Applied psychology cognitive approach

Cognitive approach

What are the 2 assumptions for the cognitive approach?

1) Behavior is a product of information processing

2) The brain functions similarly to a computer

Define cognitive priming

When you receive one stimulus this affects your response to a later stimulus

What are the 3 types of priming?

Associative priming - Processing stimuli faster because we encountered a stimulus earlier that is often associated with it

Repetition priming - Processing stimuli more quickly because we encountered it earlier

Semantic priming - Processing stimulus more quickly because we encounter a stimulus related to it in meaning

Define cognitive scripts

Knowledge of behaviors stored in memory to tell us what to expect and how to act in a social situation

Define confabulation, rationalization, and shortening

Confabulation - When details are added to a memory to fill in gaps

Rationalization - When parts of a memory are distorted to match your schema

Shortening - When parts of memories are left out

Define reconstructive memory

Pieces of information are reassembled to form a memory

What is schema?

A mental package of beliefs and expectations that influence our memory

What is a cue?

A trigger that allows us to access material in memory

Define recall, recognition, and remembering

Recall - Free recall is when info is generated with a cue. Cued recall uses cues

Recognition - A form of memory retrieval where you identify something based on past experience

Remembering - retrieving info from a memory store

What are capacity, duration, and encoding in terms of memory?

Capacity - How much info can be held in a memory store

Duration - How long memory can be stored for

Encoding - Converting info from one form to another so it can be stored in the various memory stores

What is person perception?

Info stored in memory about which personality characteristics often go together that guide our impressions of others

What is cognitive bias?

Errors in how we process information that affect our memory, attention, and decision making

What are the 3 types of biases

Confirmation bias - Paying more attention to info that supports our beliefs while ignoring contradictory information

Fundamental attribution error - Focusing on personal characteristics instead of the whole situation when explaining reasons for someone’s behavior

Hostile attribution error - A tendency to assume someone’s behavior is aggressive or violent when it isn’t

Describe all the properties of sensory memory

Duration - very brief (0.5-4 seconds)

Capacity - Very high

Encoding - One store for each sense

State all the properties for short term memory

Duration - Up to 30 seconds

Capacity - 5-9 items

Encoding - visual and acoustic

State all the properties of long term memory

Duration - Can last a lifetime

Capacity - Unlimited

Encoding - Semantic