Lecture 11: Cognition Flashcards
Cognition
Acquiring knowledge and understanding
Cognition governs the actions we take
Historical Models of Cognition
Cartesian - mind and body are separate
Behaviorism - stimulus and response (Pavlov’s dog salivation experiment)
Cognitivism - the mind is a machine
Current Models of Cognition
Embodied - we think with our entire bodies (VR)
Extended - cognition extends into the physical world (phones)
Situated - cognition depends on social and cultural context (community)
Affordance Definition
we have relationships with products based on their qualities
Qualities of the object + abilities of the agent = possible interactions
Examples of Physical Affordances
A water bottle affords being picked up and placed down, drinking, and removing and replacing its lid
Door handles afford being pulled
Examples of Digital Affordances
Toggle switches afford turning on and off
Buttons afford being clicked
Discoverability in Affordances
- Some affordances are hidden, rely on user’s experience or trial and error
Signifiers
Perceivable indicators that communicate where the action should take place (hamburger menu)
Conceptual Model
What a user believes about how a product works
Based on belief, not facts
Doesn’t have to be accurate in order to be useful
Shape how we interact with products (Mac has folders)
Feedback
Communicating results of an action
Must be immediate
Must be informative
Must capture attention
But must be unobtrusive
Visual Feedback
Added to cart panel (can be obtrusive, cart took over experience)
Loading circle
Progress bar on doordash/delivery services
Password live requirements checker
Auditory Feedback
“Hey google” double beep response on Nest Audio
Lets you know that it is listening
Dual Process Theory
Some behaviors and cognitive processes (such as decision-making) are the products of two distinct cognitive processes
System 1 - unconscious, fast, automatic, error prone, everyday decisions
System 2 - conscious, slow, effortful, reliable, complex decisions
Long-term memory
- primarily encoded semantically, indefinite duration of storage, unlimited storage
Short-term memory
Short term - primarily encoded acoustically, 15-30 seconds long, 7+-2 items
