Week 1: Intro Flashcards
1
Q
List 3 important characteristics of behaviourism
A
- No free will
- Behaviour leads from previous behaviour
- Cognitive processes come after behaviour
2
Q
Define cognitive psychology
A
Focuses on mental structures and processes. How we perceive, process, store, retrieve and use information and knowledge.
3
Q
Summarise the importance of the year 1956 for cognitive psychology
A
- Cognitive psychologists broke through the mainstream
- Disenchantment with behaviourism because it couldn’t explain mental activities (like memory)
- Not all behaviour could be explained by conditioning
4
Q
Define top down perceptions
A
Where our beliefs and perceptions about the world shape our experience
5
Q
Define bottom up perceptions
A
Our experience shapes our beliefs and perceptions
6
Q
What are three basic approaches to PDP?
A
- Cognitive operations are parallel rather than serial
- Neural activity distributed throughout the brain
- If information is incomplete, you can still complete most operations
7
Q
Give an example of how cognitive psychology relates to other areas
A
- Developmental psych looks at memory
- Biological psych looks at mental structures as well
8
Q
What is rationalism?
A
Reason and logic are the foundations for making meaning
9
Q
What is empiricism?
A
Direct observation, experiment and empirical evidence
