Introduction to cognitive psychology

Question 1

Cognition

Answer 1

The ability to perceive and react, process and understand, store and retrieve information.
All aspects of knowing

Question 2

Cognitive psychology

Answer 2

Study of the mind (which is not directly observable)

Question 3

How does behaviourism differ from cognitive psychology?

Answer 3

Behaviourism focuses on empiricism (all behaviour is learned from the environment)
Behaviourism - at birth mind is ‘tabula rasa’ (blank slate)
Behaviourism - utilises associationism
Behaviourism - only measure what could be observed (behaviour)
Cognitive - Investigates abstract concepts like the mind

Question 4

Laws of association

Answer 4

Laws to explain association to then allow us to predict and control behaviour
Learning on the basis of contiguity
Learning on the basis of frequency

Question 5

Learning on the basis of contiguity

Answer 5

The co-occurrence of things in space and time
Stimulus and response occur in same place and time

Question 6

Learning on the basis of frequency

Answer 6

Things (associations) often occur together
Both the stimulus and the response have to be repeated.

Question 7

Law of effect

Answer 7

Reinforcement - Animals learn responses to things that are rewarded. Animals drop responses to things which are punished.
Used in classical (Pavlov) and operant (Skinner) conditioning
Mechanical explanation for adaptibility of behaviour (Thorndike)

Question 8

The laws of learning

Answer 8

Law of effect - reinforcement
Law of exercise - repetition

Question 9

Law of exercise

Answer 9

To strengthen an associative bond, you need to repeat a given situation being followed by a particular response.
Repetition (Rote learning)

Question 10

Schedules of reinforcement

Answer 10

What responses have been rewarded and how often
different schedules have different effects (stronger/weaker associations)

Question 11

Arguments against behaviourism

Answer 11

Denial of free will
Takes away an aspect of what it means to be human (we are nothing more then a deterministic system)

Question 12

Constructivism

Answer 12

Opposition to behaviourism
Humans construct their own understanding of the world around them through a mixture of their experiences and how they reflect on those experiences

Question 13

Animal cognition and Tolman’s theory

Answer 13

Tolman believed behaviour is ‘goal oriented’
Placed an emphasis on molar achievements (the goal) rather then molecular movements (S-R links)

Question 14

Latent learning

Answer 14

Learning through exposure with no rewards or punishments

Question 15

Tolman’s maze studies

Answer 15

Rats left to wander around maze with no reward, after few days a reward was introduced, rats who wandered for longer were faster to find correct path to food.
Supports latent learning
Rats drew an inference on cognitive maps they had made of the spatial lay out of the maze.

Question 16

Cognitive maps

Answer 16

cognitive constructs to help code, store, and use spatial information.
Abstract entities that cannot be directly observed but can be used to make testable predictions.

Question 17

Focus of Behaviourism

Answer 17

The effects of causes on outcomes
Does not concern with intervening variables

Question 18

Focus of cognitive

Answer 18

Heavier focus on intervening variables like psychological states and traits and their impact on behaviour manifestations

Question 19

Cognitive view of language

Answer 19

Chomsky, ability to learn natural languages is cognitive rather then behaviourist (as suggested by Skinner)
Predisposed to learn languages
Poverty of stimulus argument
Mixture of performance (sound) and competence (acquiring language rules)

Question 20

Poverty of stimulus argument

Answer 20

Children are not exposed to enough perfect language for stimulus - response links to occur. Only exposed to finite amount in a ‘noisy’ environment.

Question 21

Grammar explained through cognitive lens

Answer 21

system of rules for producing sentences
We have a language acquisition device
Predisposed to acquire (not learn) ANY language
Generative grammar

Question 22

Generative grammar

Answer 22

Using rules to generate new sentences
a way of decomposing language to form rules

Question 23

Key events (examples) in cognitive psychology

Answer 23

Newell and Simon - General Problem Solver (GPS)
Neisser - First textbook of cognitive psychology

Question 24

Independent modules (modular theory)

Answer 24

Processes are split up and filtered through specific areas/sections known as modules
Useful for coming up with theories and making predictions
Can try and pinpoint ‘errors’

Question 25

Blue print of a mind

Answer 25

Cognitive psychology focuses on the basic functions and how these interrelate, less interested about what biological structures they are and where.