1: Cognitive Psychology

Question 1

Psychology is the _____ of _____ and _____.

Answer 1

Psychology is the science of mind and behaviour.

Question 2

Science is one of ___ ways we have of knowing about the world and reality.

Answer 2

Science is one of 4 ways we have of knowing about the world and reality.

Question 3

The 4 ways of knowing are:
____-__________, such as _____ and ______.
________, such as ________ and ________.

Answer 3

The 4 ways of knowing are:
Non-empirical, such as authority and logic.
Empirical, such as intuition and science.

Question 4

What is a belief based on what someone else (e.g. an expert) claims?

Answer 4

Authority.

Question 5

What is a belief based on reasoning?

Answer 5

Logic.

Question 6

What are the 2 types of reasoning used in logic?

Answer 6

Deductive and Inductive.

Question 7

What is deductive reasoning?

Answer 7

General to specific, e.g. syllogisms.

Question 8

What is inductive reasoning?

Answer 8

Specific to general, e.g. generalising from single observations.

Question 9

What is a belief based on direct observation?

Answer 9

Intuition.

Question 10

What is a belief based on a method or collection of methods?

Answer 10

Science.

Question 11

What is the 1st step of the scientific method?

Answer 11

Make an observation.

Question 12

What is the 2nd step of the scientific method?

Answer 12

Generate a theory.

Question 13

What is the 3rd step of the scientific method?

Answer 13

Generate a hypothesis.

Question 14

What is the 4th step of the scientific method?

Answer 14

Test the hypothesis (e.g. run experiment)

Question 15

What is the 5th step of the scientific method?

Answer 15

If the outcome of the test is consistent with the hypothesis, we confirm out hypothesis.

If the outcome of the test is inconsistent with the original hypothesis, we must generate a new theory.

Question 16

What are the 7 characteristics of science?

Answer 16

1. Empirical
2. Objective
3. Self-correcting
4. Progressive.
5. Tentative.
6. Theoretical
7. Parsimonious (e.g. Occam’s razor)

Question 17

During experiments, how do we increase the statistical power to thus reduce the amount of error?

Answer 17

Use a large sample size.

Question 18

What are the 3 components of all measurements? (e.g. behaviour, temperature, weight, speed)

Answer 18

True value
Bias
Random error

Question 19

What is the true value?

Answer 19

The thing being estimated.

Question 20

What is bias?

Answer 20

A type of error whose values:
are unknown,
do not equal zero,
but can be minimised through precaution (e.g. careful measurement, accurate measuring equipment, etc.)

Question 21

What is random error?

Answer 21

A type of error whose value varies from one measurement to the next, but whose expected value (i.e. mean values across many measurements) = zero.

Question 22

By taking careful measurements (e.g. use a large _____ _____), bias can be minimised (but not _________) and ______ ______ should be close to zero.

Answer 22

By taking careful measurements (e.g use a large sample size), bias can be minimised (but not eliminated) and random error should be close to zero.

Question 23

Cognitive psychology is the science of ______ and _______.

Answer 23

Cognitive psychology is the science of mind and cognition.

Question 24

Cognitive psychology includes the study of:

Answer 24

Perception
Attention
ST (working) memory
LT memory
Language (production + sensation)
Decision making
Reasoning (thinking)
Problem solving
Motor control
Affect/emotion

Question 25

What is the difference between social psychology and cognitive psychology?

Answer 25

Social psychology studies then behaviour of 2 or more individuals, cognitive psychology studies the behaviour of individuals.

Question 26

What is the difference between clinical psychology and cognitive psychology?

Answer 26

Clinical psychology studies abnormal (or otherwise compromised) mind; cognitive psychology studies the normal (intact) mind.

Question 27

What is the difference between personality psychology and cognitive psychology?

Answer 27

Personality psychology studies how minds differ among individuals (e.g. traits); cognitive psychology studies similarities among individuals (e.g. common components of mind).

Question 28

What is the difference between neuropsychology (neuroscience) and cognitive psychology?

Answer 28

Neuropsychology studies the neural mechanisms of the mind; cognitive psychology proves a more abstract, functional description of the mind.

Question 29

What is the difference between developmental psychology and cognitive psychology?

Answer 29

Developmental psychology studies how the mind develops (e.g. child cognition); cognitive psychology studies the developed mind (e.g. adult cognition).

Question 30

When were the 2 paradigm shifts in psychology?

Answer 30

After behaviourism (1960s) and during cognitivism (1980s)

Question 31

Who was Hermann Ebbinghaus?

