History of psychology part 2 unit 10 Flashcards
What is the focus of Cognitive Psychology?
Studies how humans process and use information.
Rejects behaviorism’s dismissal of cognition.
Key Idea: Rescued the mind as a valid study object.
What did Bartlett contribute to Cognitive Psychology?
Developed Schemas: Frameworks organizing memory and thought.
Memory is reconstructive, not just retrieval.
Key Work: “The Remembrance” (1932).
What are Vygotsky’s key contributions?
Social Origins of Intelligence: Thinking and language emerge from social interaction.
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): Tasks achievable with guidance.
Learning Enables Development: Culture and guidance shape cognition.
What was Piaget’s main focus in cognitive development?
Development is an adaptive process where children align their behavior with the world.
Logical thinking is linked to action, not language.
What are Piaget’s two key processes in cognitive development?
Assimilation: Incorporating new information into existing frameworks.
Accommodation: Adjusting frameworks to fit new information.
What were key early developments in Cognitive Psychology?
George A. Miller: Introduced Information Theory to psychology and authored “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two”, highlighting memory limitations.
Key Concept: People organize information into manageable units called chunks.
How did AI influence cognitive psychology?
Alan Turing: Developed the Turing Test to explore whether machines can think.
Key Debate:
Weak AI: Machines simulate human attributes.
Strong AI: Machines duplicate human mental processes.
What is Information Processing Theory (IPT)?
Modeled after computers:
Input (stimulus) → Processing (schemas, strategies) → Output (behavior).
Emphasizes rationality and problem-solving strategies.
Influences: Inspired by AI, Gestalt, and Piaget.
What are key methods used in cognitive psychology?
Rejects introspection, focusing instead on:
Behaviorist techniques (e.g., paired-associate learning).
Execution time analysis: Measuring time to complete tasks.
Computational simulation: Testing cognitive models on computers.
What was Noam Chomsky’s impact on psychology?
Criticized Skinner’s behaviorist view of language, arguing grammar is too complex to be learned through reinforcement alone.
Proposed Universal Grammar: An innate framework for language.
Example: Even nonsensical sentences like “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously” can be grammatically correct.
What is psychobiology’s focus?
Explains cognition through biological foundations.
Pioneers: Karl Lashley (brain as a unified whole), Donald Hebb, Roger Sperry.
What is behavioral genetics’ focus?
Studies genetic influences on behavior.
Key Areas:
Ethology: Instinctive animal behavior.
Sociobiology: Genetic predispositions in cultural behavior
