Cognition Flashcards
PSY 1
cognition
how brain works & reacts to info presented to us
dual processing theory
sound and visuals are used to process & store info
information processing model
brain doesn’t work like computer
it processes info for decision, emotions, and problem solving
Cognitive development
Development of the ability to think and solve problems across a lifespan
What are the four stages of cognitive development?
Sensorimotor
preoperational
concrete operation
formal operation
jean piaget
Qualitative differences between the way adults and children think
schema
a concept, behavior, or a sequence of events
what did Piaget say about new information
He said that new information is processed through adaptation which comes from two processes: assimilation & accommodation
assimilation
grouping new info into existing memories (like concept, events)
Accommodation
Existing schemata (concepts, events) that are modified for new information
What is the duration of the sensorimotor stage?
birth to 2 years
What is circular reactions in sensorimotor stage?
When a child manipulates the environment to meet their physical needs
What is primary circular reaction and give an example
Primary circular reaction is the baby’s understanding of their own body
ex: realizing that sucking thumb is soothing
What is secondary circular reaction and give an example
it is when the baby finds something in the environment interesting & repeats it
ex: pushing the toy and finding it to move
object permanence
8-12 months
infant recognizes that object exists
representational thoughts
18-24 months
ability to think about objects and events that are not physically present.
preoperational stage
2-7 years
Includes symbolic thinking, egocentrism and centration
Symbolic thinking in pre operational stage
Ability to pretend, play, make believe, and have imagination
Ecocentrism in preoperational stage
Inability to imagine what another person may think or feel
Centration in preoperational stage
Tendency to focus on only one aspect of phenomenon-inability to understand other aspect of the conversation
Concrete operational state
7-11 years
Understand others perspective
formal operational stage
11+ years
think logically about abstract ideas
pendulum experiment
Children try to identify and isolate which factors (string length. height of release. weight) affect the speed of pendulum
What was the result of the pendulum experiment?
7-11 concrete stage : Unable to isolate factors and identify which factor is affecting the speed
11+ formal stage: Able to identify and isolated factor is affecting the speed
What did Lev Vygotsky proposed?
He proposed that cognitive development of a child is dependent on his culture
Name one type of fluid intelligence
Problem solving skills
Crystallized intelligence
Use of learned skills and knowledge
dementia
Intellectual decline following impaired memory, impaired judgment and confusion
Vascular dementia
high blood pressure causes mini-clot in the brain
what are some factors that can cause intellectual disabilities?
Infections in the brain
Birth complication
It can be recent syndrome
Genetic diseases
Parenting styles
drug use
delirium
Fast fluctuation in cognitive function
could be due to medical reasons and is reversible
mental set
tendency to approach similar problems in the same way
Functional fixedness
Inability to consider how to use an object in an untypical way
Cannot use an object in a way they have not been taught
Availability heuristic
used when people estimate the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples come to mind.
You assume your car would be stolen because you just heard the news about it
Representative heuristic
You judge according to the stereotype and looks not based on statistics
Imagine you meet someone who is quiet, wears glasses, and reads a lot of
Base Rate Fallacy
Ignoring the general rate of an event and focusing on a particular incident that might be bad
Belief perspective/perseverance
Sticking to one’s initial belief while rejecting the clear evidences against it
Confirmation bias
Seeking out information that confirms our previous biases or beliefs
disconfirmation principle
Changing one’s previous beliefs based on new contradicting information
Intuition
Act on perceptions that is not supported by evidences
Recognition Primed decision model
Brain sorts information into a pattern
rule of thumb
Rules of thumb are simple, practical guidelines that help in making quick decisions or solving common problems
What are the barriers to effective problem solving?
confirmation bias, functional fixedness, mental set, emotional barriers, availability heuristic, representativeness heuristic, belief perspective, stereotyping, judice
What are the approaches to problem solving?
trail & error, heuristic, algorithm,
overconfidence
Cognitive bias where individual has excessive beliefs in their own skills
What are Howard Gardner’s seven types of intelligence?
Linguistic, logical mathematical, musical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic interpersonal & intrapersonal
spearman’s g factor
Represents general intelligence underlying all cognitive abilities
such as ability to read makes him good in many subjects
intelligence quotient
Obtaining a standardized number for the intelligence measure
What other factors can vary intellectual abilities?
