Week 1 ( Early work in cognitive psychology)

Question 1

What are the two definitions of the mind?

Answer 1

The mind creates and controls mental functions such as perception, attention, memory, emotions, language, deciding, thinking and reasoning. (central role in determining various mental abilities)
and
the mind operates as a system that creates representations of the world so we can act within it to achieve our goals. ( importance of functioning and survival)

Question 2

what is cognition

Answer 2

mental processes, such as perceptions, attention and memory which the mind creates.

Question 3

what is Cognitive psychology

Answer 3

Study of mental processes which include determining characteristics and properties of the mind and how it operates.

Question 4

in the 1800’s what were the two reasons for the belief that studying the mind was not possible

Answer 4

1. it is not possible to study the mind itself
2. properties of the mind cannot be measured.

Question 5

when was the term cognitive psychology coined

Answer 5

1967

Question 6

Donders (1868- Psychologist) question of how long it takes to make a decision lead to?

Answer 6

procedure: simple reaction time v.s choice reaction time.

Results: takes 1/10th of a second to make a decision.

Contribution: first cognitive psych experiment.

Question 7

What did (1879) Wundt’s contribute?

Answer 7

procedure: analytic introspection.
Results:
Contribution: first laboratory of cognitive psychology and structuralism

Question 8

Ebbinghaus (1885)

Answer 8

procedure: savings measure to measure forgetting
Results: forgetting happens 1-2 days after learning
Contribution: quantitative measurement of mental processes

Question 9

James (1890)

Answer 9

procedure: observations of own experience
Results: known for nature of attention
Contribution: first psychology textbook (principles of psychology)

Question 10

Structuralism

Answer 10

overall experience is determined by combining basic elements of experience ( or sensations).

Question 11

analytic introspection

Answer 11

technique where trained participants described their experiences and thought processes in response to stimuli.

Question 12

What else did wund’t contribute

Answer 12

That humans are always looking for patterns which is breaking down into their structural component.

Question 13

what is a mechanism

Answer 13

science or process of how things work
- can be used for predictions / explanations

Question 14

what did Watson contribute

Answer 14

• Behaviorism and introspection
• only cared about measurable behaviors
• Little albert experiment
• Known for classical conditioning

Question 15

classical conditioning

Answer 15

how pairing one stimulus
(such as the loud noise presented to Albert) with another, previously neutral stimulus (such
as the rat) causes changes in the response to the neutral stimulus.

Question 16

skinners operant conditioning

Answer 16

Focused on how positive reinforcers (food, social approval) or withdrawal of negative reinforcers (shock, social rejection) strengthen behavior.

Question 17

Research process

Answer 17

1. Idea
2. hypothesis
3. review past research
4. operationalize construct
5. design
6. collect data
7. conclude
8. Methodological designs

Question 18

Scientific method

Answer 18

1. Idea
2. controlled observation (experiment)
3. compare observed behavior to predicted behavior
4. conclude validity of theory
   5.purpose
5. hypothesis/ predictions
6. Methodology
   8 . IV/DV
7. results
8. conclusion

Question 19

correlational method

Answer 19

Exploring relationship between two or more variables
- persons r’s ( -1 to 1) equal in strength
Closer to 1 is stronger
closer to 0 weaker

Question 20

independent variable

Answer 20

manipulated variable that groups differ on

Question 21

dependent variable

Answer 21

is measured and runs your stats

Question 22

Ecological Validity

Answer 22

real worldness of the experience ( how similar is it to the real world)