Chapter 1: Introduction to Cognitive Science Flashcards
Introspection
The process by which one looks within to observe and record the contents of one’s own mental life.
Not evidence-based or easily measurable
Behaviorist movement
Emphasizes the behavior of individuals rather than the unseen contents of their minds
Stimuli (reward or punishment) elicit a response (behavior)
Transcendental method
Immanuel Kant
- Investigator observes the consequences of a process
- Investigator asks “what must the process have been to bring about these effects?”
Response time RT
Time needed for a participant to respond to a stimulus
Cognitive neuroscience
The effort towards understanding a humans mental functioning through the close study of the brain and nervous system
Clinical neuropsychology
The study of brain function that uses brain damage or illness as its main source of information
Neuroimaging techniques
Noninvasive methods of examining either the structure or activation pattern of the living brain
Why is memory crucial for behaviors and mental operations that don’t in any explicit way ask you to “remember” ?
We use inferences based on prior knowledge to understand the context of new situations
What aspects of HM’s life were disrupted as a result of his amnesia?
he lost the ability to form new memories, also known as Anterograde amnesia
he maintained memories prior to his injury, as well as procedural memory
Why is introspection limited as a source of scientific information?
Introspection cannot be measured and verified.
Why do modern psychologists agree that we have to refer to mental states in order to explain behavior?
Behavior is not enough to explain what is happening. Underlying mental processes impact behavior and shed light on why people behave the ways they do
Describe at least one historical development that laid the groundwork for the cognitive revolution.
Tolman argued that learning (acquisition of new knowledge impacts behavior
Describe at least three types of evidence that psychologists routinely rely on.
- neuroimaging (PET, CT)
- clinical neuropsychology (brain injury)
- response time
In cognition, as in other sciences, we develop predictions that can be tested. These predictions are generally referred to as
hypotheses
What is the major theoretical argument from Gestalt Psychology regarding perception?
Behaviors, ideas, & perceptions must be understood as parts of a whole.
