cognitive psychology Flashcards
schema
mental structures that guide thinking.
- building blocks of development
- form and change w/ new experiences and predict future events.
assimilation
making new info fit with your existing understanding.
accommodation
change (modify) one’s understanding to accommodate new info = new schema
sensorimotor (birth - 2)
explore world through senses. reflexive responses.
object permanence(birth - 2)
objects continue to exist even if you can’t see them
preoperational(2 - 6/7)
beginning of language mental representations. (don’t understand conservation)
egocentricism (2 - 6/7)
cant look at the world from someone else’s perspective.
theory of mind(2 - 6/7)
ability to understand others mental states.
concrete operational(7 - 11)
logical thinking
conservation(7 - 11)
quantity remains the same even if shape changes.
formal operational(12 - adult)
-
information processing model
AKA memory
sensory memory
split second holding for incoming sensory info(less than a second).
iconic memory
part of sensory memory - split second photograph of a scene.
echoic memory
brief 3-4 second memory for sound.
short term memory/working memory
memories we are currently working with and are aware of in our consciousness.
mnemonic devices
memory aids help organize material for later retrieval.
long term memory
capacity is limitless
implicit memory
procedural memory, motor skills(riding bike) cerebellum
explicit memory
memory of facts and experiences. hippocampus
retrieval
getting info out
retrieval cue
a prompt used to guide memory recall
proactive interference
old info in memory distorts new information
retroactive interference
learning new info disrupts old info.
prototype
mental image of the best example of a category(then you can match items to it). ex: someone talks about flying and you get a mental image of a bird.
algorithms
step by step procedure that guarantees solutions
heuristic
simple thinking strategy. shortcut to solving problem/not as accurate. ex: If it is raining outside, you should bring an umbrella.
insight
a sudden novel realization of a solution to a problem.
confirmation bias
tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and ignore or distort contradicting evidence.
fixation
inability to see a problem from a fresh perspective.
functional fixedness
the tendency to think of things only for their usual use or function. ex: the need to hammer a nail into a piece of wood but not have a hammer to do so. One could make use of other tools, such as a metal wrench, to act in the place of a hammer.
availability heuristic
cognitive bias that helps us make fast, but sometimes incorrect assessment. plane crashes can make people afraid of flying.
phonemes
smallest units of sound used in language (english has 44)
morphemes
smallest unit of meaningful sound, small words like a, an, but or parts of words ed, s/prefixes an- pre-.
syntax
words spoken or written in a particular order/different for each language (grammer, rules of writing).
mental set
a tendency to approach a problem in a particular way, especially a way that has been successful in the past but may or may not be helpful in solving a new problem.
