Cognitive Psychology
a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events. (p. 266)
Classical conditioning
the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance. (p. 184)
Depth perception
a testable prediction, often implied by a theory. (p. 38)
Hypothesis
the scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning.
Behavioral Psychology
the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center. (p. 104)
Cerebral cortex
learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (as in operant conditioning). (p. 264)
Associative Learning
information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations. (p. 152)
Top down processing
a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample. (p. 43)
Sample Bias
a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span. (p. 14)
Developmental Psychology
two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.
Amygdala
the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2). (p. 266)
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information. (p. 152)
Bottom-up processing
the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable. (p. 52)
Dependent Variable
the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating. (p. 12)
Cognitive Psychology
a neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward. (p. 99)
Hypothalamus