Chapter 4 - Cognition, Consciousness, and Language Flashcards
Information Processing Model (4 parts)
- Thinking requires sensation, encoding, and storage of stimuli
- Stimuli must be analyzed by the brain to be useful in decision-making.
- Decisions made in one situation can be extrapolated and adjusted to help solve new problems.
- Problem-solving is dependent not only on the persons cognitive level but also context and complexity of the problem.
Piaget’s Claim to Fame
Proposed qualitative differences between adult and child reasoning. (4 stages of cognitive development)
Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
- Sensorimotor
- Preoperational
- Concrete operational
- Formal operational
Assimilation
Classifying new information into existing schemata
Accommodation
Process by which existing schemata are modified to encompass new information.
Sensorimotor Stage
Birth - 2 y.o.
Child learns to coordinate sensory input with motor actions.
Begin by exhibiting circular reactions. ends by developing object permanence.
Circular Reactions
Primary:
- Repetitions of body movements.
Secondary:
- Manipulation outside the body.
Object Permanence
Ability to recognize that objects continue to exist even if they are out of sight.
Preoperational Stage
2 y.o. - 7 y.o.
Focused on symbolic thinking and egocentrism. Lacks conservation.
Symbolic Thinking
Ability to play pretend, make-believe, and have imagination.
Egocentrism
Inability to understand what others think or feel.
Conservation
Understanding that physical amounts are the same regardless of shape or appearance.
Centration
Tendency to focus on one aspect of a phenomenon. (number of pizza slices vs size of pizza slices)
Concrete Operational Stage
7 y.o - 11 y.o
Understanding of conservation and loss of egocentrism. Only practical thinking, no abstract thought.
Formal Operational Stage
11 y.o. - beyond
Reasoning about abstract ideas and development of hypothetical reasoning.
Lev Vygotsky Claim to Fame
“Engine driving cognitive development is the child’s internalization of his/her culture including interpersonal and societal rules, symbols, and language”
Fluid Intelligence vs Crystalized Intelligence
Fluid Intelligence - solving novel problems using creative methods.
Crystalized Intelligence - Solving problems using acquired knowledge, can be procedural.
Mental Set
Tendency to approach problems a similar way.
Functional Fixedness
Inability to be creative with the use of an object.
Deductive Reasoning
Top-down processing. Starts from a set of general rules and draws connections from information given.
Inductive Reasoning
Bottom-up processing. Creates theories by generalizations.
Heuristics
Ability to make decisions, rules of thumb
Availability Heuristic
Basing the likelihood of an event on how easily examples come to mind.
Representativeness Heuristic
Categorizing items on the basis of fitting into prototypical, stereotypical, or representative image for the category.
Base Rate Fallacy
Using representative heuristics to make a decision while ignoring numerical information.
Disconfirmation Principle
Discarding solutions to problems when they don’t work.
Confirmation Bias
Focusing on information that fits and individuals existing belief.
Overconfidence
Erronesouly interpreting one’s knowledge or beliefs as infallible.
Hindsight Bias
Overestimation of the ability to predict outcome of events that already happened. (I knew it)
Belief Perseverance
Inability to reject belief despite contradictory evidence.
Intuition
Ability to act on perceptions not supported by evidence.
Recognition-primed decision model
How individuals make quick, effective decisions when faced with complex situations
Howard Garner Claim to Fame
Multiple intelligences theory.
Multiple Intelligences Theory
8 Intelligences
- linguistic
- logical-mathematical
- musical
- visual-spacial
- bodily-kinesthetic
- interpersonal
- intrapersonal
- naturalist
Robert Sterneberg Claim to Fame
Triarchic theory of human intelligence.
Triarchic theory of human intelligence
Analytical, creative, and practical.
Consciousness
Level of awareness of both the world and one’s own existence within the world.
Alpha Waves
Awake - eyes closed and resting. Synchronous and moderately quick.
Beta Waves
Awake - alert or concentrating. Irregular, quick.
Theta Waves
Stage 1 Sleep. Irregular, slow frequency, higher voltages.
Delta Waves
Stage 3 Sleep. Very slow.
