Psychology Terminology

Image Representation

• Represents spatial features such as depth dimensions, distances, and orientations

Phoneme

• Smallest unit of speech sound that can distinguish one utterance from another in a given language

Attention

• Selection of stimuli to attend during visual search
• Influenced by task difficulty, especially during divided attention

Working Memory

• Capable of storing information for relatively short periods but with limited capacity
• Plays a role in divided attention and task difficulty

Morpheme

• Smallest unit of meaning within a language

Cognitive Processing

• Study of how people perceive, learn, remember, and think about information
• Involves the brain processing sensory information to make sense of it

Brain Regions

• Medulla oblongata, pons, and cerebellum are involved in various cognitive functions
• Hippocampus influences learning and memory, amygdala influences anger and aggression, and septum influences anger and fear

Language

• Permits communication with people who share the language
• Involves the use of organized means of combining words to communicate
• Entails reading words in isolation

Figure of Speech

• Simile compares two nouns to assert similarities while acknowledging differences
• Metaphor emphasizes similarities between tenor and vehicle

Neuroscience

• Controls the endocrine system and autonomic nervous system, including internal temperature regulation, appetite, and thirst regulation
• Primary relay station for sensory information is the brain
• Involved in receiving and processing sensory information, thinking, and planning and sending motor information

Information Processing

• Final stage involves using perceived information to make decisions, solve problems, and interact with the world
• Involves monitoring and resolving conflicts that arise among internal processes

Memory

• Sometimes people cannot remember where they heard or read information
• Working memory has a limited capacity and stores information for short periods
• Long-term memory has a very large capacity and stores information for very long periods

Learning

• Gradually becoming more familiar with a procedure through repeated practice is an example of a stage
• Involved in learning, emotions, and motivation