Cognition, Consciousness & Language (Behavioral Sciences Chapter 4) Flashcards
Input -> _____ -> Outputs
Processing in the Brain
What biological feature helps explain why our cognition is so much more complex than our biological / anthropological ancestors?
our frontal lobe is thiccccck
What is the Information Processing Model? Name it’s components.
this is a theory describing how the brain encodes, stores and retrieves information. It’s 4 Pillars are: thinking ; analysis of stimuli ; situational modification ; obstacle evaluation
What is situational modification for in the information processing model?
it allows our brain to adjust to new problems by taking newly absorbed information (in the thinking step) that was then analyzed (analysis of stimuli step) to fit that new information into what we already know. This occurs before obstacle evaluation (which determines the complexity of the object or thing our brain is processing)
Using previous decisions to solve present problems is what pillar of the information processing model?
situational modification
Organized patterns of behavior and thought, such as an infant learning that they can grasp nearby objects, is known as what?
Schema
Who Said This: We process information in an adaptation system, in which new information has to be placed within different schemata.
Piaget
___ is the process in which new information is easily placed within one’s existing schemata, a type of Piaget’s adaptation.
Assimilation
___ allowing existing schemata to be modified to fit new information into schema
Accomodation
Can one be in two stages at once of Piaget’s 4 stages of cognitive development?
no, they’re sequential: that means 1 stage prepares you for the next and you’re supposed to go through each of them in your life
Why are 4 year olds bored by peek-a-boo?
they have developed object permanence through representational thought, which allows them to remember who you are, and that you didn’t disappear because you went behind your hands
What are the two types of circular, repetitive reactions babies do? (Piaget’s Sensorimotor stage of cognitive development)
Primary: baby does this by accident, but keeps doing it because it’s fun or soothing (like sucking it’s thumb)
Secondary: baby gets a response from altering their external environment ; like throwing a toy to make their parents pick it up
What marks the end of Piaget’s Sensorimotor stage of cognitive development?
the establishment of Object Permanence
What are the three main features seen in children in the pre-operational stage of Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development?
symbolic thinking, egocentrism, and centration
What is Symbolic Thinking, as developed by children in the pre-operational stage of Piaget’s cognitive development?
symbolic thinking is the creation of an imagination, like the messed up weird characters kids draw / playing make-believe
What is Egocentrism, as developed by children in the pre-operational stage of Piaget’s cognitive development?
the child only has the ability to see from their own perspective
What is Centration, as developed by children in the pre-operational stage of Piaget’s cognitive development?
a child will focus on only one aspect of a phenomenon at any given time ; this includes an inability to understand conservation (valuing parts over quantity, like two halves of a chicken nugget being more than one whole nugget to a child)
How old are children in the pre-operational stage of Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development?
2-7 years old
According to Piaget, will a 12 month old baby have an imagination?
no
What marks the end of Piaget’s pre-operational stage of cognitive development (2-7 years old)?
the child will understand conservation and start understanding other people’s feelings, thoughts and perspectives
What is third in Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development?
Concrete Operational (7-11 years)
Explain the logic and reasoning of a child in the Concrete Operational Stage of Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development.
children in this stage can apply logical thought to concrete problems and situations, but cannot apply logic to abstract ideas
What key development occurs when a child reaches the Formal Operational stage of Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development? (Ages 11 and up, marks the start of aldolescence)
Abstract Thinking ; children can think logically about abstract ideas
Which of Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development marks the start of adolescence?
The Formal Operational Stage (starts at Age 11)
In what stage will children methodically try to figure out a problem (like when given an online pendulum to study it’s frequency of swinging, they held all variables constant when testing one to see if it affected the frequency)?
Formal Operational Stage (abstract thinking at this stage)
If children in Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage of Cognitive Development were given a problem to methodically approach, what would they do?
they would not methodically approach it (holding all variables but one constant to identify variables influencing the result, such as string length determining a pendulum’s frequency) ; instead: these children would change variables at random and may twist the data to fit their own pre-conceived ideas
What two major cognitive changes occur in late adulthood?
Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence
Define Fluid Intelligence, what is it specialized in and when does it peak?
one’s problem-solving abilities; peaks in early adulthood
Define Crystallized Intelligence, what is it specialized in and when does it peak?
applying learned skills and knowledge ; peaks around middle adulthood
Karen has just peaked in her ability to solve puzzles and math problems, as long as they refer to “live, laugh, love”. What age is Karen, roughly?
early adulthood, as her Fluid Intelligence is peaking
True / False: Both fluid & crystallized intelligence decline with age
True
Alcohol use during pregnancy leads to ___ ____ _____.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
___ is a rapid fluctuation in cognitive function. It is reversible and is caused by medical, non psychological factors.
Delirium
Is delirium the same thing as dementia?
No, No, NOOOOOO
Can genetic abnormalities, such as antisocial personality disorder, or chromosomal conditions such as trisomy 21 (Down’s Syndrome) and Fragile X Syndrome affect one’s cognition?
yes
Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development attempt to explain what, at various stages as we age?
how we think and solve problems through 4 stages: sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational
Define Consciousness
one’s awareness of the world and how they exist within it
True / False: Different states of consciousness will be shown different on an EEG.
true
True / False: An EEG may be useful in understanding one’s sleep disorders.
True
What neural circuits maintain one’s state of alertness?
neural circuits in the Prefrontal cortex communicate with those in the reticular formation ; these interactions keep the prefrontal cortex awake and alert
Cortisol tends to be high or low during awareness?
higher
Alertness is expressed as ___ waves on EEG.
beta
Awake and relaxed state is expressed as ___ waves on EEG, despite being classified as “awake” in the sleep cycle.
alpha
Which EEG wave type is slower and more synchronized: alpha or beta?
alpha
Early sleep, specifically stage 1, is expressed as theta waves. What do theta waves look like on an EEG?
slower frequencies with higher voltages
What is stage 2 sleep characterized by on an EEG?
sleep spindles and K complexes
Stages __ & __ of the sleep cycle are collectively known as slow wave sleep, or SWS.
Stages 3 and 4
During stages 3 and 4, EEG waves will slow down until becoming ___ waves, the hallmark wave of these two sleep stages.
delta waves (low frequency, high voltage sleep waves)
As someone goes further into deep stage sleep, does it become harder or easier to wake them up?
harder
What distinguishes stage 1 and 2 of sleep?
the formation of spindles and K complexes in stage 2 but not stage 1
How do we remember the order of sleep waves?
BATs sleep in the Day : Beta: Awake & Alert Alpha: Awake & Resting Theta: Sleep Stages 1 & 2 Delta: Sleep Stages 3 & 4
Are sleep stages 1-4 part of REM or NREM (non rapid eye movement) sleep?
NREM
When sleep stages 1-4 are combined with REM sleep, how long is the individual sleep cycle created?
90 minutes
REM is a sleep stages that mimics ___, as it displays beta waves. During REM, the person’s muscles are paralyzed, but their heart rate and breathing patterns are similar to being awake.
wakefullness (being awake)
True / False: NREM is important for consolidating our memories for completing procedures and tasks.
Nope!! False!!! that’s REM
What’s a circadium rhythm?
a daily cycle, like an alarm clock that wakes us up and puts us to sleep (for humans it’s about 24 hours)
___ is pumped out of the adrenal cortex as light increases in the morning, making us wake up. It switches us over to beta waves.
Cortisol
Why should you know damn well what cortisol does?
You have way too much of it! That’s why you wake up at 6AM all the time cortisol is an evil hormone
The increase in ____ in our bloodstream is partially why we get sleepy at night. This hormone is released from the pineal gland as light decreases.
Melatonin
Melatonin deficiency in a human can lead to what?
Inability to fall asleep