396 • GlossaryDesign fixation Presenting a sample design influences the creation of new designs. (12)
Dichotic listening The procedure of presenting one message to the left ear and a different
message to the right ear. (4)
Dictionary unit A component of Treisman’s attenuation theory of attention. This process-
ing unit contains stored words and thresholds for activating the words. The dictionary
unit helps explain why we can sometimes hear a familiar word, such as our name, in an
unattended message. See also Attenuation theory of attention. (4)
Digit span The number of digits a person can remember. Digit span is used as a measure of
the capacity of short-term memory. (5)
Dissociation A situation in cases of brain damage, in which the damage causes a problem
in one function while not affecting other functions. See also Double dissociation; Single
dissociation. (3)
Distributed coding Representation of an object or experience by the pattern of firing of a
number of neurons. (2)
Distributed processing Processing that involves a number of different areas of the brain. (2)
Divergent thinking Thinking that is open-ended, involving a large number of potential
solutions. Can be contrasted with Convergent thinking. (12)
Divided attention The ability to pay attention to, or carry out, two or more different tasks
simultaneously. (4)
Double dissociation A situation in which a single dissociation can be demonstrated in one
person, and the opposite type of single dissociation can be demonstrated in another per-
son (i.e., Person 1: function A is present; function B is damaged; Person 2: function A is
damaged; function B is present). (3)Early selection model Model of attention that explains selective attention by early filtering
out of the unattended message. In Broadbent’s early selection model, the filtering step occurs
before the message is analyzed to determine its meaning. (4)
Echoic memory Brief sensory memory for auditory stimuli that lasts for a few seconds after a
stimulus is extinguished. (5)
Elaborative rehearsal Rehearsal that involves thinking about the meaning of an item to be
remembered or making connections between that item and prior knowledge. Compare to
Maintenance rehearsal. (7)
Encoding The process of acquiring information and transferring it into memory. (5, 7)
Encoding specificity The principle that we learn information together with its context. This
means that presence of the context can lead to enhanced memory for the information. (7)
Endogenous attention Occurs when a person consciously decides to scan the environment to
find a specific stimulus or monitor what is happening. Can also occur for auditory stimuli. (4)
Epiphenomenon A phenomenon that accompanies a mechanism but is not actually part of the
mechanism. An example of an epiphenomenon is lights that flash on a mainframe computer
as it operates. (10)
Episodic buffer A component added to Baddeley’s original working memory model that serves
as a “backup” store that communicates with both LTM and the components of working
memory. It holds information longer and has greater capacity than the phonological loop or
visuospatial sketch pad. (5)
Episodic memory Memory for specific events that have happened to the person having the
memory. These events are usually remembered as a personal experience that occurred at
a particular time and place. Episodic and semantic memory together make up declarative
memory. (6)
Error signal During learning in a connectionist network, the difference between the out-
put signal generated by a particular stimulus and the output that actually represents that
stimulus. (9)
Event-related potential (ERP) An electrical potential, recorded with disc electrodes on a per-
son’s scalp, that reflects the response of many thousands of neurons near the electrode that
fire together. The ERP consists of a number of waves that occur at different delays after a
stimulus is presented and that can be linked to different functions. For example, the N400
wave occurs in response to a sentence that contains a word that doesn’t fit the meaning of
the sentence. (2)
Evolutionary perspective on cognition The idea that many properties of our minds can be
traced to the evolutionary principles of natural selection. See also Social exchange theory. (13)33559_14_glossary_p391-410.indd 39633559_14_glossary_p391-410.indd 396 13/04/10 5:47 PM13/04/10 5:47 PM
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