Content Quiz 1

Question 1

What is cognitive psychology? Give a definition.

Answer 1

The scientific study of how the mind uses knowledge, retains memories, and acquisition.

Question 2

Key assumptions of cognitive psych?

Answer 2

• Mental processes are scientifically studied.
• Humans are active information processors
• Time, accuracy, and brain imaging provide insight on human mental processing.

Question 3

Scope and Goals of cog psych

Answer 3

Our entire existence is based on knowledge. Our emotions are guided by our past experiences. Virtually everything we do would be nothing without cognitive function (eating, fight or flight, pleasure). The goal of cognitive psych is to help us understand nearly every aspect of human life.

Question 4

Limits of introspection

Answer 4

• The only person who can really observe your thoughts is you. There is simply no true way to test these thoughts.
• Some thoughts are unconscious and introspection only studies conscious experiences.
• Unconscious thought is highly valuable and plays a huge role in daily life.

Question 5

Behaviorism vs Cognitive psychology. Compare and contrast.

Answer 5

Behaviorism:

• rewards and punishments
• Focus on the objective situation
• if we only do this, we will mostly likely misunderstand behavior

Question 6

Explain the specific functions of the left hemisphere

Answer 6

The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body. It also performs tasks having to do with logic such as science and math.

Question 7

Describe the role of the right hemisphere

Answer 7

The right hemisphere controls the left side of the body. And performs tasks that have to do with creativity and the arts

Question 8

What is the corpus callosum?

Answer 8

The two hemispheres are connected by commissures- or thick bundles of fiber which allow both sides to communicate. The largest fiber is called the corpus callosum.

Question 9

What happens to the two hemispheres when the corpus callosum is cut?

Answer 9

A person with a split brain is often not affected in every day life however each brain does it’s separate jobs without communicating.

Question 10

thalamus

Answer 10

The part of the brain that acts as a relay station for nearly all sensory information going into the cortex

Question 11

Hypothalamus

Answer 11

Part of the brain that plays a critical role in controlling eating drinking and sexual activity

Question 12

Amygdala

Answer 12

Plays a key role in emotional processing

Question 13

Hippo campus

Answer 13

Structure essential for learning and memory

Question 14

Glia

Answer 14

Help guide the development of the nervous system. Support repairs if the nervous system is damaged. Maintain and control the flow of nutrients to neurons

Question 15

Soma

Answer 15

The bulbous end of the neuron containing the nucleus

Question 16

Neurotransmitter

Answer 16

Communication from one neuron to the next. A chemical signal

Question 17

Axon

Answer 17

The output side of the neuron sense of neural impulses to other neurons

Question 18

Dendrites

Answer 18

The input side of the neuron receiving signals from other neurons

Question 19

Terminal button

Answer 19

Small structures at the end of dendrites which contain neurotransmitters to be sent

Question 20

Synapse

Answer 20

The receiving brain of the next neuron

Question 21

Action potential

Answer 21

A signal that moves down the axon which in turn causes the release of neurotransmitters at the next synapse, potentially causing the next cell to fire

Question 22

All or none law

Answer 22

Either the signal is sent down the axon or it is not. If the signal is sent is always the same magnitude

Question 23

The transcendental method

Answer 23

A type of theorizing first proposed by philosopher Immanuel Kant. To use this method you first observed the effects or consequences of a process and then ask what must the process have been in order to bring these effects?

Question 24

Identify Skinners criticisms of cognitive psychology

Answer 24

• One cannot see the processes of mind

- in order to be a science it needs to be physically studied

Question 25

How might a cognitive psychologist defend the cognitive approach to behavior and mental processing?

Answer 25

Only studying behavior does not tell us thought process. Most thought cannot be physically seen through reaction.

Question 26

What is Capgras Syndrome?

Answer 26

Often accompanies Alzheimer’s and is the phenomenon that someone with this syndrome can totally identify loved ones but is convinced they are someone else

Question 27

What does the nature of this syndrome tell us about pattern/face recognition?

