Psychology Unit 6

Cognition

The mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, storing, and using knowledge.

Main processes in cognition

Perception, attention, memory, thinking, language, learning, and creativity.

Schema

A mental framework that helps organize and interpret information.

Why are schemas useful?

They help us quickly organize and understand information.

4 Key features of schemas

Organize information, Influence perception, Guide memory, Can cause bias or stereotypes

Person schema

A mental framework about a particular person or type of person.

Social schema

A mental framework about social groups and interactions.

Self schema

Beliefs and knowledge about yourself

Event schema

Expectations about how things normally happen

Role schema

Expectations about behaviors associated with a social role

What role does language play in cognition?

It is a key medium for thought, communication, and organizing knowledge. It influences how we think and understand the works

Function of language in communication

It allows individuals to express thoughts, ideas, and emotions.

How does language help memory?

It helps encode and retrieve information, making it easier to remember.

How does language help problem solving

It helps organize thoughts, reason, and generate solutions.

How does language help conceptualization

It helps form concepts and categories, shaping how we think about objects and ideas

How does language support cognitive development?

As children learn language, they develop abstract thinking and reasoning skills.

Problem solving

Cognitive process of identifying a challenge and generating solutions to overcome it.

Stages of problem solving

Identification, Definition, Generation of Ideas, Evaluation of solutions, Implementation, and Reviewing

Creativity

The ability to generate original and valuable ideas, concepts, or solutions.

Originality

Producing ideas that are new or unique.

Flexibility

The ability to change perspectives and explore different approaches.

Fluency

The ability to generate many ideas or solutions within a given tiMe

Elaboration

Developing and refining ideas by adding detail and making connections.