the cognitive approach Flashcards
input
how we take incoming information in, for example, eyes (detecting light, colour and movement), ears (detecting sound), skin 9detecting pressure
processing
how information is dealt with, for example thinking and decision-making in the brain and brain functions such as short-term and long-term memory
output
how we send information out, for example voice and body (such as hands for writing, drawing, moving)
individual differences
stable and enduring ways in which people vary in terms of emotion, behaviour or cognition. these can result in differences such as in personality, abilities or mental health. They may be the consequence of environment or genetics (or both).
primary task
the activity we are supposed to be concentrating on, even though we may be doing something else as well, such as doodling
attention
the concentration of mental effort on a particular stimulus. It may be focused or divided
divided attention
the ability to split mental effort between two or more simultaneous tasks (called ‘dual tasks’), for example driving a car and talking to a passenger
concurrent task
an additional activity with a cognitive demands that we can perform at the same time as a main (primary) task
focused attention
the picking out of a particular input from a mass of information, such as many items presented together, or a rapid succession of individual items, for example, concentrating on your teacher’s voice even when there’s building work outside and the learner next to you is whispering
daydreaming
a mildly altered state of consciousness in which we experience a sense of being ‘lost in our thoughts’, typically positive ones, and a detachment form our environment
arousal
the extent to which we’re alert, for example responsive to external sensory stimuli. It has physiological and psychological components and is mediated by the nervous system and hormones
control group
a group of participants often used in an experiment, who do not receive the manipulation of the independent variable and can be used for comparison with the experimental group or groups
false memory
a piece of stored information an individual believes to be an accurate memory but which is the consequence of later additional and untrue information, such as a question about an event seen by an eyewitness
eyewitness testimony
evidence provided by an individual who has seen (or heard) a crime being committed. This information is used by the legal system
line-up
a source of evidence used by the legal system. A witness is shown a line of people or array of photographs of faces and is asked to attempt to identify the perpetrator of the crime (although they may not be present)
false positive response
giving an affirmative (positive) but incorrect answer to a question. For example, mistakenly picking out a person in a line-up when the real culprit is not there.
autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
a diagnostic category (previously including autism and Asperger syndrome). Symptoms, appearing in childhood, present a range of difficulties with social interaction and communication and restricted, repetitive, or inflexible behaviours or interests
ceiling effect
this occurs when a test is too easy and all participants in a condition achieve a very high score. This is problematic as it does not allow the researcher to differentiate between results
basic emotions
feelings such as happy, sad, angry, afraid and disgust. They are understood worldwide, and by very young children, and can be recognised without the need to attribute a belief to the person
complex emotions
require an understanding of someone else’s cognitive state, that is the attribution of a belief or intention to the person. They are therefore harder to identify
autism spectrum quotient test (AQ)
a self-report questionnaire with scores ranging from 0 to 50. A higher score suggests that the person completing it has more autistic traits.
quasi-experiment
quasi means ‘almost’, and refers to the fact that these experiments often have lots of control over the procedure, but not over how participants are allocated t conditions
IQ (intelligence quotient)
a measure of intelligence that produces a score representing a person’s mental ability. The average range of IQ is between 85 and 115.
diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM)
published by the American Psychiatric Association, it’s used as a classification and diagnostic tool by doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists across the globe
international classification or disorders (ICD)
publishes by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and although similar to the DSM, it has a wider scope and covers all health-related conditions, not only mental health and psychological conditions
foil
something that is used as a contrast to something else. In Baron-Cohen et al.’s study the ‘foil words’ were the (incorrect) alternative words participants could choose to describe the eyes
