Glossary • 391Acrobat problem A problem involving acrobats that is similar to the Tower of Hanoi prob-
lem. Used to illustrate how the way a problem is stated can influence its difficulty. See also
Reverse acrobat problem. (12)
Action pathway Neural pathway, extending from the occipital lobe to the parietal lobe, that is
associated with neural processing that occurs when people take action. Corresponds to the
where pathway. (3)
Action potential Electrical potential that travels down a neuron’s axon. (2)
Affirming the antecedent A conditional syllogism of the following form: If p, then q; p;
therefore, q. The antecedent, p, is affirmed in the second premise. This is a valid form of
conditional syllogism. See Table 13.1. See also Denying the consequent. (13)
Affirming the consequent A conditional syllogism of the following form: If p, then q; q;
therefore, p. This is an invalid form of conditional syllogism. See Table 13.1. See also
Denying the antecedent. (13)
Algorithm A procedure that is guaranteed to solve a problem. (3)
Amygdala A subcortical structure that is involved in processing emotional aspects of
experience, including memory for emotional events. (8)
Analogical encoding A technique in which people compare two problems that illustrate a
principle. This technique is designed to help people discover similar structural features of
cases or problems. (12)
Analogical paradox Participants in psychological experiments tend to focus on surface
features in analogy problems, whereas people in the real world frequently use deeper, more
structural features. (12)
Analogical problem solving The use of analogies as an aid to solving problems. Typically, a
solution to one problem, the source problem, is presented that is analogous to the solution
to another problem, the target problem. (12)
Analogical transfer The application of problem-solving strategies experienced in solving one
problem to the solution of another, similar problem. (12)
Analogy Making a comparison in order to show a similarity between two different things. (12)
Analytic introspection A procedure used by early psychologists in which trained partici-
pants described their experiences and thought processes elicited by stimuli presented under
controlled conditions. (1)
Anaphoric inference An inference that connects an object or person in one sentence to an
object or person in another sentence. See also Causal inference; Instrument inference. (11)
Antecedent In a conditional syllogism, the term p in the conditional premise “If p, then q.”
See also Consequent. (13)
Anterograde amnesia Amnesia for events that occur after an injury—that is, the inability to
form new memories. Compare to retrograde amnesia—the inability to remember informa-
tion from the past. (6)
Articulatory rehearsal process Rehearsal process involved in working memory that keeps
items in the phonological store from decaying. (5)
Articulatory suppression Interference with operation of the phonological loop that occurs
when a person repeats an irrelevant word such as “the” while carrying out a task that
requires the phonological loop. (5)
Artificial intelligence The ability of a computer to perform tasks usually associated with
human intelligence. (1)
Attention Focusing on specific features, objects, or locations or on certain thoughts or
activities. (4)Glossary
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