MCAT Psychology Flashcards
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Questions and Answers

What is the absolute threshold?

  • The point at which a stimulus is no longer perceivable
  • The maximum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus
  • The average level of stimulation required for perception
  • The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time (correct)

What does signal detection theory predict?

  • Signal detection occurs independently of background noise
  • There is a single absolute threshold for stimulus detection
  • Only physical factors affect stimulus detection
  • Detection of faint stimuli is influenced by experience and expectations (correct)

Overlapping error bars indicate a significant difference between two values.

False (B)

What is the dependency ratio?

<p>The number of people who are too young or too old to work compared to those in their productive years.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role does the cerebellum serve?

<p>Controls fine motor skills, posture, coordination, and proprioception.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does sick role theory describe?

<p>The patterns of behavior a sick person adopts to minimize the impact of their illness on others.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is social constructionism?

<p>A theory that argues that 'reality' is created through social interactions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is confirmation bias?

<p>A tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions while ignoring contradictory evidence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What function does the central executive in working memory serve?

<p>It directs attention and processing while regulating attention and task switching.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the visuospatial sketchpad?

<p>To manipulate visual or spatial information.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the phonological loop do?

<p>Holds and processes verbal and auditory information.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the episodic buffer responsible for?

<p>Connecting working memory to long-term memory and temporal processing.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define working memory.

<p>A system that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming information and information retrieved from long-term memory.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is social facilitation?

<p>Improvement in an individual's performance due to the presence of others.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is social impairment?

<p>The negative impact of the presence of others on the performance of a difficult task.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is somatic symptom disorder?

<p>A psychological disorder where symptoms manifest as bodily symptoms without a physical cause.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is illness anxiety disorder?

<p>A disorder where a person misinterprets normal sensations as symptoms of a disease.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the factitious disorder involve?

<p>Acting as if one has a physical or mental illness when one is not actually sick.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the monoamine hypothesis related to?

<p>Deficiency in monoamines contributing to depression.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does fluid intelligence refer to?

<p>The ability to see abstract relationships and draw logical inferences.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define crystallized intelligence.

<p>Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills that tend to increase with age.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is selective attention?

<p>The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does divided attention involve?

<p>Concentrating on more than one activity at the same time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is retroactive interference?

<p>The disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define proactive interference.

<p>The disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is context-dependent memory?

<p>The theory that information learned in a specific context is better remembered in that context.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is avoidance learning?

<p>Learning to avoid a negative stimulus by making a particular response.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is escape learning?

<p>Learning a response that decreases or ends some aversive stimulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are monocular depth cues?

<p>Visual cues that help perceive depth using one eye.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define stereopsis.

<p>The perception of depth created by combining differing images from each eye.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is sensory adaptation?

<p>A decrease in response to a constant stimulus over time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the serial position effect?

<p>The tendency to recall the first and last items in a list best.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are subjective contours?

<p>The perception of contours where none actually exist.</p> Signup and view all the answers

The vestibular senses are concerned with ______.

<p>movement and body position</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do otolith organs detect?

<p>Linear acceleration.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do semicircular canals detect?

<p>Angular acceleration.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is cultural evolution?

<p>Changes in human values, practices, and beliefs not due to genetics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the correlation coefficient indicate?

<p>The direction and strength of a relationship between variables.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the affective component of attitude?

<p>A person's feelings or emotions about an object, person, or event.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of interneurons?

<p>Act as a middle-man between sensory and motor neurons and allow communication within the CNS.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are adrenal cortex hormones?

<p>Aldosterone, cortisol, androgens.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are adrenal medulla hormones?

<p>Catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine).</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are sensory ganglia?

<p>Collections of cell bodies outside the central nervous system.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is long-term potentiation?

<p>An increase in a cell's firing potential after rapid stimulation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a shadowing task?

<p>Two different sounds projected into different ears, where one must repeat what is heard in one ear.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What functions does the left hemisphere of the brain serve?

<p>Controls the right side of the body and is responsible for logical and academic tasks.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a negative correlation?

<p>As one variable increases, the other decreases.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Absolute Threshold

The minimum amount of stimulation needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.

Signal Detection Theory

A theory that explains how we detect stimuli amidst background noise, considering factors like experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.

Overlapping Error Bars

In statistical data, error bars that overlap indicate no significant difference between two values.

Dependency Ratio

The ratio of people who are too young or too old to work, compared to those in their productive years.

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Cerebellum

Part of the hindbrain responsible for fine motor skills, posture, coordination, and procedural memory.

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Sick Role Theory

A theory describing behaviors adopted by sick individuals to minimize the impact of their illness on others.

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Social Constructionism

The idea that reality is socially constructed through interactions, leading to shared meanings of concepts like money or behaviors.

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Confirmation Bias

The tendency to seek information that confirms existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.

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Central Executive (Working Memory)

The main control center in working memory, directing attention and processing of information, overseeing other components.

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Visuospatial Sketchpad (Working Memory)

Part of working memory responsible for managing visual and spatial information; helps with tasks like reading maps.

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Phonological Loop (Working Memory)

Part of working memory that processes verbal and auditory information; used in activities like reading aloud.

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Episodic Buffer (Working Memory)

A component of working memory that connects it to long-term memory, helping in understanding events and timelines.

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Working Memory

The active processing of auditory and visual-spatial information, emphasizing manipulation of data, unlike short-term memory.

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Social Facilitation

Performance improves on easy, well-practiced tasks when others are present.

