UNIT 2 Cognitive Skills part 1

Bottom-up processing

when the brain processes sensory information and uses clues to understand stimuli

Top-down processing

perceiving things based on your prior experiences and knowledge

Schemas

Mental process that helps us process and organize info around us through mental representation

Context

The thing or setting in which an event occurs that can influence perception

Perceptual Sets

our tendency to perceive some aspects of sensory data and ignore others

Gestalt Psychology

we often perceive the whole rather than the sum of the parts

Closure

When individuals fill the blank

Figure and Ground

ability to distinguish an object from its background

Proximity

Objects close together are seen as belonging in one group

Similarity

When things appear similar to each other we group them as together and think they have the same function

Attention

The brains ability to focus on stimuil

Selective attention

allows one to focus on certain sensory info while ignoring the others

Cocktail Party Effect

Ability to concentrate on one voice amongst a crowd

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

change blindness

when people fail to detect changes to the visual details of a scene

Binocular depth cues

stimuli that enable us to judge depth using both eyes

Retinal Disparity

the slight difference in the two retinal images due to the angle from which each eye views an object

Convergence

Explores how the brain integrates multiple sensory inputs. (sounds

Depth perception

the ability to see objects in 3 dimensions including their size & how far away they are from you

Monocular Depth cues

depth cues that are able to be perceived without both eyes

Relative Clarity

Objects that appear sharp

Relative Size

Depth cues in which we perceive distance based on comparison of sizes between objects

Texture Gradient

the gradual change in the visual texture of an object or surface as it recedes in depth from the observer

linear perspective

Depth prompt that the human eye perceives when viewing two parallel lines that appear to meet at a distance.

Interposition

if one object partially blocks our view of another

color constancy

the ability to recognize colors despite changes in lighting

Size Constancy

the tendency to interpret an object as always being the same actual size

Apparent movement

An illusion of movement perception that occurs when stimuli in different locations are flashed one after another with the proper timing.

Concept

A verbal or written understanding of abstract thought

Assimilation

The process of processing new information into cognitive structures called schemas

Accommodation

adapting one's current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

Algorithms

step-by-step formulas or procedures for solving problems that gurantee a correct solution

Heuristics

Problem Solving methods that are based on practical/ experiences/Knowledge

representativeness heuristic

A mental short cut we use when estimating probabilities

Availability Heuristic

Cognitive bias that helps us make fast but sometime wrong assessment

Mental Set

Tendency to stick with the most familiar solution to a problem and ignore other options

Priming

An enhanced ability to think of a stimulus

Framing

When people react differently to something depending on whether something it is negative or positive

Gambler's Fallacy

the mistaken belief that a random event will occur simply because a series of events leading up has taken place

Sunk-Cost Fallacy

Our tendency to follow through on something we've already invested heavily in even if giving up it better

Executive Function

Skills that you use to manage everyday task like making plans solving problems adapting to new situations

Goal Directed Behaviors

Ability to act with a purpose or intention to achieve a specific outcome

Critical Thinking

Thinking in which you question

Creativity

To produce or develop original work

Divergent Thinking

A thought process in which you can use to generate creative ideas by exploring many solutions

Convergent Thinking

focuses on reaching one well-defined solution to a problem

Functional Fixedness

a cognitive bias that limits a person to use an object only in the way it is traditionally used

Intelligence

The ability to learn from and adapt to situations and to use that knowledge to create a desired outcome

general intelligence

the existence of a broad mental capacity that influences performance on cognitive ability measures.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

a standard measure of an individual's intelligence level based on psychological tests

Mental age

The age level of an individual mental ability

Chronological Age

a measure of an individual's age based on the calendar date on which he or she was born

Standardization

the process of making a test uniform

Validity

The ability of a test to measure what it is intended to measure

Construct Validity

the extent to which your test or measure accurately assesses what it's supposed to

Predictive Validity

the extent to which a measure or test accurately predicts future behavior

Reliability

the consistency of the findings or results of a psychology research study.

test-retest reliability

using the same test on two occasions to measure consistency

split-half reliability

A measure of reliability in which a test is split into two parts and an individual's scores on both half are compared.

Stereotype threat

The risk of confirming negative stereotypes about an individual's racial

Stereotype Lift

an increase in a group's test performance due to not being part of a negative stereotype

Flynn Effect

The observes rise over time in which standardized intelligence test score

Achievement Tests

tests that measure a person's existing knowledge and skills

Aptitude Tests

tests designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn

Fixed Mindset

the idea that we have a set amount of an ability that cannot change

Growth Mindset

People who believe that their success depends on time and effort