Course component 2 theoretical psychology

What are the two scientific approaches Wundt differentiated between? (Wilhelm Wundt)

The experimental approach and the non-experimental approach.

What characterizes the experimental approach? (Wilhelm Wundt)

Research on simple elementary mental processes by means of introspection and reaction time measurements.

What characterizes the non-experimental approach? (Wilhelm Wundt)

Research on "products of the mind" (complex mental processes like language and culture) by means of comparative research and logical analysis.

In which book did Wundt outline his experimental psychology? (Wilhelm Wundt)

Grundzüge der physiologischen Psychologie (Principles of Physiological Psychology), 1874.

In which book did Wundt outline his non-experimental psychology? (Wilhelm Wundt)

Völkerpsychologie (Ethnic Psychology), 1900-1920.

What event is referred to as the birth of scientific psychology? (Wilhelm Wundt)

The founding of Wundt's laboratory in Leipzig in 1879.

What did Wundt claim exists alongside passive associative mechanisms? (Wilhelm Wundt)

Apperception (which is active).

What is simple apperception? (Wilhelm Wundt)

Comparing and relating (e.g., being engaged in Weber's psychophysical task).

What is complex apperception? (Wilhelm Wundt)

Synthesis and analysis (e.g., involved in tasks requiring intelligence).

What is apperception currently referred to as? (Wilhelm Wundt)

Attentional or executive control (non-associative attentive processing).

What effect did Wundt believe apperception had on processing? (Wilhelm Wundt)

He believed that apperception prolonged processing.

According to Wundt's frequency distributions, what are the two types of reactions? (Wilhelm Wundt)

Reflexive (automatic, fast) reactions and apperceptive (attentive, slower) reactions.

How do reflexive and apperceptive reactions map to Fodor's modularity theory? (Wilhelm Wundt & Jerry Fodor)

Reflexive reactions proceed directly from input module to output module. Apperceptive reactions proceed via a central system.

What are drive actions / Triebhandlungen? (Wilhelm Wundt)

Wundt's proposed basis for voluntary movements, which after practice may become automatized and reflex-like.

What components link together to form a drive action? (Wilhelm Wundt)

A moving reason (Beweggrund) and a driving force (Triebfeder) link to an act (Handlung).

What modern distinction does Wundt's drive action components correspond to? (Wilhelm Wundt)

The distinction between declarative and procedural knowledge.

What did James Cattell conclude about apperception? (James Cattell)

He disagreed with Wundt, concluding that apperception does not always prolong processing.

What major psychology journals did Cattell found? (James Cattell)

Psychological Review and Science.

What did Ebbinghaus use to study memory? (Hermann Ebbinghaus)

Nonsense syllables (meaningless letter combinations like WAK and TIF).

How did Ebbinghaus measure retention? (Hermann Ebbinghaus)

In terms of "savings" (learning time - relearning time / learning time).

What happens to "savings" during sleep? (Hermann Ebbinghaus)

Saving occurs during sleep.

If learning a list takes 15 minutes, and relearning takes 6 minutes, what is the savings percentage? (Hermann Ebbinghaus)

15 - 6 = 9. Then 9 / 15 = 60% of saving.

What does the forgetting curve show about the rate of forgetting? (Hermann Ebbinghaus)

Most forgetting occurs within the first hours after learning and then levels off logarithmically (the rate decreases over time).

What is Retroactive interference? (Georg Müller)

When learning a new list interferes with remembering an old list (new interferes with old).

What did Müller propose is required for learning? (Georg Müller)

Memory consolidation; if disrupted, memory cannot stabilize.

What does Ribot's law state about retrograde amnesia? (Ribot)

Individuals experience a 'temporal gradient' where recent memories suffer the most, because newer memories have less time for consolidation.

What brain structure was later identified as crucial for consolidation?

The hippocampus.

Where does Alzheimer's disease originate? (Alois Alzheimer)

In the hippocampus and surrounding temporal cortex.

Who was Patient H.M.?

A patient who underwent bilateral hippocampal removal and developed severe anterograde amnesia, proving the existence of multiple memory systems.

What type of memory remained intact for Patient H.M.? (Brenda Milner)

Procedural learning (though he couldn't remember the learning episodes).

What is Declarative memory?

“Knowing that” (divided into semantic and episodic memory).

Which brain areas are associated with Declarative memory?

Lateral temporal cortex (storage) and Hippocampus (consolidation).

What is Semantic memory?

A division of declarative memory for general knowledge, facts, and events.

What is Episodic memory?

A division of declarative memory for autobiographical and personal events.

What is Procedural memory?

“Knowing how” (condition-action rules).

Which brain areas are associated with Procedural memory?

Frontal and parietal cortex (storage), Basal ganglia (consolidation), Cerebellum, and Thalamus.

What disease disrupts the basal ganglia and procedural memory?

Parkinson's disease.

What brain area is associated with Emotional memory?

The Amygdala.

What condition is linked to disturbances in the amygdala?

Depression.

