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Module 3A: Intro to Cognitive Psychology > Unit 1-3 > Flashcards

Unit 1-3 Flashcards

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1
Q

Cognitive Psychology

A

The scientific study of the brain and behaviour to understand the mental events and knowledge we use when we recognize and object or person, have a new idea, memorize facts, understand or solve a problem. The central argument is that if mental processes exist they can be studied scientifically.

an expanded definition also includes the study of brain activity and structure.

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2
Q

Algorithm

A

a computational procedure providing a specified set of steps to problem solution

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3
Q

cognitive neuroscience

A

an approach that aims to understand human cognition by combining information from behaviour and the brain

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4
Q

social cognition

A

An approach within social psychology in which the emphasis is on the cognitive processing of information about other people and social situations

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5
Q

paradigm specificity

A

the findings with a given experimental task or paradigm are not replicated even when apparently very similar tasks or paradigms are used

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6
Q

lesion

A

damage within the brain resulting from injury or disease it typically affects a restricted area

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7
Q

ecological validity

A

the applicability (or otherwise) of the findings of laboratory studies to everyday settings

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8
Q

implacable experimenter

A

the situation in experimental research in which the experimenter’s behaviour is uninfluenced by the participant’s behaviour

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9
Q

parallel processing

A

processing in which two or more cognitive processes occur at the same time

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10
Q

cascade processing

A

later processing stages start before earlier processing stages have been completed when performing a task

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11
Q

bottom-up processing

A

processing directly influenced by environmental stimuli

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12
Q

top-down processing

A

stimulus processing that is influenced by factors such as the individuals’ past experience and expectations

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13
Q

serial processing

A

processing in which one process is completed before the next one starts

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14
Q

modularity

A

the assumption that the cognitive system consists of many fairly independent or separate modules or processors, each specialised for a given type of processing

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15
Q

Pure alexia

A

severe problems with reading but not other language skills, caused by damage to brain areas involved in visual processing

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16
Q

Double dissociation

A

the finding that some brain-damaged individuals have intact performance on one task but poor performance on another task whereas other individuals exhibit the opposite pattern

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17
Q

association

A

the finding that certain symptoms or performance impairments are consistently found together in numerous brain-damaged patients

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18
Q

syndrome

A

the notion that symptoms that often co-occur have a common origin

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19
Q

case-series study

A

a study in which several patients with similar cognitive impairments are tested; this allows consideration of individual data and of variation across individuals

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20
Q

diaschisis

A

the disruption to distant brain areas caused by a localised brain injury or lesion

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21
Q

sulcus

A

a groove or furrow in the surface of the brain

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22
Q

gyrus

A

prominent elevated area or ridge on the brain’s surface “gyri” is the plural

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23
Q

dorsal

A

towards the top

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24
Q

entral

A

towards the bottom

25
Q

stral

A

towrds the front of the brain

26
Q

posterior

A

towards the back of the brain

27
Q

lateral

A

situated at the side of the brain

28
Q

medial

A

situated in the middle of the brain

29
Q

connectome

A

a comprehensive wiring diagram of neural connections within the brain

30
Q

Brodmann Area (BM)

A

a brain map produced by German neurologist Korbinian Brodmann (1868-1918) based on differences in the distributions of cell types across cortical layers, identifying 52 areas.

31
Q

single-unit recording / single cell recording

A

an invasive technique for studying brain function, permitting the study of activity in single neurons. It involves inserting a micro-electrode into the brain to study activity in single neurons, and is very sensitive: able to detect electrical charges of as little as one millionth of a volt.

32
Q

Event-related potentials (ERPs)

A

A technique used to study the brain in which the same stimulus (or very similar ones) are presented repeatedly, and the pattern of electrical brain activity recorded by several scalp electrodes is averaged to produce a single waveform. This technique allows us to work out the timing of various cognitive processes very precisely but its spatial resolution is poor.

