introduction to cognitive psychology Flashcards
what is cognitive psychology?
the study of how the mind encodes, represents, and processes information, focusing on mental processes like attention, memory, language and problem-solving
what are the core concepts of cognitive psychology?
human behaviour is driven by latent mental processes like the mind
sensation, perception, attention, learning, memory, language, motivation, emotion and sub-processes
how do cognitive psychologists study cognition
through behavioural experiments, observation, and developing models to explain and predict behaviour
what is meant by ‘mental representation’ in cognitive psychology
stored representations of experiences that can be accessed without direct sensory input, including memories, simulations, and imagine scenarios
what is the difference between perceptual and cognitive representations
perceptual representations are based on real-time sensory input, while cognitive representation are stored knowledge that can be accessed even without sensory input
what was Sir Frederick Bartlett’s contribution to the study of memory?
He introduced the concept of “repeated reproduction” to study how memories change over time, using the story “The War of the Ghosts.”
What did Bartlett discover about memory through his experiments?
Memory tends to simplify, rationalise, and omit details over time, leaving behind a general gist of the original information.
what is the “Method of Loci” and how does it relate to cognitive psychology?
a memory technique that uses visualisations of familiar places to encode and recall information, illustrating how spatial and visual representations aid memory
how do mental representations form a hierarchy?
- basic sensory-motor representations (perceptual and procedural)
- non-verbal episodic and semantic representations (including basic non-narrative event memory and mental imagery)
- verbal level (verbal narrative which entails advanced episodic memory and conceptual labels like words)
what is the importance of models in cognitive psychology?
models help explain and predict behaviour by providing a structure way to understand how the mind processes information
what is selective attention in cognitive psychology?
The process by which the brain filters and focuses on specific stimuli while ignoring others, allowing us to manage information overload.
How did Bartlett’s experiment with “The War of the Ghosts” demonstrate changes in memory over time?
Participants’ retellings of the story became shorter, more coherent, and adapted to their cultural understanding, demonstrating how memories are reconstructed rather than simply recalled.
explain the ‘semantic network model’ by Collins and Quillian (1969)
a model that represents knowledge in the form of a network, where concepts are nodes linked by associative pathways, illustrating how related concepts are stored and retrieved
what is the significance of ‘mental models’ in cognitive psychology
mental models are internal representations of external reality, helping individuals understand, predict, and manipulate their environment by simulating scenarious
how does the ‘Method of Loci’ work and why is it effective?
by associating items to be remembered with specific locations in a familiar environment, it leverages spatial memory to enhance recall, demonstrating the link between visual and cognitive representations
how is the Method of Loci related to oral traditions?
Indigenous oral traditions, which often used techniques like the Method of Loci, preserve knowledge through structured, repetitive, and ritualised forms to protect against degradation over generations.
what is the difference between implicit and explicit mental representations?
Implicit representations are unconscious and automatic, guiding behaviour without awareness, while explicit representations are conscious and can be verbalised or deliberately retrieved.
what is the difference between imagistic and linguistic mental representations?
imagistic representations are visual or sensory in nature while linguistic representations are verbal and symbolic
what is the difference between spatial and syntactic mental representations?
spatial representations focus on the physical or visual arrangement of elements in space while syntactic representations involve rule-based organisation
how does the behaviourist perspective of cognition differ from the cognitive perspective
the behaviourist perspective focuses only on observable behaviours and external stimuli, rejecting thoughts and mental processes, while the cognitive perspective focuses on internal mental processes, such as how information is encoded, stored and processed
what led to the decline of behaviourism and the rise of cognitive psychology
The inability of behaviourism to explain phenomena like language acquisition, problem-solving, and other internal processes spurred interest in studying the mind’s internal workings, leading to the cognitive revolution.
what does covert attention refer to
looking out the side of the eye
what is overt attention
moving the eyes to look at something
