chapter 2: how to study cognition Flashcards
define rationalism
use of logic and prior knowledge to guide obeservations
define empiricism
all knowledge comes from experience and observation
If someone strongly aligns with empiricism, would they say our actions are based on “nature” or “nurture”
nurture
behaviorism is limited because ..
a. it only focuses on internal processes
b. too complex as it accounts for internal and external responses
c. impossible to scientifically study behavior
d. doesn’t account for internal mental processes and flexibility
d. doesn’t account for internal mental processes and flexibility
what is referred to as the mind-body problem
the debate of how mental events (thoughts, beliefs, sensations) are related to or caused by physical mechanisms
differentiate dualism and monism
dualism: mind and body consist of two different substances
monism: mind and body consist of the same substance
name and explain the three types of monism
physicalism/materialism: only kind of reality is physical reality
idealism: only kind of reality is mental
neutral monism: neither physical or mental exists, but mind and body are both composed of the same element
name and explain the two types of dualism
interactionism: mind and body interact to induce events in each other
epiphenomenalism: mind is the by-product of the brain, but not vice-versa (one way relationship)
what is structuralism
analyzes the adult ming in terms of the simplest definable components and finds a way in which these components fit together in complex forms
relied on introspection and self-report
what were the criticisms to structuralism
- data can only be seen by one individual and not objectively verified by others. no replication
- can only access mental activity available to conscious awareness
define psychophysics
studies basic cognitive phenomenon by linking sensory experiences to physical changes
what is functionalism
wonders why the mind works.
not interested in breaking down mental states to basic elements.
cognition is about serving a function and so must adapt to current goals
what is behaviorism
focused on what can be observed
- don’t consider mental processes
- animal research
- assumes all species obey the same laws of behavior
what is classical conditioning
learning by making associations between cue, a stimuli and the natural response
what is instrumental learning/operant conditioning
behavior is contingent on a schedule of reinforcements, rewards and punishments
behaviorism is limited because
a. it only focuses on internal processes
b. it is too complex as it accounts for internal and external responses
c. it is impossible to scientifically study behavior
d. it does not account for internal mental processes and flexibility
d. it does not account for internal mental processes and flexibility
describe the “little albert” experiment
young child is presented repeatedly with white furry objects after being paired with loud crashing noise. it developed a strong fearful reaction not only to white furry objects but to all types of furry objects
differentiate between positive/negative reinforcement/punishment
pos rein: smt added to increase beh
neg rein: smt removed to increase beh
pos pun: smt added to decrease beh
neg pun: smt removed to decrease beh
what is an algorithm
method for producing the correct output from the input
why do we process information
to reduce uncertainty
- the more uncertain, the longer it will take
- if we don’t know what to expect, we process more
what is Hick’s law
a mathematical equation to show that the more information contained in a signal, the longer it takes to make a response to this signal
true or false? information processing does not have limits
false
explain the waugh & norman’s model of memory
stimulus is stored in primary memory.
if stimulus is rehearsed, it will move to secondary memory (long-term)
if not, stimulus will flow out of primary memory and be forgotten
what is ecological validity
the extent to which the findings of a research study can be generalized to real-life naturalistic settings
which school of thought or thinker is most responsible for promoting the use of controlled experiments for cognition research?
a. functionalism
b. structuralism
c. behaviourism
d. plato
e. all of the above
c. behaviourism
what are the 4 assumptions of cognitive research
- mental processes exist
- mental processes can be studied scientifically
- we are active information processors
- the basis of mental processes is the brain
define phrenology
parts of the brain correspond to mental functions and personality
- well-used mental functions: bump
- under-used mental functions: dent
what is functional specialization
brain area or networks that supports a particular cognitive function
what are the 6 methods in cognitive neuroscience
beh measurements: voluntary responses to stimuli
psychophysiological measurements: involuntary responses from PNS
animal models: investigate brain mechanism in animals
neuropsychological cases: comparison between injured brain and healthy brain
neuroimaging: techniques used to study structure/function of brain
spatial/temporal resolution: where and when activity occurs
descartes articulated the perspective of ___
a. monism
b. physicalism
c. dualism
d. behaviorism
c. dualism
what field of science served as an inspiration to the structuralist school?
chemistry
the “cognitive revolution” led to the idea of cognition as a form of ___
a. mental rotation
b. introspection
c. computation
d. biology
c. computation
describe Donders experiment
detection condition: push button when light turns on
discrimination condition: push button when left light turns on but not the right
choice: push left button when left turns on and right button for right light
order the different conditions of Donder’s experiment, based on observed average reaction times, from shortest to longest
a. discrimination condition
b. detection condition
c. choice condition
b, a, c
define mental imagery
the experience of seeing something with the ‘mind’s eye’ in the absence of real perceptual stimulation
what is the flashed face distortion effect
when flipping through face images in rapid succession on their screen, faces will appear distorted and grotesque, but when slowed down, face are completely normal
what is the stroop effect
delay in reaction time between congruent and incongruent stimuli
ex. color test: interference from spelled-out words that typically leads to delay in naming the ink colors
what are nuisance variables
variability in the data that is not due to experimental manipulation
differentiate cognitive neuroscience from behavioral neuroscience
cognitive: behavioral experiments combined with methods for measuring brain activity
behavioral: incorporates behavioral experiments alongside physiological measures of the brain
what is decision fatigue
quality of decisions decreases after a long session of decision making
