Unit 2 Flashcards
Cognition
Cognition
Mental activity associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communication.
Perception
Mental process of organizing sensory input into meaningful patterns.
Able to process 1-10 million bit of info per second.
Bottom-up Processing
Begin with stimulus, simulus influence what we perceive; data driven.
(process stimuli first and analyze later)
Top down processing
Uses background knowledge to influence perception; theory driven.
(Starts with memories, experiences, and motivations)
Context (Top down processing)
Cues around stimuli that help give meaning.
Expectations (Top down processing)
Preconceived ideas of what will happen.
Cultural Effects (Top down processing)
Not all culture (subculture) receive stimuli the same.
Perceptual set
top-down processing where we are programed to perceive one thing over another based on a
collection of experiences, expectations and motivations.
(Quickly see stimuli)
Schemas
mental framework that helps us organize and interpret information.
(Build on one another)
Gestalt Psychology
School of thought that focuses on how the brain processes whole patterns rather than one stimuli.
Figure and ground perception
Figure is what we focus on; ground is the background stimuli.
Closure
We fill in missing pieces.
Proxmity
We see lines in 3 sets rather than 6 lines.
Similarity
We group similar shapes.
Attention
an interaction of sensation and perception that is affected by both internal and external factors
(Ability to flip between multiple task)
Selective Attention
Focusing on one stimuli
Cocktail party effect
ability to focus/filter out a particular stimulus amongst many.
Inattentional Blindness
focusing on one stimuli so intensely that we miss other stimuli.
Change Blindness
inability to see changes in the environment because focus is elsewhere.
Depth Percption
Being able to see the world in 3D
(Visual Cliff)
Binocular Depth Cues
the use of both (bi) eyes to help judge depth and distance
Retinal Disparity
difference between images projected to the retina
Convergence
merging and comparing of the visual stimuli by both retina by the brain.
(higher convergence = Smaller)
Monocular Depth Cues
depth perception cues
that only require one eye
Relative Clarity
closer objects clearer
while further away objects look blurry
Texture Gradient
the closer an object
appear to have more texture
Linear Perspective
parallel lines that
appear to move closer
Interposition
partially blocking of one
object by another that allows one you perceive that the blocked object is further
away.
Relative size
Something further looks smaller
Perceptual Constancy
ability to perceive objects as
unchanged even as the changes may occur in point of view
Apparent Movement
visual perception of movement
when objects are not actually moving
Metacognition
Thinking about the way we think
Concepts
Mental groupings of similar objects
Prototypes
mental image or
the best example of a concept
Assimilation
interpretation of new experiences based
off of existing schemas
Accommodation
adjusting existing schemas to
incorporate new experiences
Executive functions
set of cognitive processes that help manage and coordinate our thoughts and actions
Heuristics
mental shortcuts that use past experiences and generalizations
Representative Heuristics
judging based on how well
“it” seems to fit/match our preconceived notions
Availability Heuristics
judging based on memory
availability
Confirmation bias
looking for evidence that we’re
right and ignore contradicting evidence
Mental set
approach decision making based on past
experiences, habits
Priming
exposing people to stimuli that unconsciously
influences behavior and decisions
Framing
way information is worded/presented
influences
Three General steps for memory
- Encoding (get memory to the brain)
- Storage (keeping the info)
- Retrieval ( Recalling the info)
What are the two types of long term memory? (Plus Definition)
Explicit: Knowing that
Implicit Knowing how
Explicit Memory
retention of facts and
experiences that we consciously KNOW (Episodic and Semantic)
Episodic Memories
Stories of our lives (personal experinces)
Semantic Memories
Everyday common knowledge (not Personal Experiences)
Implicit Memories
Memories we retain without effort (learned skills) (Procedural and Prospective)
Procedural memories
(riding a bike, typing,
tying shoes, solving equations)
Not affected by amnesia
Retrieved through priming
Occurs in the Cerebellum
Prospective memories
Where future tasks are remembered (turning in a paper, going to practice, Homework)
Long-term Potentiation
the neural basis for learning and memory; the increase in a neuron’s firing potential after stimuli
Basal Ganglia
Neurons help create and maintain habits
Working Memory
part of STM responsible for temporarily holding and
processing information
Central Executive (working memory model)
main component
* Responsible for coordinating other cognitive processes
* Allocates attention
Phonological loop (working memory model)
deals with auditory and verbal information; has
two subcomponents
Visuospatial Sketchpad (working memory model)
responsible for processing visual and spatial information
Episodic Buffer (working memory model)
temporary storage system that integrates
phonological and visuospatial into a single representation
What are the stages of the Multi-store model?
Sensory memory-> Short Term memory-> Long Term Memory
Iconic memory
Visual images
Echoic memory
Auditory signals
Levels of processing theory
Critique of multi-store processing that believes long-term
memory is more complicated
Shallow processing
trying to memorize/learn without
attaching meaning; more likely to forget
Deep processing
using elaborate rehearsal and meaning
analysis of new concepts
Structural encoding (Levels of processing theory)
encoding the physical characteristics;
focus is superficial without meaning (leads to shallow processing)
Phonemic Encoding (Levels of processing theory)
processing the sound and pronunciation of
the stimulus; deeper than structural but still quite shallow
Semantic Encoding (Levels of processing theory)
processing stimuli and its relationship to
other information stored in memory; deep processing
Method of loci
converts
then items to be
remembered into mental
images and associates them
with specific positions or
locations
Serial Position Effect
We tend to remember the first and last bit of info we receive.
Recency effect
Tendency to remember info presented at the end
Primary effect
Tendency to remember first bit of info
Amnesia
Condition where you forget all or some of your memory.
Retrograde Amnesia
Forgetting events that occured before injury
Anterograde Amnesia
Inability to create long term memories (live in the present)
Alsheimers
Degenerative diese in which memories are progressive
State-dependent Memory
suggests
you’re more likely to
recall memories if
you’re in the same
internal physical state
Mood-congruent Memory
suggests
you’re more likely to
recall memories that are
formed when moods are
genuine and authentic
(not temporary states)
Context-Dependent memory
suggests
you’re more likely to
recall information if
you’re in the same
environment as when
you learned it
Retroactive interference
New memories impair the ability to recall old ones.
Proactive Interference
Old memories interfere with the recall of more recent memories.
Constructive memory
integrating new information, beliefs or
experiences
Imagination inflation
phenomenon where repeatedly visualizing
an event increases belief that event happened (when it did not)
Early Intelligence Theory
testing focused on identifying the
components of intelligence
Modern Intelligence theory
adopted a more inclusive approach
* Acknowledges the complexity and diversity of human
cognitive abilities
Triarchic Theory of intelligence
Practical (ability to solve everyday problems)
Analytical (Academic problem solving)
Creative (innovative problem solving)
Flynn Effect
Generational phenomenon where average IQ score keep going up so they reset the mean to match that.