Awake (waves)
Alpha and Beta
Sleep 1 (waves)
Theta
Sleep 2 (waves)
Sleep spindles and K complexes
Sleep 3 (waves)
Delta
REM Sleep
Rapid Eye Movement. Mimics wakefulness but body is paralyzed.
Activation Synthesis Theory
Dreams are caused by widespread, random activation of neural circuitry.
Problem-Solving Dream Theory
Dreams are a sleeping counterpart to stream-of-consciousness.
Dyssomnia
Disorders that make it difficult to sleep. (Sleep apnea, insomnia, etc)
Parasomnia
Abnormal movements or behavior during sleep.
Hypnagogic and Hypnopompic Hallucinations
Hallucinations while falling asleep or waking up.
Somnambulism
Sleepwalking
Hypnosis
Control of all faculties but in a highly suggestible state.
Meditation (waves)
Mimics Sleep 1 - Theta waves
Four Classes of Consciousness Altering Drugs.
- Depressant
- Stimulant
- Hallucinogenic
- Opiates
Depressants
Sedatives or “downers”. Decrease frequency of neural impulses.
Alcohol Effect on Brain
- Increases GABA diminishing arousal
- Causes disinhibition
- Increased dopamine levels
- Alcohol myopia (inability to perceive possible consequences)
Sedatives (2 types)
CNS depression. Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines. Also, increase GABA and dopamine (ADDICTIVE)
Stimualnts
Increase in arousal or “uppers”. Increases frequency of neural impulses.
Amphetamines
Increases arousal by increasing dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin and decreasing reuptake.
Cocaine
Decreases reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Also has anesthetic and vasoconstrictive properties.
Ecstasy (MDMA)
Hallucinogen and amphetamine. Causes euphoria, increased alertness, and overwhelming sense of wellbeing.
Opiates VS Opioids (difference)
Opiates - Naturally occurring (morphine, codeine)
Opioids - Synthetic derivates.
(oxycodone, hydrocodone. and heroin)
Opiates and opioids
Bind to opioid receptors in the peripheral and central nervous system and act as endorphins.
Hallucinogens
Introspection, distortion of reality, and enhancement of sensory experiences. LSD, peyote, mescaline, ketamine, shrooms.
Marijuana
THC acts on cannabinoid receptors, glycine receptors, and opioid receptors. INHIBITS GABA and increases dopamine.
Addiction
Mesolimbic Reward Pathway
- Nucleus accumbens
- Ventral tegmental area
- Medial forebrain bundle
Normally involved in motivation and emotional response and accounts for positive reinforcement of substance use, gambling, love, etc.
Selective Attention
Focusing on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other stimuli.
Dichotic listening tests
Tests selective attention
Divided attention
Ability to perform mental tasks at the same time.
Five Components of Language
- Phonology
- Morphology
- Semantics
- Syntax
- Pragmatics
Phonology
Sound of language.
Phonemes
Sounds
Categorical Perception
Differentiating between similar phonemes.
Morphology
Structure of words (prefix, root, suffix)
Semantics
Association of meaning to a word.
Syntax
How words are put together to for sentences.
Pragmatics
Dependence of language on context and preexisting knowledge.
Language Development
9-12 months: babbling
12-18 months: 1 word/month
18-20 months: language explosion, word combination, inflection
2-3 years: exponential vocabulary, more complex sentences.
5+ years: language rules are largely mastered
Overextension vs Errors of Growth
Overextension: incorrect application of terms
Errors of Growth: misapplication of grammatical rules.
Nativist (Biological) Theory
Credited to Noam Chomsky. Advocates for an innate ability for language. Language acquisition device (brain pathway).
Critical period: 2 y.o. to puberty.
Sensitive period: environmental impact has maximal effect on development of an ability
Learning (Behaviorist) Theory
Credited to B.F. Skinner.
Language acquisition by operant conditioning or reinforcement.
Social Interactionist Theory
Focus on interplay between biologic and social processes.
Benjamin Whorf Claim to Fame
Whorfian hypothesis AKA linguistic relativity hypothesis. Perception of reality is determined by the content of language.