Answer 31

Hermann Ebbinghaus studied human memory and first documented several important facts: serial position curve savings Used only himself as a subject; invented nonsense syllables (CVC's) as a method to study memory.

Question 32

Who was William James?

Answer 32

William James wrote a seminal 2 volume tome 'The Principles of Psychology'. He was an extremely astute observer of the human mind and cognition. He made the distinction between primary and secondary memory.

Question 33

What was the main goal of introspectionism?

Answer 33

To understand human consciousness and cognition via introspection.

Question 34

Who was Wilhelm Wundt?

Answer 34

Wilhelm Wundt was credited with establishing the first psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany in 1879. He established the school of Structuralism, which attempts to describe the mind in terms of its simplest components.

Question 35

Who was Edward Titchner?

Answer 35

Edward Titchner was Wundt's most prominent student, established the first psychological laboratory in the US. Famous for sparking the debate with Wundt over the existence of imageless thought.

Question 36

Who was Ivon Pavlov?

Answer 36

A Russian physiologist, credited with discovering classical conditioning.

Question 37

Who was John B. Watson?

Answer 37

American psychologist, in 1913 wrote the 'Behaviourists Manifesto', which caused a paradigm shift from introspectionism to behaviourism?

Question 38

Who was B.F. Skinner?

Answer 38

Credited with discovering operant conditioning. In 1957 wrote 'Verbal Behaviour', which attempted to explain human language acquisition using behaviourism principles. E.g. stimulus-response.

Question 39

Who were the two main proponents of the cognitive revolution?

Answer 39

Edward Tolman and Noam Chomsky.

Question 40

Who was Edward Tolman?

Answer 40

Behaviourist who demonstrated cognitive maps in rats.

Question 41

Who was Noam Chomsky?

Answer 41

M.I.T. linguist who in 1959 wrote influential critique of Skinner's 'Verbal Behaviour'. Provided examples that language is generative and thus not amenable to stimulus-response principles. He also provided arguments for the importance of internal grammar in language acquisition rather than general learning principles. He used computer technology as a metaphor of the mind.

Question 42

Cognitive science is a multi-disciplinary field introduced with _______ (1989) Foundations of Cognitive Science.

Answer 42

Posner

Question 43

Cognitive psychology can be situated in relation to other domains of science. The relationship among domains of science can be described using _______ of _______. The various domains differ in respect to: 1. ________ 2. ________ 3. ________ 4. ________

Answer 43

Cognitive psychology can be situated in relation to other domains of science. The relationship among domains of science can be described using levels of analysis. The various domains differ in respect to: 1. Scale (size) 2. Degree of experimental control. 3. Sample sizes. 4. Complexity.

Question 44

What are the 3 basic assumptions of cognitive psychology?

Answer 44

1. Mental processes exist. Behaviour cannot be explained using behaviourist (S-R) principles. 2. Mental processes can be studied and understood using science. Mental processes can be measured. 3. Humans are info processing systems. Awake humans are always perceiving, thinking and acting.

Question 45

The computer metaphor of the mind is taken very seriously. Hardware vs. software = _______ vs. ________. Computer components = _______ __________ (e.g. the ______ model).

Answer 45

The computer metaphor of the mind is taken very seriously. Hardware vs. software = brain vs. mind. Computer components = mind components (e.g. the modal model).

Question 46

What are the 2 traditional methods for measuring mental processes?

Answer 46

1. Reaction times (RT's) | 2. Verbal protocols.

Question 47

What are RT's?

Answer 47

Measuring response speed (ms). Can include sophisticated devices like eye-trackers. Dependent measures include error rates, type of errors (e.g. speech production errors).

Question 48

What are verbal protocols?

Answer 48

Record 'think aloud' protocols as participants perform a task.

Question 49

What are the 3 non-traditional methods for measuring mental processes?

Answer 49

1. Event-related potentials (ERP's) 2. Brain imaging (PET, fMRI) 3. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Question 50

What are ERP's and it's pros and cons?

Answer 50

Uses electrodes to measure EEG (brain electrical activity) on the scalp. Pros: minimally invasive, excellent temporal resolution. Cons: very poor spatial resolution.

Question 51

What is brain imaging and it's pros and cons?

Answer 51

Uses radioactive tracers (PET) or blood flow (fMRI) to indirectly measure brains metabolism. Pros: good spatial resolution. Cons: poor temporal resolution, more invasive than ERP's. expensive.

Question 52

What is TMS and its pros and cons?

Answer 52

Uses electromagnetic current to induce temporary cortical 'lesions'. Pros: fairly good temporal and spatial resolution, can be used to make causal inferences about function of cortical tissue. Cons: more invasive than other methods.