Chapter 1 Flashcards
Social cognition
Social psychology approach which emphasizes cognition about others and social settings
Cognitive psychology
An approach that aims to understand human cognition and behavior
Cognitive neuroscience
Approach to understand cognition by combining behavior and the brain
Algorithm
A computational procedure that follows steps to find the answer (similar to heuristic)
Bottom up processing
Processing directly influenced by environmental stimuli
Top down processing
Processing stimuli through the filter of experience
Serial processing
Only one process at a time
Parallel processing
Multiple processes can happen at once
Cascade processing
Task 2 starts before task 1 is done (in between parallel processing and serial processing)
Ecological validity
Applicability of results outside of a lab
Implacable experimenter
Experiment or is unaffected by participants behavior
Paradigm specificity
When results aren’t perfectly replicable
Lesion
Damage within brain
Modularity
Theory that brain processes happen in set areas
Pure alexia
Difficulty reading but not other language
Double dissociation
When different individuals with brain damage can do different tasks differently
Association
When symptoms or performance impairments are often linked
Syndrome
Symptoms that often occur together
Case series study
A study testing several individuals with similar damage
Diaschisis
The disruption of brain areas by a lesion or injury in another area
Sulcus
Groove in the brain
Gyrus
Elevated ridges if brain
Dorsal
‘Towards the top’
Ventral
‘Towards the bottom’
Rostral
‘Towards the front’
Posterior
‘Towards the back’
Lateral
‘Situated at the side’
Medial
‘Near the middle’
Connectome
Wiring diagram of the brain
Single-unit recording
An invasive technique to study single neurons
Event-related potentials (ERPs)
The pattern of EEG averaging the reactions to stimulus
PET
Positron Emission Tomography, a brain scanning technique using radioactive water
fMRI
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, used to track blood flow
Event-related fMRI
fMRIs compared
MEG
MagnoEncephalography, a non invasive scanning technique with good spatial and temporal resolution
Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Temporary magnetic disturbance in the brain to mimic lesion
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
A technique to run a current through the brain to either impair or aid function
EEG I
Electroencephalogram, recording the brains electric output through scalp electrodes
BOLD
Blood oxygen-level dependent contrast, the signal measured by fMRIs
Neural decoding
Using computer-based analyses of of patterns of to work out what stimulus is being processed
Functional speculation
The assumption that each brain or region is specialized for a function
Reverse inference
When applied to neuroimaging, it involves arguing backwards from brain activity to cognitive process
Default mode network
A network of brain regions that is active by default.
Computational modeling
Constructing computer programs that mimic brain/cognitive processes
Artificial intelligence
Development of computer program La that have intelligent outcomes
Cognitive architecture
Comprehensive framework for understanding human cognition in the form of a computer program.
Cognitive models
Models of cognition in computational cognitive science that use nodes
Neural network models
Computational models in which processing involves the simultaneous activation of multiple nodes.
Nodes
Basic units in a neural network model
Back-propagation
A learning mechanism in connectionist models based on comparing actual responses to correct ones
Production systems
If-then production rules and a working memory containing information.
Production rules
If-then or condition-action rules
Working memory
A limited capacity system used in the processing and brief holding of information
Converging operations
An approach where several methods with different strengths are used to address an issue
Replication
The ability to repeat a test or experiment with similar results
Meta-analysis
A form of statistical analysis based on combination of findings from multiple studies