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Social Impairment

Performance worsens on difficult tasks when others are present.

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Somatic Symptom Disorder

A disorder where physical symptoms manifest without a medical cause.

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Illness Anxiety Disorder

A disorder characterized by misinterpreting normal bodily sensations as signs of disease.

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Factitious Disorder

A disorder where individuals simulate illness despite being healthy.

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Monoamine Hypothesis (Depression)

The theory that depression is linked to a deficiency of monoamines like serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.

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Fluid Intelligence

The ability to identify abstract relationships and solve novel problems, often declining with age.

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Crystallized Intelligence

Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills, generally increasing with age.

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Selective Attention

Focused awareness on a specific stimulus, ignoring other information.

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Divided Attention

Simultaneously concentrating on multiple activities.

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Retroactive Interference

New learning disrupts recall of older information.

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Proactive Interference

Old learning disrupts recall of newer information.

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Context Dependent Memory

Information learned within a specific context is better recalled in that same context.

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Avoidance Learning

Learning to avoid negative stimuli through specific responses.

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Escape Learning

Acquiring a response that terminates or reduces aversive conditions.

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Stereopsis

The perception of depth created by integrating the slightly different images from each eye.

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Sensory Adaptation

The process of decreasing neuronal activity in response to constant stimuli.

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Subjective Contours

The perception of non-existent contours or edges, filling in gaps in visual information.

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Adrenal Cortex Hormones

Group of hormones produced by the adrenal cortex, including aldosterone, cortisol, and androgens.

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Adrenal Medulla Hormones

Group of hormones produced by the adrenal medulla, including epinephrine and norepinephrine.

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Neurulation

The developmental process of forming the nervous system.

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Correlation Coefficient

A statistical measure indicating the direction and strength of the relationship between two variables, but not causation.

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Interneurons

Neurons that connect sensory and motor neurons within the central nervous system.

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Study Notes

Key Concepts in Psychology

  • Absolute Threshold

    • Minimum stimulation required to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.

  • Signal Detection Theory

    • Predicts how and when we detect faint stimuli amid background noise.
    • Detection depends on personal experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.

  • Overlapping Error Bars

    • Indicates no significant difference between two values in statistical data.

  • Dependency Ratio

    • Ratio of people too young (under 15) or too old (over 65) to work compared to those in productive years.

  • Cerebellum

    • Part of the hindbrain controlling fine motor skills, posture, coordination, and procedural memory.

  • Sick Role Theory

    • Describes behaviors adopted by sick individuals to minimize illness's impact on others.

  • Social Constructionism

    • Theory that reality is created through social interactions, leading to shared meanings of concepts like money or behaviors.

  • Confirmation Bias

    • Tendency to seek information that confirms preconceptions while ignoring contradictory evidence.

Components of Working Memory

  • Central Executive

    • Directs attention and processing in working memory; controls other components.

  • Visuospatial Sketchpad

    • Manages visual and spatial information; facilitates tasks like reading maps.

  • Phonological Loop

    • Processes verbal and auditory information; used in activities like reading aloud.

  • Episodic Buffer

    • Connects working memory with long-term memory; aids in understanding timelines of events.

  • Working Memory

    • Active processing of auditory and visual-spatial information; differs from short-term memory by emphasizing manipulation of data.

Social Psychology Concepts

  • Social Facilitation

    • Performance improves in the presence of others, especially if the task is easy and well-practiced.

  • Social Impairment

    • Performance worsens on difficult tasks when others are present.

Psychological Disorders

  • Somatic Symptom Disorder

    • Symptoms manifest in the body without a physical cause.

  • Illness Anxiety Disorder

    • Misinterpretation of normal sensations as signs of disease.

  • Factitious Disorder

    • Individuals simulate illness despite being healthy.

Neurotransmitter and Intelligence

  • Monoamine Hypothesis

    • Depression linked to a deficiency of monoamines (serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine).

  • Fluid Intelligence

    • Ability to identify abstract relationships; usually decreases with age.

  • Crystallized Intelligence

    • Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.

Memory Concepts

  • Selective Attention

    • Focused awareness on a specific stimulus.

  • Divided Attention

    • Simultaneously concentrating on multiple activities.

  • Retroactive Interference

    • New learning disrupts recall of old information.

  • Proactive Interference

    • Old learning disrupts recall of new information.

  • Context Dependent Memory

    • Information learned in a specific context is better recalled in that same context.

Learning Theories

  • Avoidance Learning

    • Learning to avoid negative stimuli through specific responses.

  • Escape Learning

    • Acquiring a response that terminates or reduces aversive conditions.

Visual and Sensory Perception

  • Stereopsis

    • Integration of different images from each eye to perceive depth.

  • Sensory Adaptation

    • Neurons decrease activity in response to constant stimuli over time.

  • Subjective Contours

    • Perception of non-existent contours; brain fills gaps in visual information.

Physiological Components

  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones

    • Includes aldosterone, cortisol, androgens.

  • Adrenal Medulla Hormones

    • Consists of catecholamines, such as epinephrine and norepinephrine.

  • Neurulation Steps

    • Development process in forming the nervous system.

Miscellaneous Concepts

  • Correlation Coefficient

    • Indicates the direction of relationships between variables; does not imply causation.

  • Interneurons

    • Function as connectors between sensory and motor neurons within the central nervous system.

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Test your understanding of key concepts in psychology with these MCAT flashcards. This set focuses on important terms like 'absolute threshold' and 'signal detection theory' essential for grasping psychological principles.

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