Test 1 Flashcards
What is cognitive psychology?
the scientific study of mental processes
Everyday examples of cognitive processes
perception, paying attention, remembering, visualizing, problem solving
Behaviorism
focuses on finding the connections between stimuli and response to stimuli
How do we measure the mind?
mental responses are not measure directly, inferred through participant behavior such as reaction time
Learning w/o responding
learn to respond to stimulus that is presented repeatedly without change
Learning w/o reinforcement
learning can occur without reinforcing behaviors
Tolman’s cognitive maps
rat maps and which path they will choose based on reinforcement
Lashley’s contribution to decline of behaviorism
complex behaviors need to be planned in advance
Chomsky’s contribution to decline of behaviorism
stimulus-response explanation for language, stimulus has no inherent meaning and meaning responses are possible
Computer metaphor
process information in stages, behavior influenced by “hardware” (biological/genetics) and by “software” (strategies/processes)
“New” research techniques
- infer mental activity away from behavior
- look at reaction times/forget rates
Information process
- computer metaphor
- behavior - influenced by “hardware” (biological/genetics) and by “software” (strategies/processes)
Process model
describe flow of info/relationship between processes
Structural model
represent physical structure
Research process
- what is known
- ask questions
- design experiments
- obtain/interpret results
- use results as base for new research questions/experiments
Myth of total study time
- told to spend x amount of time to study
- not been told what to do during this time
- lots to learn but little instruction on how to learn
Why rereading does not work
- gives rise to feelings of fluency that are taken to be signs of mastery but is waste of time
- time consuming, does not result in durable memory, self-deception
Why massed practice is bad for you
- gives rise to feelings of fluency that are taken to be signs of mastery but is waste of time
- time consuming, does not result in durable memory, self-deception
Illusion of familiarity
- fluency gives false sense there is comprehension of underlying content
- does not give good sense of being accurate in judgment of what you know and don’t know
Testing as learning tool
- involves active retrieval
- two benefits, tells you what you know/don’t know and recalling what you learned causes brain to reconsolidate memory which strengthens it
Reflection as practice
- involves several cognitive activities that lead to stronger memory
- retrieve knowledge and earlier training from memory
- connect these to new experiences
- visualize and mentally rehearse what you may do differently next time
Testing effect/testing as a learning tool
- power of retrieval as a learning tool
- common form = measure learning and assign grades
- repeated retrieval can embed knowledge and skills that they become reflexive
Study strategies (list)
- calibration
- elaboration
- mnemonic device
- interleaving
- generation
- retrieval practice
- reflection
- spacing
Retrieval practice
- self quizzing
- retrieving knowledge and skill from memory
Spacing
- schedule self-quizzing where time passes between study sessions
- studying info more than once but leaving time between practice sessions
Interleaving
- studying more than one item at a time/mixing items out of order
- mix around chapters/combine flashcards of different topics
Elaboration
- finding new layers of meaning in new material
- relating material to something you already know, explaining it to someone else in your own words
Generation
- attempt to answer a question before answer is shown
- fill in missing word in text, fill in the blank
