Psychology CLoA

Question 1

Schema Theory- Bartlett

Answer 1

A cognitive structure that provides framework for organizing informations about the world, events, people and actions. Shortcuts that our brain uses to identify and refer to cultural events or happenings -Organize information in our brains -Activated to increase information-processing efficiency. -Enable the generation of expectations about objects, events and people. -Regulate Behaviour. -Relatively stable and usually very resistant to change; ensuring continuity so that we can process information and the ways we act. Schemas can also lead to distortions and mistakes when: -Settings are unfamiliar. -The wrong Schemas become activated

Question 2

Schemas- Scripts

Answer 2

Provide information about the sequence of events that occur in a more-or-less un changing order in particular contexts. Ex- attending class or visiting the dentist

Question 3

Schemas- Self Schemas

Answer 3

Organizing information we have about ourselves, information stored in our memory about our strengths and weaknesses and how we feel about them

Question 4

Schemas- Social Schemas

Answer 4

(Stereotypes) represents information about groups of people. Ex-Women can’t drive or Asians can’t drive

Question 5

Brewer and Treyins (1981) Office Study

Answer 5

The activation of a schema will influence the outcome of information processing An office setting with random objects that do not fit that setting- picnic basket, skull Conclusion: When recalling information they remembered the info that was consistent with the schema, they forget info that is not consistent with the schema (picnic basket)

Question 6

The extent to which one cognitive process is reliable (Memory)** -To what extent is memory reliable?

Answer 6

Eye witness testimony (Loftus ___) “Memory is a reconstructive process” Bartlett (1932) War of Ghosts

Question 7

Loftus and Palmer (1974) Accident Study

Answer 7

Participants saw a film of an accident The different words (crashed, bumped etc.) triggered different speed estimates and the severity of the accident -II PART- Questionnaire- had you seen broken glass, when actually there had been no broke glass, but schema to car crash related to seeing broken glass so we automatically can infer that there will be broken glass Conclusion: the wording of a question can immediately create a distortion. Different words lead to different reconstructions

Question 8

Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) Multi Store Model of Memory (!!!)

Answer 8

Memory consists of a number of separate stores and that memory processes are sequential 1. Info detected by sense organs and enters SENSORY MEMORY 2. If attended info enter SHORT TERM MEMORY 3. Info from STM is transferred to LONG TERM MEMORY (only if info is rehearsed) Sensory Memory -Duration: 0.25~0.5 seconds Short Term Memory -Duration: 0-18 sec -Capacity: 7 ±2 items -Mainly auditory Long Term Memory -Duration: unlimited -Capacity: unlimited -Encoding: mainly semantic -Model is supported by studies of amnesiacs (HM Case Study) -Oversimplified (not enough focus on interaction between stores STM and LTM) -Rehearsal is not enough to explain transferring of info- not explaining its efficiency

Question 9

Grail and Lockhart (1971) Levels of Processing **

Answer 9

The more important/meaningful something is to a person, the more information shall be processed by your mind.

Question 10

LeDoux’s theory of emotional brain (1999) Cognitive and Biological factors interact in emotion

Answer 10

Phelps (2004) emotional situations lead to the amygdala to modulate and encode storage to explicit memories. Short Route: the amygdala reacts immediately to sensory input and activates response system (fight or flight) -Emotional events receive priority Long Route: the sensory input goes via the sensory cortex to the hippocampus. Involved the evaluation of the stimulus- links to cognitive appraisal (Lazarus, 1975)

Question 11

Corkin et al. (1997) HM MRI

Answer 11

MRI to study HM’s lesion in the first attempt to study his brain Results showed the relationship between damage to the medial temporal lobes (including hippocampus) and HM’s amnesia Use of MRI -Being able to see the synchronisation between various brain areas involved in cognitive processes. Mapping out active brain areas -Scanners studies map out the brain but do not indicate the cognitive processing functions of brain parts.

Question 12

Bartlett (1932) War of Ghosts

Answer 12

Story telling -No standardized instructions -Performed in a laboratory (lack of ecological validity)

Question 13

Evidence of Multi-Store Model of Memory

Answer 13

Murdock (1962) Primary and Recency effects Participant recall: words from the beginning and end of the list were the most recalled HM was unable to transfer new information from his STM to his LTM

Question 14

Eye Witness Testimony

Answer 14

Loftus (2004)

Question 15

HM Case Study (1953)

Answer 15

Epileptic seizures Removal of more of his brain than was intended (hippocampus too) HM’s inability to create long-term memories. Remember some of his childhood (retrograde amnesia: loss of memory before an event)

Question 16

Brown and Kulik (1977) Flashbulb Memories**

Answer 16

Investigating shocking events

Question 17

Williams et al (2008)

Answer 17

Suggested that FBM’s are especially more vivid depending on the importance of the event

Question 18

Phelps et al (2009) 9/11 FBM study

Answer 18

People remember more accurately if they had been closer to the accident site. Emotional arousal determined the vividness of the memory. The more directly you are affected by the event (physically and emotionally) the better it will be remembered

Question 19

Flashbulb Memory (FBM) Conclusion

Answer 19

-Highly emotional events activate the amygdala; leading to the formation of FBM’s -FBM is a reconstructive memory -Emotionality also influences the extent to which memory is rehearsed and shared -The more intense the emotional experience, the more social sharing- leading to further reconstruction of events (Luminet et al 2009)

Question 20

Lazarus (1975) Appraisal Theory and Speisman (1964)

Answer 20

Speisman (1964) Investigate the extent to which manipulation of cognitive appraisals could influence emotional experience (Genital mutilation) Three types of soundtracks - Trauma - Intellectualization - Silent Condition (control group) Checked the participants with heart rate and galvanic skin response (sweat) Participants in the trauma condition showed higher physiological measures of stress Conclusion: support the appraisal theory- manipulation of participants cognitive appraisal did not have a significant impact in their physiological stress reactions Trauma: reacted more emotionally Cognitive factors can modulate stress responses i.e. The physiological and psychological reactions involves in the experience (Jaws Soundtrack)

Question 21

Summary of interaction of emotion and cognition

Answer 21

They do to a extent interact with emotion. Emotions may influence cognitive processes such as memory. Cognitive processes such as appraisal theory may influence emotions.