Chapter 1: Intro Flashcards
What are the two meanings of cognitive psychology?
1) a synonym for cognition
2) theoretical approach
Cognitive approach
A theoretical orientation that emphasizes people’s thought processes and their knowledge
Empirical evidence
Scientific evidence obtained by careful observation and experimentation
Aristotle
The very first cognitive psychologist; examined topics such as perception, memory, and mental imagery
Wundt
Founder of psychology; introduced the idea of introspection
Introspection
Carefully trained observer’s word systematically analyze their own sensations and report them as objectively as possible, under standardized conditions
Cognition
Mental activity; Describes the acquisition, storage, transformation, and use of knowledge
Ebbinghaus
First person to scientifically study human memory;Examined a variety of factors that might influence performance; often used nonsense syllables
Calkins
Emphasized that psychologists should study how real people use their cognitive processes in the real world
Recency effect
The observation that our recall is especially accurate for the final items in a series of stimuli
William James
Preferred to theorize about our everyday psychological experiences; well known for his textbook “principles of psychology”
Operational definition
A precise definition that specified exactly how a concept is to be measured and valued carefully in controlled research
Behaviourism
The idea that psychology must focus on objective, observable reactions to stimuli in the environment, rather than introspection
John B. Watson
Most prominent early behaviourist; emphasized observable behaviour
Gestalt psychology
Emphasizes that we humans have basic tendencies to actively organize what we see; the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Bartlett
Conducted research on human memory and discovered that people make systematic errors when trying to recall lengthy stories and he proposed that human memory is an active, constructive process in which we interpret and transform the information we encounter. We search for meaning and try to integrate new information to fit with our personal experiences
Information processing model (Atkinson and Shiffrin)
Argues that our mental processes operate similar to that of a computer, and that memory involves a sequence of separate steps
Sensory memory
Stores information from the senses for about 2 seconds before it is forgotten, unless it passes to short-term memory
Short term memory can be lost within about _____ seconds. Unless _________.
30, it is somehow repeated
Ecological validity
Whether or not research is conducted in conditions that are similar to the natural setting where the results will be applied
Cognitive neuroscience
Combines the research and techniques of cognitive psychology with various methods for assessing the structure and function of the brain
Brain lesions
Destruction of an area in the brain
PET scan
Measures blood flow in the brain by injecting the person with a low-dose of radioactive chemical
fMRI
Measures oxygen rich blood using magnets and taking photos of the brain during cognitive tasks (fast, precise, and less invasive)
Event-related potential (ERP)
Using electrodes on a persons scalp, records the very brief fluctuations in the brains electrical activity in response to a stimulus such as an auditory tone
The computer metaphors
Our cognitive processes work like a computer, that is, a complex multipurpose machine that processes information quickly and accurately
Distinguish between “Pure AI” and “computer simulation”
Pure AI: designed to accomplish a cognitive task as effectively as possible
Computer simulation: takes human limitation into account and aims to perform a cognitive task in the same way a human would
Connectionist approach
Argues that cognitive processes can be understood in terms of networks that link together a neuron like units; in addition, many operations can proceed simultaneously
What are two other common names for the connectionist approach?
Parallel distributed processing approach (PDP), and Neural-network approach
Cognitive science
An interdisciplinary field that tries to answer questions about the mind
