Processing Information and Making Decisions Flashcards
What are models and what are they good for?
Models help understand complicated things through simplification and approximation
They are not the thing they are modeling
Sensory stim.
Stimulus identification
Response selection
Response program
Motor Behavior
Sensory stim = input Stimulus identification = perception Response selection = decision Response program = action Motor behavior = output
What happens when models are too simple?
They are wrong because they approximate everything
What happens before movement even occurs
Stimulus response
Response selection
Response program
What is the degrees of freedom problem?
Infinite number of ways to complete even the simplest skills
How to optimize movement?
Maximum certainty, minimum energy, minimum movement time
What is reaction time?
Elapsed time between the stimulus and response.
Does not include the time it takes to make the movement
What is the time it takes to make the movement called?
Response time
Combination of reaction time and movement time
What are the number of response alternatives?
Simple RT =one stimulus, one response (Fastest)
Choice RT = more than one stimulus and more than one response (Slower)
Go/No-Go = Multiple stimulus, one response
What are Donder’s Stages of Processing and Subtraction Logic?
Go/No-Go - Simple RT = Stimulus Identification (recognize correct stimuli)
Choice RT - Go/No-Go = Response selection (Answer the stimuli)
Choice RT - Simple RT = Both identification and selection
What are four things that make a good hypothesis?
1) Related to the research question
2) Specific
3) Directional
4) Makes a testable prediction
What is Hicks Law?
The choice reaction time increases by the same amount every time the S-R pairs double
If S-R pairs double the amount of info double
What is stimulus response compatibility?
The extent to which the stimulus and response it evoke are connected in a natural way
What is population stereotype?
SR compatibility mappings that are learned
What happens with practice?
Experience can reduce RT delays caused by increased SR pairs and SR compatibility
What is anticipation?
Allows us to reduce RT delays
Predict what is going to happen and when it will occur
Almost like simple reaction time
What is spatial anticipation?
Know what/where something is going to happen
What is Temporal anticipation?
Knowing when something is going to happen
What are the benefits of anticipation?
Reduce RT when events are predictable
What are the risks of anticipation?
Plan a movement wrong and you end up in the wrong position that has to be corrected, which takes more time than not anticipating at all
What is Short Term Sensory Storage?
Very brief (less than one sec) Holding cell for sensory information
What is Short Term Memory?
Working memory. Holding cell for a few minutes and requires attention to retain
What is Long Term Memory?
Well learned info collected over a lifetime. Limitless
Practice to move info from STM to LTM
