that has elapsed (e.g., being paid by the hour).

Front 12

negative reinforcement

Back 12

the removal of an unesireable stimulus or event that increases the probability that a behavior will occur in the future.

Front 13

skewed sample

Back 13

a sample that does not follow the normal distribution. The mean is not accurate because a few low scores (negatively skewed) or a few high scores (positively skewed) distort the sample mean.

Front 14

positive punishment

Back 14

the addition of any aversive stimulus or event that decreases the probability that a behavior will occur in the future.

Front 15

population

Back 15

all members of a group; for example: all women in the United States, or all persons with schizophrenia, or all persons with pancreatic cancer.

Front 16

operant conditioning

Back 16

a type of associative learning in which behaviors are acquired through the use of punishment or reward. First developed by the American psychologist James Watson, the field was expanded and made popular by the research of the American psychologist B. F. Skinner.

Front 17

backward conditioning

Back 17

a type of classical conditioning in which the onset of the unconditioned stimulus preceeds the onset of the conditioned stimulus. This type of conditioning is often used to demonstrate the importance of contingency (which is absent) since learning does not occur.

Front 18

secondary reinforcement

Back 18

a type of reward that is used to obtain primary reinforcement (e.g., tokens, or money).

Front 19

forward conditioning

Back 19

a type of classical conditioning in which the onset of the conditioned stimulus preceeds the onset of the unconditioned stimulus.

Front 20

preclinical trial

Back 20

experiments conducted with animals that are designed to determine the safety and efficacy of a treatment before proceeding to trials with human participants.

Front 21

nonassociative learning

Back 21

a type of learning in which contiguity and contingency are missing.

Front 22

normal distribution

Back 22

a distribution in which the mean, median and mode are equal to each other.

Front 23

contiguity

Back 23

required for associative learning to occur; the temporal presentation of events, stimuli and behaviors must occur relatively close together in time in order for associative learning to occur. For example, for learning to occur in classical conditioning the CS and UCS must occur within 1800 ms of each other.

Front 24

negative punishment

Back 24

the removal of any desireable stimulus or event that results in a decrease the probability that a behavior will occur in the future.

Front 25

positive reinforcement

Back 25

the administration of a desireable stimulus or event that increases the probability that a behavior will occur in the future.

Front 26

sample

Back 26

a subgroup drawn from a well defined population that is used whenever it is not possible to study the entire population.

Front 27

simultaneous conditioning

Back 27

a type of classical conditioning in which the onset and duration of the conditioned and the unconditioned stimuli are identical. This type of conditioning is often used to demonstrate the importance of contingency (which is absent) since learning does not occur.

Front 28

FDA

Back 28

the abbreviation for the government agency in the United States that is responsible for determining the safety of food and drug products.

Front 29

REM Sleep

Back 29

is the stage when dreaming occurs. It is the believed to be required for the formation of long-term memories.

Front 30

informed consent

Back 30

a document which outlines the participants rights as well as the risks and benefits of participating in a research study. All research with human subjects must include this document which must be signed by the participant and the researcher.

Front 31

stimulus

Back 31

any identifiable physical component in the enviornment (e.g., a sound, a light, touch); plural: stimuli

Front 32

reward/reinforcement

Back 32

any stimulus or event that increases the probability that a behavior will occur in the future.

Front 33

variable ratio

Back 33

a reward is delivered based on the number of completed behaviors, but the required number of behaviors needed to get one reward varies.

Front 34

correlation coefficient

Back 34

also known as Pearson's r; a statistic that is used to determine the relationship between two dependent variables.

Front 35

schedule of reinforcement

Back 35

the method used to deliver rewards during operant conditioning.

Front 36

phase II clinical trial

Back 36

experiments conducted with small numbers of persons with a disease. The goal is to determine toxicity and whether the treatment is effective.

Front 37

unconditioned stimulus

Back 37

a stimulus that naturally produces a reflex or unconditioned response.

Front 38

primary reinforcement

Back 38

a type of reward that directly reduces motivation for a basic physiological need (e.g., food, water).

Front 39

serial position effect

Back 39

a curve showing that the relative order in which information is learned influences a person's ability to recall that information. Specifically that information learned at the beginning and end of a list or training session is more likely to be recalled than information from the middle.

Front 40

case study

Back 40

a design that may have properties of either the correlational or experimental research design, however, there is only one subject in the experimental group. This study is only chosen when it is difficult to obtain subjects.

