PSYC*2650 Chapter 1: The Science of the Mind Flashcards
What is cognitive psychology?
The scientific study of the acquisition, retention, and use of knowledge
Explain the case of H.M, presented in chapter 1?
- Had surgery to control severe epilepsy
- Lost the ability to form new memories
- Able to remember everything from before surgery
What does it mean to study something empirically?
To study it through experimentation and observation
What is introspection?
A method in which people observe and record the content of their own mental lives and experiences
Who proposed introspection?
Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Bradford Titchener
What three things were involved in the “training” of introspectors?
- Given vocabulary to describe their observations
- Taught to be as complete as possible
- Report their experiences with the least amount of interpretation possible
What are two limits of introspection?
- Some thoughts are unconscious
- The testability of claims is often unattainable
What is the focus of functionalism?
Understanding the function of the mind rather than its structure
What is the focus of behaviourism?
How behaviour changes in response to various stimuli
What was the central tenant of behaviourism?
Responses to stimuli (behaviour) are learned through association, rewards, and punishment (classical and operant conditioning)
What is a limit of behaviourism?
Behaviour is guided by the interpretation of a situation, not the objective situation itself
Which aspect of behaviour is often misunderstood when behaviourists focus only on the objective situation?
The reasoning behind the behaviour
What model of study did Immanual Kant propose?
The Transcendental Method
What is involved in the transcendental method of study?
Begin with observable facts and work backwards to infer the best explanation
Which method of study was the intellectual foundation of the cognitive revolution?
Transcendental Method
What did Ulric Neisser contribute to cognitive psychology?
- Wrote a book called “cognitive psychology”, giving the field its name
- often referred to as the father of cognitive psychology
What did Edward Tolman argue about learning?
Argued that learning involved the acquisition of new knowledge rather than simply a change in behaviour
Which theory did Noah Chomsky argue against?
Skinner’s theory of Behaviourism and language acquisition
According to Chomsky, what does Skinner’s theory fail to explain?
The creativity and flexibility of language
What did Gestalt psychologists argue about understanding behaviours, ideas, and perceptions?
Behaviours, ideas, and perceptions can only be understood as part of a “whole”, rather than element-by-element
Which central theme of modern cognitive psychology did Gestalt psychology influence?
That perceivers shape their own experience
What did Fredric Bartlett claim about the influence of people’s experiences?
That we shape and organize our own experiences into mental frameworks known as schemas
What was Donald Broadbent’s contribution to cognitive psychology?
One of the earliest researchers to use the language of computer science in explaining human cognition
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The study of the mental functioning of humans through close study of the brain and nervous system
What is clinical neuropsychology?
The study of the brain trough cases of damage or illness to/of the brain
What are neuroimaging techniques?
Non-invasive methods for examining the structure and activation patterns of a living brain
What are the three central assumptions of cognitive psychology?
- Mental processes exist
- People are active information processors
- Mental processes can be studies scientifically
What is the most common measure of behaviour in cognitive psychology?
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