Cognitive Psychology and Visual Processing Summary

These flashcards cover key concepts from cognitive psychology and visual processing, focusing on the biological basis of cognition, memory functions, and perceptual theories.

What is the effect of emotional arousal on memory recall?

Emotional arousal makes memory more selective by causing holes in memory due to adrenaline.

What is the weapon-focus effect?

It is the phenomenon where individuals can recall the weapon used in a crime but may not remember peripheral details like the perpetrator's face.

How does context change affect memory perception over time?

Time will compress if the context remains the same and expand if the context changes, affecting how memories are packaged and recalled.

What is cognitive psychology primarily concerned with?

Cognitive psychology studies how people think and the mental processes involved in memory, perception, attention, problem solving, decision making, reasoning, and language.

What major shortcoming did cognitive psychology respond to in earlier psychological movements?

It addressed the shortcomings of behaviorism and introspection by emphasizing the importance of both behavior and mental processes.

What is the difference between representation and process in cognitive psychology?

A representation is a set of objects that stand for another set due to having the same causal relational structure, while a process is an operation that transforms one representation into another.

What is the role of neurons in cognition?

Neurons are responsible for processing information via electrical impulses (action potentials) that transmit signals within and between neurons.

What is the function of neurotransmitters in the brain?

Neurotransmitters influence the activation state of neurons, either exciting (like glutamate) or inhibiting (like GABA) their activity.

What are the four major lobes of the brain and their functions?

1. Frontal lobe: higher-order cognition and decision making. 2. Parietal lobe: sensory integration and memory retrieval. 3. Temporal lobe: auditory processing and memory. 4. Occipital lobe: visual processing.

What is the significance of the hippocampus and amygdala?

The hippocampus is crucial for forming unique memories, while the amygdala encodes emotional memories and responds to stress.

What are the primary features of visual perception as per Gestalt psychology?

Key principles include figure-ground, proximity, similarity, continuity, closure, symmetry, and common fate.

What is the binding problem in visual perception?

It refers to the challenge of integrating different features (like color and shape) into a cohesive perception of an object.

What are the two pathways of visual processing in the brain?

The dorsal pathway (where) and the ventral pathway (what) help in processing spatial and object-related information respectively.

How does top-down processing influence visual perception?

Top-down processing uses previous knowledge and context to make inferences about visual stimuli, affecting the interpretation of sensory data.