Block 4 - Cognitive psychology - Lecture 1 - Intro

Question 1

What is Gestalt psychology?

Answer 1

emphasises organised units in perception and behaviour that cannot be reduced to their component parts

Question 2

Wundt?

Answer 2

• used introspection (the observation of one’s perceptions)
• determined there was 7 qualities of sensations:
  -> visual
  -> auditory
  -> olfactory
  -> gustatory
  -> cutaneous
  -> kinesthetic
  -> organic

Question 3

Functionalism - James?

Answer 3

• to find the meaning out of an idea you have to look at its consequences
• emphasis on cause and effect and observation of behaviour in the environment

Question 4

What is cognitive psychology?

Answer 4

• understanding the mental processes that allow us to make sense of our environment
• generating descriptions of how these mental processes function - flow chart

Question 5

What is the mind/body problem - Searle 1994?

Answer 5

• type identity theory = a mental state is equivalent to a specific pattern of neural events
• 2 brain problem = 2 people can have the same thought but have different patterns of neural events
• token identity theory = a mental state maps onto a variety of different neural events

Question 6

Information processing analogy?

Answer 6

• human cognition = flow of information or signals
• psychologists can measure cognition by measuring signal processing looking at redundancy, reaction time and capacity

Question 7

The computational metaphor of the mind?

Answer 7

• input -> processing -> output
• brains are like computer hardware
• cognition is software
• the mind contains symbolic representations that are stored in memory
• cognition is the product of operations
• mental processes are like computer programmes that transform representations

Question 8

What are the 3 levels of description - Marr 1982?

Answer 8

1. computational theory level
   -> what is the function of cognition
2. Representation and algorithm level
   -> how does cognition work
3. hardware level
   -> how are the representations instantiated in the real world
   - primary interest as cognitive psychologists = levels 1 + 2

Question 9

Modularity - Fodor 1983?

Answer 9

• human cognitions = organised into mental modules
• each fulfils a specific function:
  1. horizontal faculties = general competencies used across domains
  2. vertical faculties = domain specific cognitive functions and processes
• modules correspond to different brain areas
• module processing is fast
• cognition involves the activation of horizontal and vertical faculties

Question 10

Input systems, central processors and effector systems?

Answer 10

• psychologists draw a distinction between input systems (typically vertical faculties) and central processors
• input systems = process incoming sensory information, transfer information to central processors, domain specific (only process a particular class of information)
• central processor = makes decisions, plans actions, not modular
• effector systems = execute responses

Question 11

What methods are used to identify modules?

Answer 11

• key technique = dissociation = a manipulation that affects one cognitive task but not a different task
• e.g. articulatory suppression disrupts verbal/ phonological short-term memory but not spatial short term memory = evidence that the are 2 separate modules

Question 12

Patient HM - Scoville & Milner 1957?

Answer 12

• Neurosurgery to cure epilepsy
• Severe anterograde amnesia: couldn’t form new memories
• Short term memory ok + could learn new skills
• LTM, STM and procedural memory must be different systems
• Revolutionised understanding of how memory functions