ib psychology cognitive approach +sleep and dreams

cognitive psychology

the scientific study of mental processes and structure of mind, including perception, thought, memory, and reasoning

Schema

a concept or framework - mental representation that organizes and interprets information to make sense of the world

Schema Theory

theory stating that people mold memories to fit information that already exists in their minds
- assumes humans actively process info, can result in distortions

3 main stages of memory

encoding, storage, retrieval

Limitations of Schema Theory

- assumes humans are active processors of info
- unclear how schemas are acquired and how they influence cognitive processes

Multi-store model

An explanation of memory based on three separate memory stores, and how information is transferred between these stores. rehearsal plays a key role in determining storage in long term memory

Working Memory Model

An explanation of the memory used when working on a task. Each store is qualitatively different. proposes that stm is multi faceted

hypothetical components of working memory

central executive - episodic buffer, phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad

multi-tasking

ability to perform different cognitive tasks at the same time - explained by working memory model

working memory vs. multi-store memory model

not on my exam !!

long term memory system

divided into 2 systems at first level: explicit and implicit memory

explicit memory

facts and experiences that one can consciously know - propositional
- 2 subsystems: episodic (personal) and semantic (general knowledge)

cognition is based on

one's mental representations of the world

3 principles of cognitive psychology

- mental processes guide behaviour
- the mind can be studied scientifically by developing theories and models of cognition
- cognitive processes are influenced by social and cultural factors

implicit memory

Memories we don't deliberately remember or reflect on consciously
- procedural memory, emotional memory

reconstructive nature of memory

The view that our memory is not a perfect recording of events that occurred; rather, we reconstruct our memories through the filter of our present experience. Our experience influences our recall of those events.

serial reproduction

A task where a piece of information is passed from one participant to the next in a chain or 'series'. Differences between each version are measured.

Bartlett (1932)

A: See how memory of a story is affected by previous knowledge (i.e. schema)
P: Used serial production by telling British participants an unfamiliar story- War of Ghosts-
R: P's changed story as they tried to remember it: distortion (assimilation, leveling and sharpening), but participants did remember the key points. story got shorter and was still coherent and conventional
C: Remembering is an active process, where information is retrieved and changed to fit into existing schemas to create meaning in the information- supports the reconstructive theory of memory and schema theory
E: Lab study (eco. validity), non-rigorous methodology

Loftus and Palmer (1974)

A: Find out if questions asked subsequent to an event can cause a reconstruction in one's memory
P: films showed, P's filled out questionnaire after each and gave an account of each. 1 Q. asked about the vehicle's speed using one of these words: hit, smashed, collided, bumped, contacted
F: smashed had an avg. speed estimate of 40.8 and contacted 31.8 (lowest)
C: Use of different verbs activates different schemas in memory that affect a witness' answer to the Q. - causes a change in the subject's memory representation of the accident
E: large sample size, BUT students used (non-representative), Lab, easy to replicate, culturally biased (US students)
SO: suggests memory from traumatic events is unreliable and can be altered by misleading info.

NREM sleep

non-rapid eye movement sleep; encompasses all sleep stages except for REM sleep

sleep stages 90 mins

1.
2. bursts of rapid brain activity called sleep spindles. still easily awakened
3. slow delta waves, brief dreams
4. slow delta waves, indistinguishable from deepest sleep
5. REM, high brain activity and vivid dreams. body paralyzed cause brain stem blocks the messages.

phonological loop (working memory)

stores speech-based information about sound of language

visuospatial sketchpad

A component of working memory where we create mental images to remember visual information

episodic buffer

A component of working memory where information in working memory interacts with information in long term memory by storing it temporarily until needed

appraisal

evaluation of benefit or harm to one's well being

Brown and Kulik (1977)

A: investigate whether shocking events are recalled more vividly and accurately than other events.
P: Questionnaires asked 80 participants to recall circumstances where they had learned of shocking events
R: emotionally shocking events were remembered well
C: flashbulb memory is mostly for personal events because of increased physiological arousal (amygdala)
E: Naturalistic because the memories formed were irl situations. But qualitative data was recorded during interview so researcher bias, challenged by idea of rehearsal and repression because the trauma may impact

Stickgold, Robert (compare dreams/sleep)

Participants played games till they got stuck then slept and tried again. preformed better on behavioral or cognitive tasks if they were tested after sleeping. suggested to help us learn and evidence was that in non rem people were reenacting some irl activity

McNamara, Patrick

P: Mood questionnaire, complete words from beginning letters
R: Patients woke during REM had negative words indicating negative mood
C: Amygdala is active in REM cuz high brain activity
E/A: Depressed people reach REM faster or experience it more

Theories for why we dream

wish-fulfillment theory: Freud, not scientific because dreams are interpreted any way
information processing theory - robert stickgold
physiological function theory - promote neural development and babies sleep a lot

Baddeley and Hitch (1974)

A: investigate the performance of doing various tasks on working memory
P: ask participants to read prose while remembering number sequences at the same time (dual-task techniques)
F: increase in reasoning time in dual task experiments and impaired task performance if 6 number sequences were learned but did ok with 3 sequences
C: correlates with the prediction of working memory model that there will be impairement , but it was not catastrophic so it shows STM has one more unitary store