Psychology-Cognition

Cognition

all of the mental activities associated with thinking, remembering, and communication

Information Processing Model

Information is registered, stored, and retrieved

Encoding

the process of getting information into our memory

Storage

retaining encoded information over time

Retrieval

the process of getting information out of memory storage for current use

Atkinson-Shiffrin Model or 3 stage model contains….

Sensory memory, short term memory, long term memory

Sensory memory

the immediate record of sensory information (extremely short)

Short Term memory

intentional memory that can hold a few items for a little while (7 bits of information for 30 seconds)

Long term memory

the permanent limitless storehouse of memory

Working memory

part of the short term memory which includes active processing of the information

Shallow processing

based on only superficial information, typically the exact stimulus

Deep processing

based on meaningful discriptions of the information

Visual encoding

the storage of a snapshot image, typically required for navigation and facial recognition

Acoustic encoding

the storage of audible information, required for language/communication

Semantic encoding

using meaningful language to describe the stimulus rather than trying to hang on to the stimulus itself.

Automatic processing

the unconcious encoding of incidental information(Happens thanks to parallel processing)

Parallel processing

being able to process many aspects of something simultaneosly

Effortful processing

all the systems we use to process information intentionally

Rehearsal

the conscious repetition of information (keeps it in WM or moves it into LTM)

Spacing effect

the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long term retention then through mass study

Serial position effect

the tendency to remember the first or last items in a list but not the middle

Mnemonics

memory aids that use images or specific organization devices

Chunking

organizing information into manageable units

Hierarchies

organizing information from broad to narrow subjects

Iconic memory

memory of visual stimuli, lasts a few tenths of a second

Echoic memory

memory of auditory stimuli, lasts 3-4 seconds

Long term Potentiation

synapses strengthen with use, producing long lasting communication pathways

Flashbulb memory

a clear memory of an emotionally significant event

Implicit memory

retention of information or behaviors which we cannot remember learning

Explicit Memory

retention of facts and experiences which we can describe in detail

Amygdala

responsible for storing flashbulb memories

Thalamus

helps organize/hold sensory information

Hippocampus

stores explicit memories (during sleep, especially)

Amnesia

the loss of memory

cerebellum

implicit memory

Basal ganglia

helps us form procedural memories for multi step skills

Recall

actually remembering information that had been learned earlier

Recognition

simply identifying information previously learned

Retrieval cue

stimulus that triggers a memory

Priming

information the activates associations in memory

Relearning

learning something the second time usually happens faster than learning something the first time, even if we cannot retrieve the knowledge or skill

Deja Vu

cues subconciously trigger retrieval of something similiar

Context dependent memory

the tendency to recall information bases on ones surrounding

Mood Congruent Memory

the tendency to recall information based on ones emotions

Retrograde amnesia

the inability to remember past events or experiences

Anterograde amnesia

a type of memory loss that occurs when you cant form new memories

Encoding failure

if we do not encode information we cannot remember it later

Storage decay

stored memories can simply fade over time (demonstrated by ebbinghaus curve)

Ebbinghaus curve

shows that forgetting is usually rapid and then gradually levels off

Retrieval failure

information has been encoded and stored, we just cant access it

Proactive interference

older learning/stored information disrupts the recall of newly larned information

Retroactive interference

newer learning disrupts the recall of older learning

Motivated forgetting

Freud theorized repressed memories can cause health/behavioral issues

Reconsolidation

when retrieved memories are potentially altered before we store them again

Misinformation effect

when misleading information distorts memory

Source amnesia (misattribution error)

when, how, or where the information was learned is incorrect or imagined.

Elizabeth Loftus memory study

Asked witnesses of a car accident the same questions with different wording and got different answers.

Language

spoken, written, or signed word and rules for combining them so we can communicate meaning

Phoneme

Letter sounds and combos-”ph” sounds like “f”

Morpheme

smallest meaningful part of speech

Grammar

a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others

Syntax

the rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences in a given language

Semantics

the set of rules by which we derive meaning from morphemes, words, sentences

Babbling stage

uses various meaningless sounds 4-10 months

One Word Stage

can use single words to communicate 12-24 months

Two word Stage

can use two word phrases to communicate 24+ months

Telegraphic speech

early speech stage in which a child speaks like a telegram

Linguistic determination

language controls the way we thing and interpret the world around us

Concept

a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people

Prototype

a mental image or best example of a category

Algorithm

a step by step procedure that guarntees a soluton

Heuristic

a faster but more error prone procedure in which we apply more general ‘rules of thumb’ based on previous experience.

Insight

literally an ‘aha’ moment. a sudden realization

Confirmation bias

a tendency to search for information that supports our existing ideas

Fixation

the inability to see the problem from a new/unique perspective

Functional fixedness

happens when we tend to think that an item can only be used in one particular way

Mental set

our tendency to approach the problem in one particular way, usually based on what has been successful in the past

Representativeness Heuristic

judging what is correct based on what seems to match a prototype

Availability Heuristic

judging what is correct based on what comes to mind most quickly

Overconfidence

thinking ‘im above average’. In reality, we tend to be more confident than correct

Belief perserverance

clinging to ones initial conceptions even after being presented with contradictory information

Intuition

the effortless, immediate impression about how to solve a problem

Framing

how an issue is worded or presented impacts our understanding of the issue and how we approach to a solution

Primacy effect

you remember what is first in the list (Exception- when something is unique it is easier to remember)

Recency effect

you remember what is at the end of the list (Exception- when something is unique it is easier to remember)