Parents’ expectation, socioeconomic status, nutrition, genes, environment educational experience
What are the 3 states of consciousness?
Dreaming, sleep, altered state of consciousness
what can cause altered state of consciousness?
Hypnosis, mediation, drug induced, sickness, dementia, delirium & coma
What part of the brain is responsible for alertness?
prefrontal cortex
reticular formation: neural structure located in the brain stem
both communicate (loss of this leads to coma)
What are the waves found from EEG that correspond to brain activity?
beta
alpha
theta
delta
sawtooth
beta wave
When we are awake, alert and doing a mental task
alpha wave
Slower waves than beta
awake but relaxing stayed with eyes closed
theta wave
stage 1 of sleep : NREM 1
light sleep: feels like didn’t sleep at all
slow eye movements
5-10 mins of sleep
irregular + spacious waves
stage 1 sleep / NREM 1 / N1
⬆️
stage 2 sleep / NREM 2
10-25 min of sleep
1️⃣sleep spindles
2️⃣K complexes in stage 2 sleep
1️⃣short bursts
2️⃣large single peak
both do memory solidation, protection from external stimuli
stage 3+4 / slow wave sleep (SWS)
delta waves
EEG waves get slower
low freq & high volt waves
hard to wake
cognitive recovery + memory solid
inc growth hormone release
NREM sleep
Non-rapid eye movement
All the above four stages
REM sleep
paradoxical sleep
sawtooth waves
Spread between the above cycles
Brain is working as if we are awake
Muscles are paralyzed (antonia)
detailed dreams
Effects of REM sleep on body
Memory solidation
Creative thinking & problem solving
Less temperature regulation
REM sleep disorders
Narcolepsy: excess daytime sleeping, cataplexy
Sleep behavior disorder: weakness, loss of paralysis (moving out of dreams)
sleep cycle
One round of the sleep stages
Melatonin role in sleep cycle
In darkness (evening & night), pineal gland releases melatonin to induce sleepiness
high during evening & night
ACTH role in sleep cycle
(Adrenocorticotropic Hormone)
Released by anterior pituitary to stimulate the adrenal cortex
Adrenal cortex then releases cortisol
Cortisol role in sleep cycle
steroid hormone
resp for metabolism, immunity
low during sleep times bec body has to rest
high in morning
low at evening & night
CRF role in sleep cycle
corticotropin releasing factor
inc light makes CRF release ACTH
show pathway of hormones of the daytime
high light ➡️ hypothalamus ➡️CRF ➡️ anterior pituitary➡️ACTH➡️adrenal cortex ➡️cortisol➡️alert !!!
show pathway of the hormones for night
dark➡️pineal gland➡️melatonin➡️ sleepiness
Where do most dreams occur?
REM sleep
activation-synthesis theory
dreams are the result of the brain trying to make sense of random neural activity that occurs during REM
Problem-solving dream theory
Suggests that dreams are a way to solve problems because they show us a different perspective
Cognitive process dream theory
Dreams are the sleeping part of our conscious while we are awake
Neurocognitive models of dreaming
Tries to unify biological and psychological perspectives on dreaming
dyssomnias
Difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, avoid sleep
Ex: Insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea
insomnia
difficulty falling/staying asleep
narcolepsy
Drowsiness during the day
Symptoms: cataplexy, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic hallucination
cataplexy
sudden muscle weakness
sleep paralysis
unable to move despite being awake
hypnagogic & hypnopompic hallucinations
hallucinations when going to sleep or waking up
sleep apnea
People wake up to breath
Can’t breathe while sleeping
2 sleep apneas 1️⃣obstructive2️⃣central
1️⃣ physical blockage in the windpipe
2️⃣ brain fails to send signal to the diaphragm
Parasomnia
abnormal movement/behaviors during sleep
Ex: night terrors, sleep walking
night terrors
Intense anxiety in stage 4 sleep
Sleep walking
during stage 4 sleep
sleep deprivation
REM sleep also
Hypnosis
A stage in which the person appears to be in control of their actions but is actually following the suggestions of others
Hypnotic induction
Subject is relaxed and their conscious is raised
Meditation
Relaxing of the mind for some purpose
Resembles stage 1 sleep
GABA receptor
inhibitory neurotransmitter
limits excitation
binds to neuron receptor
leads to hyperpolarization
maintains sleep (less levels leads to insomnia)
hyperpolarization
less firing of action potential
what does alcohol do to GABA and chloride channel
increases GABA receptor activity
Cl ion enters
why do people feel happy after alcohol
enhanced GABAa activity
Cl enters neurons
hyperpolarization
person relaxed
GABAa receptors
chloride channel
alcohol myopia
short-sighted view of the world
long-term results of alcohol use
cirrhosis, liver failure, pancreatic damage, gastric/duodenal ulcers, gastrointestinal cancer, brain damage
Wernicke-Korsakoff
Plenty of thiamine (vitamin B1)
Severe memory impairment, mental state change, loss of motor skills
Name 2 depressants
Alcohols, barbiturates & benzodiazepines
barbiturates
has been used historically as anxiolytic & sleep medication
anxiolytic
anxiety-reducing
what do barbiturate depressants do ?