33
Q

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

A

A brain scanning technique based on the detection of positrons, it has reasonable spatial resolution but poor temporal resolution

34
Q

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

A

a technique based on imaging blood oxygenation using an MRI machine, it provides information about the location and time course of brain processes

35
Q

Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (efMRI)

A

this is a form of fMRI in which patterns of brain activity associated with specific events (ex correct vs incorrect responses on a memory test) are compared. It involves separating the elements of an experiment into discrete points in time, so that the cognitive proceses and associated brain responses for each element can be analysed independently.

36
Q

Magneto-encephalography (MEG)

A

A non-invasive brain scanning technique based on recording the magnetic fields generated by brain activity. It has good spatial and temporal resolution.

37
Q

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

A

A technique in which magnetic pulses briefly disrupt the functioning of a given brain area. It is often claimed that it creates a short lived “lesion”. More accurately, TMS causes interference when the brain area to which it is applied is involved in task processing as well as activity produced by the applied stimulation.

38
Q

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

A

A technique in which a weak electric current is passed through a given brain area for some time. The electric charge flows from a positive site (an anode) to a negative one (a cathode). Anodal tDCS increases cortical excitability and generally enhances performance. In contrast, cathodal tDCS decreases cortical excitability and mostly impairs performance.

39
Q

Electroencephalography (EEG)

A

Recording the brain’s electrical potentials through a series of scalp electrodes

40
Q

BOLD

A

Blood oxygen-level-dependent contrast; this is the signal measured by fMRI

41
Q

Neural decoding

A

Using computer-based analyses of patterns of brain activity to work out which stimulus an individual is processing

42
Q

functional specialisation

A

the assumption that each brain area or region is specialised for a specific function (eg. colour processing; face processing).

43
Q

Reverse inference

A

as applied to functional neuroimaging; it involves arguing backwards from a pattern of brain activation to the presence of a given cognitive process. So basically, the involvement of a given cognitive process is inferred from activation within a given brain region. However this can’t always be taken for granted.

44
Q

Default mode network

A

a network of brain regions that is active “by default” when an individual is not involved in a current task; it is associated with internal processes including mind wandering, remembering the past and imagining the future

45
Q

Computational modelling

A

This involves constructing computer programs that simulate or mimic human cognitive processes

46
Q

Artificial intelligence

A

This involves developing computer programs that produce intelligent outcomes

47
Q

Cognitive architecture

A

Comprehensive framework for understanding human cognition in the form of a computer program, “models of the fixed structure of the mind”

48
Q

Connectionist models / neural network models

A

models in computational cognitive science consisting of interconnected networks of simple units or nodes; the networks exhibit learning through experience and specific items of knowledge are distributed across numerous units. First, a layer of input nodes codes the input. Second, activation caused by input coding spreads to a layer of hidden nodes. Third,activation spreads to a layer of output nodes.

49
Q

Connectionist models / neural network models

A

Computational modes (in cognitive science) that consist of interconnected networks of simple units or nodes; the networks exhibit learning through experience and specific items of knowledge are distributed across numerous units. First, a layer of input nodes codes the input. Second, activation caused by input coding spreads to a layer of hidden nodes. Third, activation spreads to a layer of output nodes.

50
Q

Nodes

A

The basic units within a neural network model

51
Q

Back-propagation

A

A learning mechanism in connectionist models based on comparing actual responses to correct ones. This allows the model to learn the appropriate responses without being explicitly programmed to do so.

52
Q

Production systems

A

These consist of very large numbers of “IF, THEN” production rules and a working memory containing information.

53
Q

Production Rules

A

“If…Then” or condition-action rules in which the action is carried out whenever the appropriate condition is present

54
Q

Working Memory

A

A limited-capacity system used in the processing and brief holding of information.

55
Q

Converging operations

A

An approach in which several methods with different strengths and limitations are used to address a given issue

56
Q

Replication

A

The ability to repeat a previous experiment and obtain the same (or similar) findings

57
Q

Meta-analysis

A

A form of statistical analysis based on combining the findings from numerous studies on a given research topic

58
Q

aptitude tests

A

tests designed to determine a person’s ability in a skill or field of knowledge

59
Q

critical thinking

A

the mental processes, strategies and representations people use to solve problems, make decisions and learn new concepts” - defined by cognitive psychologist Robert Sternberg

Module 3A: Intro to Cognitive Psychology (2 decks)

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