cognition Flashcards
thought process by which you overcome obstacles to reach a goal
problem solving
positive strategies when faced with a problem
attack the problem retreat go around the barrier seek expert opinion change the goal change yourself
negative strategies when faced with a problem
worrying whining whimpering wailing wetting yourself
3 characteristics of good problem solvers
intelligence
flexibility
experience
vague formulation of the problem
inadequate
use of a past successful strategy, but may interfere with future strategies
mental set
problems can be solved by using a familiar object in an unusual way, but you do not realize
functional fixedness
inadequate interference lack of strategy mental set functional fixedness
barriers to problem solving
do animals communicate
yes
do animals have a true spoken language
no
chunks raised in human homes like humans
gua and vicki
average child’s age when first words are spoken
12 months
certain time during development when an individual can learn a specific behavior most easily
critical period
language is acquired solely through the process of learning imitation (bandura) reinforcement (BF skinner) older theory not as popular today
learning theory
linguist noam chomsky maintains that infants are born with a predisposition to develop language; inherit a language acquisition device; even though we do have an innate ability to acquire language, we still need to be exposed to a specific language
biologically predetermined theory
basic design features of language and stages of language acquisition are universal
infants in all countries make the same pre language sounds
deaf children make same sounds as children with normal hearing
newer theory; more popular today
evidence to support chomsky’s theory
both emphasis role of imitation and reinforcement
learning theory
biologically predetermined theory
which of the following types of individuals would have more difficulty learning language
an only child
the purposeful mental manipulation of words and images
thinking
depends on concepts
the mental picture we have of something
thinking
how do we form concepts
by looking for how things are the same and different and attaching a label to the concept
a formal system of communication involving symbols and rules for combining them
language
UCLA study
words
7%
UCLA study
35%
intonation
how we say things
intonation
UCLA study
nonverbals
58%
use of symbols to convey thoughts in a meaningful way
semanticity
ability to combine words in novel, meaningful ways
generativity
ability to refer to objects and events that are not present
displacement
ability to produce novel and valuable ideas
ability to tap past experiences and come up with something new, atleast new to that individual
creativity
preparation
incubation
inspiration
verification and revision
steps in creative thinking
focuses on finding conventional solutions to problems
convergent thinking
considers a variety of potential solutions
divergent thinking
attempt to solve problems by expressing all possible solutions without stopping to evaluate them
brainstorming
weak theory
forgetting occurs because memories naturally fade over time
learning causes physical change in the brain and this “memory trace” fades and disappears over time
little research reported
research of wilder penfield disproves this theory
decay theory
you forget because other information interferes with remembering
interference theory
new memories interfere with the ability to remember old memories
radioactive interference
old memories interfere with the ability to remember new memories
proactive interference
we are motivated purposefully to forget in order to avoid anxiety
motivation theory
unconscious process by which emotionally threatening experiences are made unavailable to recall
repression
elizabeth loftus
25% of adult memories could be false
false memory syndrome
the distortion of memories by adding, dropping, or changing details to fit a schema
constructive recall
forgetting is due to failure to have or use adequate retrieval cues
TOT phenomenon and pen fields research
cue dependence theory
recall will be best when environmental cues that were associated with the encoding of a memory are also present during attempts to retrieve it
encoding specicity
recall is best when environmental context present during encoding of a memory is also present during attempts at retrieving it
visiting old house
context dependent memory
recall is best when ones emotional or physiological state is the same during recall of memory as it was during encoding
state dependent memory
memories recalled best when in same mood as when memory was encoded; the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with ones current good or bad mood
mood congruent memory
ECT disrupts memory
certain drugs either block or enhance memory
cases of patients either block or enhance memory
distortion of the biochemical memory process
most important structure related to memory
hippocampus
role of neurotransmitters
acetocholine
linked with improvement of memory
blood sugar/ glucose
small capacity
20 secs
immediate and perfect recall
STM
unlimited capacity.. stays forever
LTM
retreating info (short answer)
recall
to recognize (multiple choice)
recognition
method of savings (retest, final, midterm)
relearning