Who proposed that higher mental processes could be studied experimentally? (Oswald Külpe)

Oswald Külpe (part of the Würzburg school).

Who were the main figures of the Würzburg school?

Henry Watt and Oswald Külpe.

What is a mental set? (Henry Watt)

An instruction that directs responses, allowing a weaker association (e.g., "fruit") to be retrieved instead of the strongest automatic association (e.g., "apple").

What is "imageless thought"? (Henry Watt)

Trials reported by participants where they had no mental imagery, contradicting classical association theory.

Who revived Watt's directed association task using PET neuroimaging? (Michael Posner & Marcus Raichle)

Michael Posner and Marcus Raichle.

What method did Posner & Raichle revive and adapt for the spatial domain? (Michael Posner & Marcus Raichle)

Donders' subtraction method (looking at the location of mental processing stages instead of duration).

In Posner & Raichle's study, what is the left inferior temporal lobe responsible for? (Michael Posner & Marcus Raichle)

Perception of visual words (visual word-form area).

In Posner & Raichle's study, what is Broca's area responsible for? (Michael Posner & Marcus Raichle)

Articulation of words.

In Posner & Raichle's study, what is the lateral temporal cortex responsible for? (Michael Posner & Marcus Raichle)

Concepts / conceptual processing.

In Posner & Raichle's study, what is the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) responsible for? (Michael Posner & Marcus Raichle)

Control of the direction of association.

What is the associative theory of goal-directed association? (Georg Müller)

All stimulus associations are activated, but the task-relevant one receives double activation (from the instruction and the stimulus).

What is the symbolic/procedural theory of goal-directed association? (Otto Selz)

Declarative memory explicitly labels relations (e.g., IS-A link), and procedural knowledge consists of IF-THEN rules to activate those links.

What is the decisive difference between modern goal-directed theories (Miller, Cohen, Roelofs) and the older theories (Müller, Selz)?

Modern theories can be implemented as computer programs, deriving precise predictions.

How did William James describe consciousness? (William James)

It is never stable but flows like a river (stream of consciousness).

What directs the stream of consciousness? (William James)

Selective attention and habit.

According to James, what is the evolutionary purpose of selective attention and consciousness? (William James)

They have a survival value (influenced by Darwin); attention drives behavior toward goals, and habits allow fast responding at low metabolic cost.

What was the "deathbed experiment"? (William James)

An agreement with his friend Mayers that whoever died first should send a message to the other (no message was received).

Who pioneered the use of paired associates displayed randomly rather than serially? (Mary Calkins)

Mary Calkins (this experiment is still widely used for studying episodic memory).

Who founded the first psychological laboratory in America and the APA? (Stanley Hall)

Stanley Hall.

What movement did Stanley Hall inspire? (Stanley Hall)

The child study movement (collecting data to improve education, though it lacked a guiding theory).

What are the three core abilities in Posner's theory of attention? (Michael Posner)

1. Alerting, 2. Orienting, 3. Executive control.

What is the Alerting ability? (Michael Posner)

Sustained attention (reach & maintain alertness).

What is the Orienting ability? (Michael Posner)

Moving the focus of perceptual processing, either overtly (eye movement) or covertly.

What is the Executive control ability? (Michael Posner)

Goal-directed processing and responding.

What brain area is executive control especially associated with? (Michael Posner)

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

What is Structuralism? (Edward Titchener)

The attempt to understand the structural content of the mind by reducing consciousness into elementary sensations using introspection.

What is Functionalism? (James Angell)

An opposing school to structuralism focused on mental functions and their neurobiological underpinnings.

Who popularized the terms "independent" and "dependent" variables? (Robert Woodworth)

Robert Woodworth (in his book Experimental Psychology, known as the Columbia Bible).

What puzzles did Herbert Simon use to investigate complex forms of thinking? (Herbert Simon)

The Tower of Hanoi and the Tower of London puzzles.

Why do associative models fail to explain tasks like the Tower of Hanoi? (Herbert Simon)

Because the tasks require planning ability, executive control, and resisting temptations (better explained by procedural condition-action rules).

What is considered the "gold standard of attentional measures"? (John Stroop)

The color-word task (Stroop task).

What did Cattell discover that was later used by Stroop? (James Cattell & John Stroop)

That reading words goes faster than naming colors.

What asymmetry in distraction did Stroop find? (John Stroop)

Words are not interfered with by colors, but colors interfere with words.

In the Stroop task, what role does the dorsal (upper) part of the ACC play? (John Stroop)

It is involved in the control of cognition.

In the Stroop task, what role does the ventral (lower) part of the ACC play? (John Stroop)

It is involved in the control of emotions.

What does Donders' view state about distraction? (Frans Donders)

Distraction slows down the reaction; distraction during the appearance of the stimulus always prolongs the process.

How does distraction/temptation affect blood supply to the brain?

It causes changes in blood supply; active areas receive more blood flow.

When does the extra blood flow occur during the Stroop effect?

It happens over time (delayed); the response peak of blood flow is well after the naming occurs.