Cognitive Psychology test 1

Cognition

Mental processes requiring intelligence and skill development to adapt to environment

Cognitive psychology

Dynamic process of acquiring storing manipulating and retrieving information

Information processing model

Sensory input → processing → behavioural output

Learning systems

Systems with capacity to learn show flexible human-like behaviour

Basic research

Research aimed at understanding phenomena without practical use

Basic research examples

Rhythm perception working memory joint attention

Applied research

Research aimed at solving real-world problems

Applied research examples

Cochlear implants exercise memory autism joint attention

Human factors

Applying psychological findings to system design

LLM large language model

Machine trained on data to generate human-like text

Cognitive psychology approach

Study behaviour to understand cognition

Neuroscience approach

Study brain to understand abilities

Cognitive neuroscience

Combination of cognitive psychology and neuroscience

Computational modelling

Simulating brain or behaviour

Ontology

Study of what exists

Mind-body problem

Relationship between mental events and physical brain

Dualism

Mind immaterial brain material

Monism

Only one substance exists

Physicalism

Only physical brain exists

Idealism

Only mental things exist

Neutral monism

Mind and brain are same unknown thing

Pragmatic materialism

Behaviour and mind explained by physical brain processes

Cognition vs performance

Cognition unobservable performance observable

Structuralism

Breaking cognition into basic sensations

Introspection

Controlled self-report of conscious experience

Structuralism limitations

Unreliable not replicable hard to generalize

Cortical blindness

No visual experience despite functioning eyes

Blindsight

Behavioural visual perception without awareness

Behaviourism

Focus on stimuli and responses treating mind as black box

Stimulus

Sensory input

Response

Behavioural output

Classical conditioning

Behaviour paired with stimulus

Operant conditioning

Behaviour shaped by reinforcement

Reinforcement

Reward strengthening behaviour

Behaviourism limitations

Ignores instinct genetics flexibility

Latent learning

Learning without reinforcement

Cognitive revolution

Mind compared to a computer

Function

Maps input to output

Algorithm

Rules guiding function

Binary encoding

Information coded as 1s and 0s

Flashed face distortion effect

Rapid faces appear distorted

Stroop effect

Colour naming slowed by conflicting words

Serial position effect

Better recall for beginning and end

Primacy effect

Better recall of early items

Recency effect

Better recall of late items

Experiment

Controlled test of variables

Independent variable

Manipulated variable

Dependent variable

Measured variable

Correctness

Accuracy of response

Threshold

Smallest detectable change

Reaction time

Time to respond

Speed accuracy tradeoff

Faster responses reduce accuracy

Trial

Single repetition

Central nervous system CNS

Brain and spinal cord

Peripheral nervous system PNS

Nerves outside CNS

Somatic nervous system

Voluntary movement and reflexes

Autonomic nervous system

Involuntary control

Sympathetic nervous system

Fight or flight

Parasympathetic nervous system

Rest and digest

Reflex action

Spinal cord mediated response

Cerebrum

Largest brain structure

Cerebral cortex

Outer grey matter layer

Gray matter

Neuronal cell bodies

White matter

Axon tracts

Hippocampus

Long-term memory formation

Encephalization quotient EQ

Brain size relative to body size

Dorsal

Top of brain

Ventral

Bottom of brain

Anterior frontal

Front of brain

Posterior caudal

Back of brain

Contralateral

Opposite side control

Gyri

Cortical folds

Sulci

Cortical grooves

Fissures

Deep grooves

Hemisphere

Left or right cerebrum

Corpus callosum

Connects hemispheres

Left hemisphere

Language dominance

Right hemisphere

Spatial processing

Occipital lobe

Vision

Temporal lobe

Hearing and object recognition

Frontal lobe

Planning and movement

Parietal lobe

Sensory processing

Exteroception

Sensing external environment

Interoception

Sensing internal body

Proprioception

Limb position sensing

Nociception

Pain perception

Equilibrioception

Balance perception

Neurons

Signal transmitting cells

Glial cells

Support and maintain neurons

Dendrites

Receive input

Soma nucleus

Determines firing

Axon

Sends signal

Nodes of Ranvier

Signal jumps

Presynaptic terminal

Releases neurotransmitters

Sensory neurons

Input to CNS

Motor neurons

Output to muscles

Association neurons

Connect neurons

Neural convergence

Many neurons to one

Neural coding

Patterns of neural firing

Specific encoding

Single neuron codes stimulus