they are sleep inducing
what does amobarbital drug do ?
it is used for short-term insomnia, pre-surgery sedation, & psychiatric evaluations
what does phenobarbital drug do?
used as a sedative
Treats epilepsy and severe seizures
what are benzodiazepines drugs?
anxiety reducing drugs that have replaced ammo orbital and phenobarbital benzodiazepine
less susceptible to overdose
examples of benzodiazepines drug
alprazolam, lorazepam, diazepam, clonazepam
What do anxiety reducing drugs do to GABA activity?
They increase Gaba activity for relaxation
stimulants
inc action potential to increase arousal of nervous system (phy activity)
amphetamines in brain
release dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin
euphoria, hypervigilance, anxiety, delusions of grandeur, paranoia
amphetamines effect on body & life
person becomes active
less sleep & eating
high bp & heart rate
similarities and differences between amphetamines and cocaine
🌴Amphetamines decreases the release of neurotransmitters and their uptake
🌴Cocaine decreases the uptake
🌴Both have similar effects
Additional properties of cocaine
anesthetic
vasoconstrictive for nose and throat
Can lead to heart attack and strokes
Crack
Smoked form of cocaine and is very addictive
ecstasy
🌴Similar drug like amphetamines
🌴overwhelming sense of well being and connectedness
What opiates and opioids derived from?
Opium Poppy plant
opiates
Morphine and codeine
Naturally occurring form of opium
opioids
oxycodone, hydrocodone, heroin
semisynthetic derivatives of opium
Combined to opioid receptors in PNS and CNS
Opioid effects on body
Decreased reaction to pain
Sense of Euphoria
Respiratory suppression from overdose
heroin
🌴Morphine substitute
🌴Oxycodone & hydrocodone are its prescription drugs
How you doing metabolized and what is used to treat its addiction?
It is metabolized to morphine
Addiction is treated by methadone
Hallucinogens
Cause reality distortion & fantasy
Complex interaction between neurotransmitters (serotonin)
What do hallucinogens contain?
LSD-lysergic acid diethylamide
mushroom
Where does marijuana come from?
Plants of cannabis sativa and cannabis indica
What is the main chemical in marijuana?
THC - tetrahydrocannabinol
What does marijuana do in the brain?
🌴act at cannabinoid receptors, glycine receptors, opioid receptors
🌴inhibits GABA
🌴increases dopamine activity
Effects of marijuana on the body
eye redness, dry mouth, fatigue, impairment of short-term
memory, increased heart rate, increased appetite & lowered blood pressure
category of marijuana
stimulant, depressant, & hallucinogen
reward pathway
when we do something enjoyable like drugs), dopamine is released
ventral tegmental area (VTA)
where dopamine is produced
Nucleus Accumbens
This area receives dopamine and makes us feel good
medial forebrain bundle (MFB)
🌴a collection of nerve fibers in the brain
🌴facilitate the release of dopamine
🌴connects hypothalamus, VTA, nucleus accumbens, & prefrontal cortex
attention
concentrating on one aspect of the sensory environment
Select attention
Focusing on one stimuli and ignoring all the others
Cocktail party phenomenon
Able to hear one’s name being called out despite being in a deep conversation with someone else
Divided attention
Doing multiple tasks at the same time
automatic processing
familiarity with the task so much that not much attention is given to it (while doing it) and the focus is on other tasks
Ex: driving on the everyday route
