Psychology - cognitive processes Flashcards
What are cognitive processes?
The processes that help us develop our thoughts, attitudes and behaviours
What is one of the first things psychologists were interested in?
Learning
What is the early theory of behaviour?
- We are pre-wired to do some things (don’t need to learn e.g. baby knows immediately how to feed & walking etc.)
- Supported by re-wirings which occur through experience
- Most involved behaviour and activity is made up of simpler behaviours (Percieve, Understand & Remember)
What is perception?
- Take in the information from the world (senses: vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell & basic sensory experience)
- Interpretation => meaning = SUBJECTIVE/ambiguous (more than one meaning)
Why is perception important in dentistry?
The way your patients see you is subjective & based on their experiences
What is the perception of pain?
- Emotional state modulates perception of pain (upset/depressed more likely to feel pain = need more local anaesthetic)
- Patients may give socially desireable responses because you are the expert (dont say “that doesn’t hurt does it” etc.)
- A good way to determine patients response to instrumentation is to ask them “how fearful are you of having your teeth cleaned?”
e.g. break arm outside most likely to be in a lot of pain, some rugby players can break a bone and dont always notice; they keep going!
Why is perception a problem in dentistry (teeth whiteness)?
75% of magazine photos have off the chart shade guides = so white it is not physically possible = lots of young people aspire to but cannot be done no matter how white you take the teeth (difficult to persuade the patient it cannot be done!)
Why does the dentist need to be careful about perception?
Their perception may differ to the patients!
i.e. cleft lip/palate patient may say the dentist still wants to do more work but ive had enough!
Why do dentures often put patients off their food?
Impairs food perception
The plate in the roof of the mouth impairs perception of size of food and taste = less apetising = stop eating as well (become malnourished)
What did early behaviour theorists disagree about?
How experiences are turned into learning (we will look at 2… Classical conditioning & instrumental conditioning)
What is habituation?
How we adapt to focus on a couple of things (may be threatening to our health etc. or may be deemed most important i.e. not hearing people coughing)
= narrows down the range of stimuli that produce reactions (dont physically have the reasources to listen to everything) -> tendancy to respond declines as stimuli becomes more familiar
KEY: dentists habituate to sounds and smells of surgery but patients may not = makes them anxious!
What is the classical conditioning theory?
You have the unconditioned stimulus i.e. food which induces an unconditioned response i.e. secrete gastric juices
If at same time as food is presented a conditioned stimulus i.e. a bell is rung the individual can learn to associate this with food = conditioned response of secreting gastric juices
Both stimuli must occur together (can happen only once or >1) e.g. with pain at the dentists
= explains some learning but not everyone who is scared of the dentists has experienced pain (learn through other peoples experience = modelling)
When can classical conditioning occur?
Early childhood or later in life
= mild or intense phobias
= traumatic experiences can result in conditioning occuring in a SINGLE trial
What is the preferred theory?
The instrumental theory (explains why people smoke)
What is the isntrumental theory?
Learn to do something through trial and error (takes less time to do each time it is repeated)
e.g. cats put in box with lever to open, accidently hits lever & gets out (reward), put back into box and accidently hits lever and gets out -> eventually immediately hits lever to get out
