Chapter 1 - Introduction Flashcards
Cognitive Psychology
the study of mental processes, which includes determining the characteristics and properties of the mind and how it operates
Nativism vs. Empiricism
Nativisim: nature
Empiricism: nurture
Structuralism vs Functionalism
Structuralism: Wilhelm Wundt - wanted to explain conscious processes and experience
the ELEMENTS of knowledge
Functionalism: William James - wanted to know how the mind functions and adapts to new circumstances
what is knowledge for?
Introspection
the examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes
Behaviourism and Downfall
Observing behaviour - Classical & operant conditioning of introspection.
01 Conditioning Doesn’t Explain All: various behaviors could not be conditioned in animals and animals form unpredicted associations.
Example: researchers tried to train pigs to carry wooden coins and drop them in a piggy bank, but pigs would root the coins eventually.
Animals would treat the “coins” as food.
Suggests the existence of instinct.
02 Language: It is generative and can not be accounted for by stimulus-response-reward notions of behaviourism.
Example: Is this sentence grammatical?
03 Real-world Problems: Practical problems during World War II could not be addressed by behaviourist theories.
Example: Pilots experienced information overload which would often result in crashes.
LIGHT BULB EXPERIMENT - DONDERS
First Cognitive Experiment
01 Press the button when the light bulb turns on (simple reaction task).
Light is detected.
Make a motor plan.
Press the button.
02 Press the button on the left when the left bulb turns on and press the button on the right when the right bulb turns on (choice reaction task).
Light is detected.
Determine the side of the bulb
Make a decision.
Make a motor plan.
Press the button.
Computer Metaphor
Cognitive Psychologists tried to envision humans as information processing systems (like the computer). Examined how the computer worked to get ideas on how humans worked.
Representations: Stored information.
Process: A “program” that takes information as input and transforms it as output.
Functional Imaging: PET
Indirect measure of neural events; Measurement of cerebral blood flow (correlated with neural activity)
Injected with radioactive oxygen that is concentrated in areas that consume more blood.
Resolution: Spatial Good; Temporal Bad.
Functional Imaging: fMRI
Indirect measure of neural events.
Measurement of cerebral blood flow.
Oxygenated and deoxygenated blood have different magnetic properties.
Machine measures ratio to indicates areas of greatest oxygen usage.
Resolution: Spatial Good, Temporal Bad (worse than PET).
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Recent technology.
Apply a very strong and direct magnetic field to a region of cortex (resolution: 1-1.5 cm2).
Magnetic field stimulates neurons to fire, and interferes with normal functioning.
Creates “virtual lesions.”
