Week 1: What is Cognitive Psychology?

Question 1

Define Cognitive Psychology

Answer 1

The scientific study of mental processes of memory, perception, language and decision making.
perceive our environment
– memorise information
– use language to communicate
– make decisions
• Sometimes we are aware of our mental processes, often they are automatic
How we acquire, store and retrieve information

Question 2

What is perception?

Answer 2

Internal representations (shapes, colours)
How we acquire information about the world

Question 3

What is attention?

Answer 3

The focussing and processing of information.

What information do we process, how do we process it, and what is not processed

Question 4

What are the concepts and categories?

Answer 4

Concepts are key ideas(building blocks)

Categories are representations of information of the world

Question 5

What is memory?

Answer 5

Holding manipulations in our mind

Question 6

What is information processing?

Answer 6

The process of acquiring and storing information- A conceptual framework
Wicken’s model used in CBT

Question 7

What is artificial intelligence?

Answer 7

Neural networks

Insight into human cognition

Question 8

What is language?

Answer 8

How we communicate information

Question 9

What is decision making, problem-solving and creativity entail?

Answer 9

How do we process information and choose what action to take

Question 10

How does cognitive Psychology effect other areas of Psychology?

Answer 10

they change as we develop and age
– they influence how we understand and respond to social situations
– they are the outputs of biological and neural activity

Question 11

Give examples of Artificial Intelligence

Answer 11

AI in Medicine- how neural networks have been designed to recognise cancerous cells. Similar to perception
AI in self-driving cars-use algorithms, trained using neural networks

Question 12

What is the historical use by Wundt of ‘Method of Introspection’?

Answer 12

Trained participants to report and analyse own perceptions. They can interpret different things-subjectivity in perception.

Question 13

What was Watson’s Behaviourist view?

Answer 13

Stimulus-Response relations

Don’t account for mental processes and don’t explain cognition

Question 14

What was Tolman’s Rat in Maze experiment?

Answer 14

Trained rat to turn in maze to get a reward. Internal mental representations of map of maze in head. Explains problem solving.

Question 15

Explain the cognitive revolution

Answer 15

Broadbent-computer mind analogy. Similarities between mind and computer. Both have receptors for inputs and effectors for outputs. Short term memory-computer models short term memory

Miller-magical number-capacity- 7+-2- Memory is like a little store. Inspired by the computer model.

Simon and Newell- computers and humans manipulate symbols. Way they are stored and processed is different

Question 16

What are the different levels of cognition analysis according to Marr?

Answer 16

Computation level-Input and output function of a system
Algorithmic Level-How does it do it, process and sequence of steps
Implementational Level-cognitive neuroscience what are the systems physically made of. Neurons in brain

Question 17

What are the common methods used in cognitive Psychology?

Answer 17

Experimental methods-Questions IV/DV
Verbal Protocols-Problem to solve tell them out load
Eye Tracking-Unpack sequence that people go through.(e.g. marketing)
Biological Techniques-fMRI, EEG/ERP. Physiological measures such as heart rate and skin conduction

Question 18

What is the Typical Paradigm?

Answer 18

Goel & Dolan -logical reasoning- do people rearrange words or pictorial representations. How do people reason.
E.g. Karen in front of Darren, Darren above Mary

Question 19

What are the fundamental assumptions of cognitive Science?

Answer 19

Alan Turing- Thinking was processing information. A computer that thinks

Searle’s Chinese Room- Make computer simulations that behave like people. Are computers conscious can they experience emotions? No. Computers on follow rules of a program.

Question 20

What is the Classic Experiment of Sternberg show?

Answer 20

How do retrieve or access in short term memory?
Serial (looking in order) or parallel (looking at things all in one go).

Memory set and response time- for serial it will get slower, parallel will stay the same. Response time increased as the function size of memory test increased-took people longer.