Intro: Cognition Flashcards
How is cognition defined by Ulrich Neisser, 1967?
- all processes by which the sensory input is transformed, reproduced, elaborated, stored, recovered and used
Why does understanding cognitive processes provide a framework for understanding all other branches of psychology?
definition of cognition - basically covers every psychology phenomena
- Perception
- Attention
- Memory
- Language
- Thinking
Give a brief history of Cognitive psychology
- Introspection - poor method
- Behaviourist - observable
- Gestalt theorists - said can measure mental processes + whole picture more important vs compartments
- Cognitive - computer systems metaphor for mind
Why are analogies/ metaphors need to model cognition?
- just looking at brain shows nothing
- Scientific theories aim to be refutable
- Hyp are evaluated using empirical data in controlled behaviour studies
Why is reaction time cognitive psychologist’s favourite DV?
- shows us the time taken for a mental process to take palace
- info processing systems have a finite capacity
What are the 4 approaches to testing models of cognitive function?
- Experimental
- computational
- Cognitive Neuropsy
- Cognitive Neurosci
Godden and Baddely in 1975 conduced as experiment on state dependent learning where they found info is recalled best where it is learnt. What type of methodological approach was this?
Experimental
What is the computational Modelling approach to studying cognitive processes?
- computer simulations are used to model + study cognitive processed
- involved Parallel distributed processing (PDP)
- elementary unis/ nodes connecting together
- no direct connection between the stimuli + response
How does the cognitive neuropsy approach work?
- studying people with brain damage
- association/ dissociation used to reveal “modularity of mind’
Explain dissociation and double dissociation, which are the ways in which neuropsy try to understand human cognition.
- Dissociation: person able to do well on one task vs another suggesting separate modules
- DD: people able to do good on A vs B, but some also good at B vs A = different modules?
How do neurosci approach understanding human cognition?
neuroimaging technology to study brain activity
- which is used to infer cognitive functioning
What are some of the major techniques used to study the brain?
- Single-unit recording
- Event-related potentials (ERPs)
- Positron emission tomography (PET)
- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
- Magneto-encephalography (MEG)
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
How does single-unit recording work?
- Insertion of a micro-electrode into brain to study activity in single neurons
- sensitive technique
How do ERPs work?
- same stimulus presented repeatedly
- scald rods record patterns of electrical brain activity
- averaged = single waveform
- used to work out timing of various cognitive processes
How do PETs work?
- Detection of Positron = atomic particles emitted from some radioactive substances
- Reasonable spatial resolution
- Poor temporal resolution
- only provides indirect measure of neural activity
