The Beginnings of Cognition Flashcards
What is a computation?
mind performs computation on inputs (info from the external) to produce output (behaviour)
How long does it take to process information?
The more information you have, the longer it will take to process it.
What are the two components of an information processing stage?
Representations: symbolic forms of an entity
Processes: computations that transform the representations
What is the basic unit of information?
BIT (binary digit)
Why is it important to quantify information?
If information can be quantified as something (bits) then we can predict how much info is needed for a task/to meet a goal.
Why do we process information?
to reduce uncertainty
What was William Hick’s (1952) experiment?
determined the relationship between choice reaction time and info content of stimuli with light experiment
What was the conclusion of the William Hick’s (1952) experiment?
when there is uncertainty, more info must be processed.
How does decision fatigue happen?
When we have too many decisions to make which exceeds our limit of cognitive processing.
what is the Webster an d Thompson (1953) study?
Air traffic controllers listed to two simultaneous messages. call signal (familiar) + random words (unfamiliar)
What was the conclusion of the Webster and Thompson (1953) study?
could identify both call signals but only one of the unrelated word messages.
study shows that our processing capacity is limited and this limit is partly determined by familiarity.
what is ecological validity
the extent to which findings of a research study can be generalized to real-life settings.
What was the criticism of traditional lab approaches to study cognition?
they do not appreciate the complexity of cognition.
what is Neisser’s Perceptual Cycle?
A person contributes knowledge to their perception of the environment.
What are schemas?
organized mental templates to assist information processing that direct exploration of the environment.
