tutorial Cognitive Psychology Flashcards
attention
process of actively singling out information that interests us whilst ignoring other info
is attention conscious or unconscious?
both!
- conscious when I’m trying to write down this flashcard
- unconscious when I remember where I sat in KWC for lunch or when I notice my breathing
conscious attention purpose
- monitor actions with environment
- link past to present to give continuity
- helps control + plan
functions of attention
- signal detection + vigilance
- search
- selective attention
- divided attention
vigilance definite
attention over long periods of time
signals detection theory
- hits = identify signal in environment correctly
- false negatives = don’t identify signal that is in environment
- false alarms = incorrectly assume signal is there in environment
- correct rejections = see that signal is not there in environment
vigilance works best when
- stimulus happens within expectations
- emotional stimuli -> amygdala plays important role
activation states of vigilance
- burst = brief, high vigilance state
- tonic = baseline level of vigilance
display-size effect
how the amount of distractors slows down search process
feature search
look for item based on one particular feature
- looking for white carton when looking for milk
conjunction search
done when item doesn’t have standout features
- look for two things integrated -> looking for T by looking for horizontal line on top rather than bottom (like L)
feature-integration theory
we have feature maps in head that detects when feature arrives
- this is why it’s way easier + faster to see features rather than conjunctions
similarity theory
the more similarities target and distractor shares the more difficult it is to search for target
- disagrees with feature-integration theory
guided search theory
- parallel stage -> mental representation of all potential targets
- sequential evaluation -> choose target from activated elements
brain lobe that is activated more in youth when searching
occipito-temporal cortex
cocktail party problem
difficulty focusing on one convo when there’s other convos happening around you
dichotic presentation
two diff messages heard from right and left headphone
when to listen to diff convo
- when name mentioned
- diff pitch or intensity
- location of sound
Broadbent’s model of selective attention
attentional filter at sensory level
- some things never make it to perception (like one dichotic message switching from English to German)
BUT what about perking up when you hear your name mentioned ?
Selective Filter Model of Selective Attention
- inventor
- definiton
Broadbent
message of high important to listener (own name) break through Broadbent’s attentional filter
Attenuation Model of Selective Attention
- inventor
- definition
Treisman
unattended messages not eliminated but weakened
- some bilinguals noticed language switching to German
Later-Filter Model of Selective Attention
- inventor
- definition
Deutsch & Deutsch
messages unattended after physical properties (pitch) and meaning analysis
Syntheiss of early and late filter
- preattentive process -> notice physical of unattended messages
- attentive controlled process -> mental representations of messages (BUT takes resources)
divided attention good when
- practiced
- automised
- people are intelligent
- tasks in diff modalities (one speaking and one doing something with hands)
resources of attention theory best to describe what kind of tasks
complex divided attention
factors influencing attentional ability
- anxiety
- arousal
- task difficulty
- skills -> more skills = more attention
3 subfunctions of attention
- alerting = preparing
- orienting = selecting stimuli to attend to
- executive action = monitoring + resolving conflicts that arise in internal conflicts
intelligence and attention
- inspection time -> inspect and make decision on item
- reaction time
change blindness
inability in detecting changes of objects or scenes that are being looked at
inattentional blindness
people not able to see things that are actually there
spatial neglect
people unable to see half of visual field
2 factos influencing habituation
- internal variance -> changes in rhythm of music
- subjective arousal
automatic process
- no conscious awareness
- unintentional
- no effort
- quick
- multiple at same time
controlled process
- conscious awareness
- sequential
- long to execute
automatisation
when controlled processes turn automatic due to practice
Stroop effect
hard to say colour of word when word is spelling out different colour bc automatisation
Oopsies in Automatic processes
- mistakes = error in choosing objective
- slips = errors in carrying out means to objective
when do slips occur?
