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
Reflection (RP+ elaboration)
- taking a few minutes to review what has been learned in experience/class
- taking time after class to write down everything that you can remember that was learned that day
Calibration
- using objective instrument to measure your sense of what you know to reality
- pre-test
Mnemonic devices
- handy ways to store info
- PEMDAS
Sensation
elementary, raw, unprocessed components of an experience
Perception
- collection of processes that arrive at a meaningful interpretation of sensations
- conscious experience resulting from stimulation of senses
Inverse projection problem
- Determine object responsible for particular image on retina
- start with image and extend out to source of image
Hidden/blurred objects
people can identify objects obscured/incomplete/blurry
Issues of viewpoint
viewpoint invariance - can we determine something from any vantage point
Scene complexity
scenes are complex/require context to be fully understood
Direct perception theory
- bottom up
- perception comes from stimuli
- part identified and put together = recognition occurs
Constructive perception theory
- top down
- people actively construct perceptions using info based on expectations
Gestalt Principles
- “built in” principles
- determined by specific organizing principles
- experience can influence but not key driver
Gestalt Principles (list)
- good continuation
- pragnanz/simplicity
- closure
- proximity (element connectedness) (common region)
- similarity
- law of common fate
Good continuation
lines tend to be seen as following smoothest path
Pragnanz/simplicity
Every stimulus pattern is seen so the resulting structure is as simple as possible
Closure
When figure has gap/missing border we perceive it as a whole object
Proximity
Elements that are near each other tend to be grouped together
- element connectedness
- common region
Similarity
similar things appear grouped together
Law of common fate
elements that move together are grouped together
Bayesian inference
estimate probability of given outcome influenced by
- prior probability
- likelihood of given outcome
Learned assumptions (list)
- oblique effect
- light-from-above assumption
- figure-ground separation
- shape and color constancy
- depth cues
Oblique effect
horizontals and verticals are more easily perceived
Light-from-above assumption
- we assume light comes from above
- perceive shadows as specific information about depth/distance
Figure-ground separation
object in foreground assumed to be figure
Shape and color constancy
we assume shapes/colors in environment are constant
Depth cues
things farther away thought to be smaller and vice versa
Global v. local
global - more general/big picture
local - more detail oriented
Navon study (global v local)
task - indicate target which comparison stimulus is “most like target”
global - left stimulus
local - right stimulus
Results
- UK participants: global 86%
- Himba participants: local 77%
Semantic assumptions
- meaning of given scene is related to what happens within the scene
- characteristics associated with functions carried out in different types of scenes
Price of assumptions
inappropriate interpretations of physical reality
Strong synesthesia
- rare
- input to one sensory modality produces experience in another
- perceptual processing
Weak synesthesia
- common
- result of experience which leads us to associate stimuli together
The McGurk effect
simultaneous presentation of an auditory stimulus and a visual stimulus that leads to a blended perception
- laurel/yanny
Ventrioloquism
“sound” perceived as coming from visual display
Marimba Study
musician playing single note on marimba
- video showed short/long note to respective groups
- no video shown to another
- no video = notes judged to be same length
- video = notes judged according to if long/short not was seen
Wine Study
White and white wine-colored red
describe smell of wine = described white wine-colored red with adjectives for red wine
Mirror therapy
- vision and touch
- phantom limb - use mirror to “replace” missing limb so brain thinks it is still there
General theory of perception
- perceptual systems are designed to help us perform successfully in the world
- what we see is determined by our ability to perform relevant actions on what we see
Why did perception evolve?
- maximize survival en route to reproduction
- allow for efficient use of energy
- perception is really about enabling us to act on the world
Hill slant studies
- task: estimate slant of two hills - before and after rigorous run
- 3 conditions: verbal (say degree), visual (device), haptic (device)
Back pain + distance studies
- estimate distance from various traffic cones
- results: chronic pain sufferers judged distances to be longer than those without chronic pain
Putting studies
- easy and difficult putts
- easy putts estimated hole to be bigger
- negative correlation between estimated hole size and golf score
