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Psychology Level 1 > Cognitive Psychology > Flashcards

Cognitive Psychology Flashcards

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1
Q

behaviourist

A

one who adheres to the perspective in psychology that focuses on observable behaviour

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2
Q

biological perspective

A

perspective in psychology that describes cognition according to the mechanisms of the brain

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3
Q

embodied cognition

A

a perspective in psychology that cognition serves for bodily interaction with the environment

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4
Q

representationalist

A

one who adheres to the perspective in psychology that concepts can be represented in the mind

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5
Q

scientific method

A

a method of gaining knowledge in a field that relies on observations of phenomena and which allows for tests of hypotheses about those phenomena

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6
Q

empiricism

A

the principle that the key to understanding new things is through systematic observation

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7
Q

determinism

A

the principle that behaviours have underlying causes and that understanding involves identification of what these causes are and how they are related to the behaviour of interest

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8
Q

testability

A

the principle that theories must be stated in ways that allow them to be evaluated through observation

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9
Q

parsimony

A

the principle of preferring simple explanations over more complex ones

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10
Q

dependent variable

A

the behaviour that is measured in a research study

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11
Q

independent variable

A

a factor in an experiment that is manipulated by the researcher (e.g.: randomly assigning subjects to a group in the experiment)

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12
Q

case study

A

a research study that focuses on intensive analyses of a single individual or more broadly on a single observation unit

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13
Q

correlational study

A

a research study that examines relationships between measure variables

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14
Q

experimental study

A

a research study that examines causal relationships between variables

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15
Q

the absolute threshold

A

the smallest amount of stimulus energy necessary to detect a stimulus. For example, the smallest amount of light energy that enables a person to just barely detect a flash of light would be the absolute threshold for seeing that light.

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16
Q

the difference threshold

A

(called DL from the German ‘Differenze Limen’, which is translated as ‘difference threshold’) is the smallest difference between two stimuli that a person can detect.

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17
Q

sensory system

A

a system that receives and processes input from stimuli in the environment

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18
Q

distal stimulus

A

stimulus in the environment

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19
Q

proximal stimulus

A

stimulus as it is represented in the mind

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20
Q

bottom-up processing

A

understanding the environment through basic feature identification and processing

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21
Q

top-down processing

A

understanding the environment through global knowledge of the environment and its principles

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22
Q

theory of unconscious inference

A

the idea that we make unconscious inferences about the world when we perceive it

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23
Q

Gestalt Psychology

A

a perspective in psychology that focuses on how organisational principles allow us to perceive and understand the environment

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24
Q

Principle of Pragnanz

A

an organisational principle that allows for the simplest interpretation of the environment

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25
Q

affordances

A

behaviours that are possible in a given environment

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26
Q

ventral pathway

A

the pathway in the brain that processes “what” information about the environment

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27
Q

dorsal pathway

A

the pathway in the brain that processes “where” information about the environment

28
Q

neuron

A

the basic cell of the brain

29
Q

dendrites

A

extensions from neurons that receive chemical messages (neurotransmitters) from other neurons

30
Q

axon

A

an extension from the neuron nucleus where an electrical impulse in the neuron occurs

31
Q

synapse

A

a space between neurons where neurotransmitters are released and received

32
Q

single-cell recording

A

a brain activity recording technique that records activity from a single neuron or small group of neurons in the brain

33
Q

electroencephalography (EEG)

A

a brain recording technique that records the activity of large sections of neurons from different areas of the scalp

34
Q

magnetoencephalography (MEG)

A

a brain recording technique that records activity of large sections of neurons from different areas of the scalp using a large magnet that is placed over the head

35
Q

transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

A

a method of temporarily stimulating or suppressing neurons using a magnetic field

36
Q

transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

A

a method of temporarily stimulating or suppressing neurons using an electrical current

37
Q

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

A

a technique to image the internal portions of the body using the magnetic fields present in the cells

38
Q

positron emission tomography (PET)

A

a technique that images neuron activity in the brain through radioactive markers in the bloodstream

39
Q

functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

A

an MRI technique that images brain activity during a task

40
Q

shadowing task

A

a research procedure where subjects are asked to repeat (i.e.: shadow) a message over headphones

41
Q

cocktail party effect

A

an effect of attention where one’s focus changes abruptly due to a salient stimulus (such as one’s name) in the environment

42
Q

dual-task method

A

a research procedure where subjects are given two tasks to perform at once - to compare with performance on one task alone - to examine interference due to the second task

43
Q

inattentional blindness (aka change blindness)

A

failure to notice a change in the environment

44
Q

Simon effect

A

interference in response due to inconsistency between the response and the stimulus

45
Q

Stroop task

A

a research procedure where subjects are asked to name the colour of printed words where some words are colour words that conflict with the print colour showing interference in the naming task

46
Q

automatic processing

A

processing that is not controlled and does not tax cognitive resources

47
Q

controlled processing

A

processing due to an intention that consumes cognitive resources

48
Q

deductive reasoning

A

making and evaluating arguments from general information to specific information

49
Q

inductive reasoning

A

making and evaluating arguments from specific information to general information

50
Q

syllogistic reasoning

A

a process by which a conclusion follows necessarily from a series of statements

51
Q

conditional reasoning (propositional reasoning)

A

a process by which a conclusion follows from conditional statements (“if…then” statements)

52
Q

dual-process framework

A

the idea that cognitive tasks can be performed using two separate and distinct processes

53
Q

representativeness bias

A

a bias in reasoning where stereotypes are relied on to make judgements and solve problems

54
Q

availability bias

A

bias in reasoning where examples easily brought to mind are relied on to make judgements and solve problems

55
Q

framing bias

A

a bias in reasoning where the context in which a problem is presented influences our judgement

56
Q

well-defined problem

A

a problem that has a clearly defined goal state and constraints

57
Q

ill-defined problem

A

a problem that lacks a clearly defined goal state and constraints

58
Q

functional fixedness

A

focusing on how things are typically used and ignoring other potential uses in solving a problem

59
Q

insight

A

suddenly realising the solution to a problem

60
Q

mental set

A

a tendency to use the same set of solutions to solve similar problems

61
Q

analogical transfer

A

using the same solution for two problems with the same underlying structure

62
Q

algorithm

A

a prescribed problem-solving strategy that always leads to the correct solution in problems with a single correct solution

63
Q

heuristic

A

a problem-solving strategy that does not always lead to the correct solution

64
Q

means-ends strategy

A

a problem-solving strategy that involves repeated comparisons between the current state and the goal state

65
Q

hill-climbing strategy

A

a problem solving strategy that involves continuous steps towards the goal state

66
Q

working-backward strategy

A

a problem-solving strategy that involves beginning with the goal state and working back to the initial state

67
Q

IDEAL framework

A

a step-by-step description of problem-solving processes

Psychology Level 1 (4 decks)

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