- when deviating from normal routine
- when automatic processes interrupted
preconscious processing
info outside of conscious awareness but still available for conscious processing
- combing hair whilst thinking about the mistakes you’ve made in your life
tip of tongue phenomenon
information available to us but not entirely accessible
seen in
- blind people
- old people
- disabled people
blindsight
traces of visual perceptual ability in blind areas
blind person able to correctly guess image more than chance
memory definition
process where information is encoded, stored and retrieved
recall definition
produce information from memory
3 types of recall
- serial recall -> recall items in exact order
- free recall -> recall items in any order
- cued recall -> shown items in pair, then displayed one part of pair have to recall the other
recognition definition
selecting items you have already been exposed to
explicit memory
conscious recollection
implicit memory
using info from memory but not consciously
- procedural knowledge
- stays same level throughout life unlike explicit
Traditional Model of Memory
- sensory stores
*iconic stores -> 12 images - short term store
* 7 (+ or - 2 ) - longterm store
*permastore = permanent stored knowledge
levels of processing memory theory
memory doesn’t have 3 parts but depends on level of processing info
*self-reference effect makes info relevant to us more deeply processed
integrative working memory model
short term memory active workplace used for processing info
- visuospatial sketchpad
- phonological loop
- central executive
- subsidiary slave systems
- episodic buffer -> binds info from all other categories
multiple memory systems
- two declarative (explicit) memories
*semantic -> facts of world
*episodic -> facts of self - one non-declarative (implicit)
* procedural knowledge
*conditioning / priming
mnemonist
somoene with exceptional memory usually due to using memory enhancing techniques
synesthesia
stimuli from one sense triggers other sense
+ seeing colours when someone is speaking
hypermnesia definition
produce memories we think we have forgotten
amnesia (definiton + types)
= severe loss of explicit memories
retrograde = don’t remember anything prior to accident
anterograde = can’t make any new memories after accident
+ H.M. had this
what is not affected by amnesia
- implicit memory
- procedural knowledge
brain areas memory storage
- cerebral cortex -> sensory info
- hippocampus -> explicit memory + declarative + spatial
- cerebellum -> conditioning
- amygdala -> emotional recall
encoding short-term memory
- words encoded by what they sound like (phonological loop)
encoding long-term memory
- semantic = based on what words mean
- visual
2 problems of transferring info from shor to long term memory
- interference -> competing info disrupts info from being stored
- decay -> forgetting as time passes
implicit memory transfer
- priming
- decays quickly
declarative (explicit) transfer
- consolidation = associating new words with words already in storage
- deliberate attending of info to comprehend
strategies to help remember info
- rehearsal
* maintenance rehearsal = repeating info
* elaborative rehearsal = elaborate on info to give it more meaning -> enters long-term memory - spacing effect -> for long-term memory we need to space recall over months (rather than days)
*distribute practice = spacing out learning sessions over time
sleep relation to memory consolidation
- better memory when higher REM sleep achieved
- hippocampus needs neuronal cells to make memories and these get stunted in insomniacs
reconsolidation definition
newly consolidated memory more unstable once recalled so reconsolidation happens
mnemonic devices
- categorical clustering -> organise info into groups
- method of loci -> visual info to landmarks of a place you know
- interactive images
- pegword system = associate new word with word already known
- acronym
- keyword system
- acrostic
what are most effective mnemonic devices?
- method of loc
- pegword system
2 theories of retrieval from short-term
- parallel processing = simultaneous processing of multiple operations
- serial processing = operations done one after the other
is short-term exhaustive or terminal processing?
- exhaustive = scan all options before making decision even if we found item already
- terminal = stop search as soon as you have answer
we do exhaustive serial processing
2 factos effecting retreival of long-term memory
- availability = presence of info in long-term
- accessibility = degree to which we can access information
* only accessibility can be tested
2 types of interference
- retroactive interference = new learned knowledge impeded recall of old
- proactive interference = material learned in past interferes with learning new material
serial position curve theory (definition + two types)
= probability of recalling depends on its order on the list
- recency effect = better remember words that come last bc most recent in memory
- primacy effect = better remember words at the very start
+ first impressions
is decay or interference stronger
interference has stronger effect
autobiographical memory definiton
= memory of individual history
autobiographical memories rememberd best when
- relevant to us
- emotionally intense
- salient
flashbulb memory
- impactful events lead to vivid memory
- important to individual
- emotional effect on individual
- surprising
7 sins of memory leading to memory distortion
- transcience -> memory fades quickly
- absent-mindedness
- blocking
- misattribution.
- suggestibility
- bias
- persistence