Answer 27

Displays damage to the amygdala which is why patients don’t feel safe or secure with their loved ones. Damage to the prefrontal cortex controls planning and analysis.

Question 28

Sensation

Answer 28

The physical process or experience. Sensory memory occurs for a VERY short duration.
In order to use sensory information, it needs to last long enough for us to process it.

Question 29

Perception

Answer 29

The psychological process of interpreting a sensation.
a) the brain organizes the information and translates it into something meaningful.

A function of past experiences

Question 30

Magnetic resonance imaging

Answer 30

MRI relies on the magnetic properties of the Adam that make up brain tissue yeilds detailed pictures of the brain

Question 31

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

Answer 31

FMRI
Measures the oxygen content in the blood flowing through each region of the brain this turns out to be an accurate index of the level of neural activity in that region

Question 32

Illusions

Answer 32

an incorrect perception caused by a distortion of visual sensations.

Question 33

How does sensory information enter sensory memory?

Answer 33

Sensation occurs:

a) sensory organs absorb energy from a physical stimulus in the environment.
b) sensory receptors convert this energy into neural impulses and send them to the brain.

Question 34

The central nervous system

Answer 34

Made up of the spinal cord and brain allows our body to feel things

Question 35

Cerebellum

Answer 35

The largest area hindBrain crucial for the coordination of body movement and balance

Question 36

Bottom-up vs Top-down processing

Answer 36

Bottom up is directly influenced by the stimulus at hand. Object recognition is heavily influence by the stimulus or features.
Vs.
Top down is guided by background knowledge and context. If you only see a portion of a an object, you use you previous knowledge to infer what that object is.

Question 37

Word-superiority effect

Answer 37

Words themselves are easier to detect than letters themselves. (cog-lab experiment).

Question 38

Sensation

Answer 38

The physical process or experience. Sensory memory occurs for a VERY short duration.
-Large capacity
In order to use sensory information, it needs to last long enough for us to process it.

Question 39

Perception

Answer 39

The psychological process of interpreting a sensation.

• short duration
• Large capacity

Question 40

Sensory memory

Answer 40

Very short duration

Large capacity

Question 41

Feature based theory
feature net
and it’s advantage

Answer 41

Network of detectors organized in layers- bottom layer focuses on features
This is a bottom up process.
Advantage: we can identify a letter even if part of it is missing. ex: L*ght
Feature net is used to recognize patterns

Question 42

How does sensory information enter sensory memory?

Answer 42

Sensation occurs:

a) sensory organs absorb energy from a physical stimulus in the environment.
b) sensory receptors convert this energy into neural impulses and send them to the brain.

Question 43

Template Matching theory

Answer 43

Assumption: An image is shown and is transmitted to the brain through the eyes. The brain attempts to compare it to existing knowledge.

Advantages: Works well with computers (sorting and matching and calculating)

limitation: we have a limited memory and it’s too inflexible

Question 44

Frontal Lobe

Answer 44

motor functions, planning, reasoning, parts of speech, emotions, problem solving

Question 45

Parietal Lobe

Answer 45

movement, orientation, recognition, perception of stimuli

Question 46

Occipital Lobe

Answer 46

visual processing

Question 47

Temporal Lobe

Answer 47

perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech

Question 48

Neglect syndrome (parietal lobe damage)

Answer 48

Where patients neglect or ignore one side of space.

Ex: a person who has a stroke and can no longer see or detect their left side.

Question 49

Aphasia (temporal lobe damage)

Answer 49

Occurs after stroke or head injury. Negatively impacts one’s ability to speak or understand speech or written language.

Question 50

Recognition by components (geons)

Answer 50

We are able to recognize objects by separating it into individual parts. (Bottom up process)

Question 51

Recognition by multiple views

Answer 51

Viewpoint Independent: Recognition by components;
when geons can be identified from virtually any angle of view

Viewpoint Dependent: When whole objects need to be rotated;