Thought and cognition Flashcards
What is the primary function of the brain according to neuroscientists?
A) To store memories
B) To process information
C) To control emotions
D) To regulate body temperature
B) To process information.
The brain is responsible for processing sensory information, controlling body functions, and enabling cognition, emotions, memory, and decision-making. While it does play roles in storing memories and regulating emotions, its overarching purpose is to process and integrate information to guide behavior and bodily functions.
What do cognitive psychologists believe about the mind?
A) It is separate from the brain
B) It is the same as the brain
C) It is an information processor of the brain
D) It is a spiritual entity
C) It is an information processor of the brain
What is the computational theory of mind?
A) The mind is a computer
B) The mind is a spiritual entity
C) The mind is a biological organ
D) The mind is a social construct
A) The mind is a computer
According to Marr (1982), what do visual illusions demonstrate?
A) Faults in the visual system
B) How well-designed the visual system is
C) The limitations of human perception
D) The complexity of the brain
B) How well-designed the visual system is
Marr’s theory focuses on how the visual system processes information in a sophisticated manner to interpret the world. While visual illusions expose the limitations of human perception, they also demonstrate the complexity and efficiency of the brain’s design in dealing with visual stimuli. The brain has evolved to make quick, practical judgments about what we see, even though this sometimes leads to illusions.
What is the primary goal of vision according to adaptationist thinking?
A) To represent the world accurately
B) To support decision-making and action
C) To create illusions
D) To store visual memories
B) To support decision-making and action
What is the purpose of memory according to Anderson?
A) To store information accurately
B) To support complex behavior
C) To retrieve information quickly
D) To create illusions
According to Anderson, the purpose of memory is to support complex behavior. This means that memory evolved not just to store and retrieve information, but to do so in a way that supports the complex behaviors necessary for survival and decision-making.
What is the role of stereotypes in cognitive processing?
A) To increase accuracy
B) To maximize speed and ease of computation
C) To create social diversity
D) To store detailed information
B) To maximize speed and ease of computation.
Stereotypes help the brain quickly categorize and process information based on prior knowledge and generalizations. While this can be efficient, it often sacrifices accuracy and can lead to biases. Stereotypes allow for faster decision-making by relying on simplified mental shortcuts, but they can also result in faulty conclusions and unfair assumptions about individuals or groups.
What is the conjunction fallacy?
A) Believing that two events are more likely to occur together than separately
B) Believing that one event is more likely than another
C) Believing that unrelated events are connected
D) Believing that past events influence future events
A) Believing that two events are more likely to occur together than separately.
This fallacy occurs when people incorrectly assume that specific conditions are more probable than a single general one. For example, people might think that a person who is both a bank teller and a feminist is more likely than just being a bank teller, even though the probability of being a bank teller is higher than the probability of being both a bank teller and a feminist. This violates the rules of probability, as the conjunction (two events happening together) can never be more likely than the simpler event (one event happening alone).
What is the primary function of memory according to Klein et al.?
A) To store information accurately
B) To support decision-making
C) To create illusions
D) To regulate emotions
According to Klein et al., the primary function of memory is:
B) To support decision-making.
Klein and his colleagues have emphasized that memory is crucial for guiding behavior and making decisions. Instead of being just a repository for facts, memory helps us draw on past experiences to inform present choices, particularly in situations where we need to make judgments quickly and effectively. Their research focuses on how memory supports adaptive decision-making, often under uncertainty or time pressure.
What is the role of heuristics in decision-making according to Tversky & Kahnemann?
A) To guarantee a correct solution
B) To provide fast and easy solutions
C) To increase computational expense
D) To create detailed algorithms
B) To provide fast and easy solutions
Heuristics are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that help us make decisions quickly and with minimal cognitive effort. While they can be useful in many situations, they can also lead to systematic biases or errors in judgment. Tversky and Kahneman’s work showed how these shortcuts simplify decision-making but sometimes result in faulty conclusions, such as in their famous demonstration of cognitive biases.
What is the primary goal of human cognition according to evolutionary psychology?
A) To store information accurately
B) To support human behavior
C) To create social diversity
D) To regulate emotions
B) To support human behavior.
Evolutionary psychology suggests that human cognition developed to solve problems related to survival and reproduction. Cognitive processes, like perception, memory, and decision-making, are seen as adaptations that helped humans navigate their environment and interact with others in ways that increased their chances of survival and passing on their genes. Thus, the focus is on how cognitive abilities support behaviors that are advantageous from an evolutionary perspective.
What is the role of vision in human cognition?
A) To provide a useful representation of the world
B) To store visual memories
C) To create illusions
D) To regulate emotions
A) To provide a useful representation of the world.
Vision plays a crucial role in helping humans perceive and interpret their surroundings, guiding actions and decision-making. It provides essential information about the environment, such as shapes, distances, colors, and movement, that helps us navigate the world effectively. Vision isn’t just about “seeing”; it’s deeply integrated into cognition, enabling perception, attention, and memory, which are essential for behavior and interaction.
What is the role of reasoning in human cognition?
A) To answer textbook questions
B) To make rapid survival decisions
C) To create social diversity
D) To regulate emotions
B) To make rapid survival decisions
What is the primary function of the mind according to cognitive scientists?
A) To store memories
B) To process information
C) To control emotions
D) To regulate body temperature
B) To process information.
Cognitive science views the mind as responsible for processing sensory input, solving problems, making decisions, and enabling other mental functions like learning, reasoning, and memory. It’s not just about storing information (which is part of memory), but rather how the mind processes and interprets that information to guide behavior and cognitive functions.