Front 41

conditioned taste aversion

Back 41

a classically conditioned aversion to a specific food that occurs when a person gets sick within a day of eating a novel food.

Front 42

phase III clinical trial

Back 42

experiments conducted with as many persons with a disease in as many different populations as is clinically significant. The goal is to determine toxicity and whether the treatment is effective. These are generally long term studies relative to the other types of trials.

Front 43

t-test

Back 43

an inferential statistic used to analyze an experimental design when you have only two groups in a single independent variable.

Front 44

habituation

Back 44

a temporary gradual reduction in the startle response that occurs if the startle stimulus is not linked to some other event or stimulus. A type of nonassoicative learning in which contiguity and contingency are missing.

Front 45

Lichert Scale

Back 45

a rating scale that is used to rate responses to questions in psychological research. The scale has a neutral center value and 5 to 9 total choices. For example the following is a five point scale: strongly disagree-disagree-no opinion-agree-strongly agree.

Front 46

fixed ratio

Back 46

a reward is delivered based on a fixed number of completed behaviors.

Front 47

pimary effect

Back 47

the information learned at the beginning of a list or training session is more likely to be recalled than information from the middle.

Front 48

spontaneous recovery

Back 48

the sudden reappearence of a behavior that had been previously eliminated with extinction trials.

Front 49

sensitization

Back 49

a temporary gradual increase in the startle response (and similar stimuli) that occurs if the startle stimulus is not linked to some other event or stimulus. A type of nonassoicative learning in which contiguity and contingency are missing.

Front 50

unconditioned response

Back 50

the reflex or natural behavior that is produced following the delivery of an unconditioned stimulus.

Front 51

hypothesis

Back 51

the prediction tested in a research study. In an experimental design, the ____ is the predicted effect of an independent variable on the dependent variable. In a correlational design, the ____ is the predicted relationship between two dependent variables.

Front 52

delay conditioning

Back 52

a type of classical conditioning in which the onset of the conditioned stimulus preceeds the onset of the unconditioned stimulus and the two stimuli coterminate. This type of conditioning is dependent on neurons in the cerebellum.

Front 53

phase I clinical trial

Back 53

experiments conducted with healthy human participants that are designed to determine the toxicity level of a drug or new medical treatment before proceeding to trials with human participants that have the disease of interest.

Front 54

sensory memory

Back 54

a brief memory stored in sensory neurons lasting no more than 18 ms.

Front 55

IRB

Back 55

the Institutional Review Borad; the local agency (can be at a corporation, university or government research agency) that is responsible for ensuring that all research involving human subjects (at the entity) meets federal standards.

Front 56

associative learning

Back 56

a type of learning that requires both contiguity and contingency.

Front 57

classical conditioning

Back 57

a type of associative learning in which a conditioned stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus. First developed by the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov.

Front 58

conditioned stimulus

Back 58

a neutral stimulus that acquires the properties of an u ____ as the result of classical conditioning.

Front 59

experimental design

Back 59

a design that consists of at least one independent variable and one dependent variable in which the subjects were chosen randomly and randomly assigned to the independent variable. The most powerful design because it allows the researcher to determine cause and effect.ex

Front 60

random sample

Back 60

a sample in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected for participation in the experiment.

Front 61

survey

Back 61

is also called a questionnaire. A research tool used to collect large amounts of data in a short period of time. It involves a series of questions based on a Lichert scale.

Front 62

conditioned response

Back 62

a behavior that is identical to an u ____ but is made in response to the delivery of a conditioned stimulus instead of an unconditioned stimulus.

Front 63

token economy

Back 63

used by behavior therapists to modify abnormal behavior using tokens (a type of secondary reinforcement) to obtain primary reinforcement (e.g., food, phone time, drink).

Front 64

trace conditioning

Back 64

a type of classical conditioning in which the onset and termination of the conditioned stimulus preceeds the onset of the unconditioned stimulus. This type of conditioning is dependent on neurons in the hippocampus.

Front 65

IACUC

Back 65

the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; the local agency (can be at a corporation, university or government research agency) that is responsible for ensuring that all research involving animals (at the entity) meets federal standards. In addition, this group also monitors the care of the animals.

Front 66

variable interval

Back 66

a reward is delivered based on the amount of time that has elapsed, but the amount of time that must pass to get one reward varies.