ch 4 cognition, consciousness, and language

information processing model

states that the brain encodes, stores, and retrieves information much like a computer

Piaget’s stages of cognitive development

sensorimotor, preoperataional, concrete operational, and formal operational

sensorimotor stage

focuses on manipulating the environment to meet physical needs thru circular reactions. object permanence ends this stage

preopoerational stage

focuses on symbolic thinking, egocentrism, and centration

centration

focus on one thing when there are many things

concrete operational stage

focuses on understanding the feelings of others and manipulating physical (concrete) objects

formal operational stage

focuses on abstract thought and problem

mild level of cognitive decline while aging is normal; significant changes in cognition may signify a _______-

underlying disorder

biological factors that affect cognition include ______________

organic brain disorders, genetic and chromosomal conditions, metabolic derangements, and drug use

problem solving

requires identification and understanding of the problem, generation of potential solutions, testing of potential solutions, and evaluation of results

mental set

pattern of approach for a given problem. an inappropriate mental set may negatively impact problem solving

functional fixedness

tendency to use objects only in the way they are normally utilized, which may create barriers to problem solving

problem solving forms

trial-and-error, algorithms, deductive reasoning (general rules), and inductive reasoning (deriving generalizations from evidence)

heristics, biases, intuition, and emotions

may assist decision making but may also lead to erroneous or problematic decisions

heuristics

shortcuts or rules of thumbb used to make decisions

biases

exist when an experimenter or decision maker is unable to objectively evaluate information

intuition

is a gut feeling regarding a particular decision, however intuition can often be attributed to experience with similar situations

emotional state

often plays a role in decision making

Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences proposes at least eight areas of intelligence including

linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist

variations in intellectual ability

combinations of environment, education, and genetics

states of consciousness include

alertness, sleep, dreaming, and altered states of consciousness

alertness

state of being awake and able to think, perceive, process, and express information

beta and alpha waves predominate on electroencephalography (EEG)

sleep

important for healthy of brain and body

stage 1

light sleep and is dominated by theta waves on EEG.

stage 2

slightly deeper and includes theta waves, sleep spindles, and K complexes

stage 3 and 4 are deep slow wave sleep (SWS)

delta waves predominate on EEG . most sleep-wake disorders occur during stage 3 and 4 nonrapid eye movement sleep.

dreaming in SWS focuses on consolidating declarative memories

rapid eye movement sleep (REM)

paradoxical sleep

mind appears close to awake on EEG but the person is asleep

eye movements and body paralysis occur in this stage

dreaming in REM focuses on consolidating procedural memories

sleep cycle

approximately 90 min for adults; normal cycle is Stage 1 - 2- 3- 4- 3- 2- REM, or just 1-2-3-4-REM. although

changes in light in the evening trigger release of ____________ by the ______________ resulting in sleepiness.

melatonin, pineal gland

_________ levels increase in the early morning nd help promote wakefullness. _________ normally trend around 24 h a day

Cortisol, circadian rhythms

most dreaming occurs during _________but some dreaming occurs during other sleep stages. there are many diffferent models that attempt to account for the conent and purpose of dreaming

dreaming

sleep-wake disorders include ______- such as insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, and sleep deprivation; and ___________— such as night terrors and sleepwalking (somnambulism)

dyssomnias, parasomnias

hypnosis

state of consciousness in which individuals appear to be in control of their normal faculties but are in a highly suggestible state. hypnosis is often used for pain control, psychological therapy, memory enhancement, weight loss, and smoking cessation

meditation

involves a quieting of the mind and is often used for relief of anxiety, it has also played a role in many of the world’s religions

consciousness-altering drugs are grouped by effect into

depressants, stimulants, opiates, hallucinogens

depressants

include alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines. they promote or mimic GABA activity in the brain

stimulants

include amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy. they increase dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin concentration at the synaptic cleft

opiates and opioids include

heroin, morphine, opium, and prescription pain medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. they can cause death by respiratory depression

hallucinogens

include lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), peyote, mescaline, ketamine, and psilocybin-containing mushrooms.

marijuana

has depressant, stimulant, and hallucinogenic effects, active ingredients tetrahydrocannabinol

drug addiction is mediated by the ________which includes the ____________ __________ ___________ ___________ dopamine is the main neurotransmitter in this pathway

mesolimbic pathway, nucleus accumbens, medial forebrain bundle, and ventral tegmental area

selective attention

allows one to pay attention to a particular stimulus while determining if additional stimuli in the background require attention

divided attention uses ____________ to pay attention to multiple activties at one time

automatic processing

language consists of

phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics

phonology

refers to the actual sounds speech

morphology

refers to the building blocks of words, such as rules for pluralization, past tense, and so forth

semantics

refers to the meaning of the words

syntax

refers to the rules dictating word order

pragmatics

refers to the changes in language delivery depending on context

nativist biological theory

explains language acquisition as being innate and controlled by languagae acquisiton device (LAD)

learning (behaviorist) theory

explains language acquisition as being controlled by operant conditioning and reinforcement by caregivers

social interactionist theory

explains language acquisition as being caused by a motivation to communicate and interact with others

Whorfian (linguistic relavity) hypothesis

states that the lens thru which we view and interpret the world is created by language

speech areas in the brain are found in the _________ __________ which is usually the left

dominant hemisphere

motore function of speech is controlled by ________ _____.

broca’s area

damage results in ______ __________ a nonfluent aphasia in which generating ecah word requires great effort

broca’s aphasia

language comprehension is controlled by ________ ___

wernicke’s area

damage results in ____ _____— a fluent nonsensical aphasia with lack of comprehension

wernicke’s aphasia

arcuate fasciculus connects wernicke’s area and broca’s area. Damage results in ________ __________—- marked by the inability to repeat words heard despite intact speech generation and comprehension

arcuate fasciculus, conduction aphasia