Introduction to Cognitive Psychology.txt

Cognitive Psychology

Study of how people perceive, learn, remember, and think about information

Foggy Days and Distance Perception

Objects appear farther due to light scattering by fog

Memory and Emotional Significance

Remembering experiences over names due to emotional relevance

Dialectic Process

Developmental process where ideas evolve through transformation

Thesis in Dialectic Process

Statement of belief

Antithesis in Dialectic Process

Statement countering the previous belief

Synthesis in Dialectic Process

Integration of viewpoints

Rationalism in Knowledge Acquisition

Belief in knowledge through thinking and logical analysis

Empiricism in Knowledge Acquisition

Belief in knowledge through empirical evidence

Philosophy

Seeks to understand the general nature of the world

Introspection in Philosophy

Examining inner ideas and experiences

Physiology

Studies life-sustaining functions in living matter

Rationalism and Empiricism in Cognitive Psychology

Basis for the theory of development

Structuralism

Seeks to understand the structure of the mind and perceptions

Functionalism

Focuses on understanding what people do and why they do it

Associationism

Examines how elements of the mind become associated

Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve

Shows the rate of forgetting information over time

Thorndike's Law of Effect

Stimulus producing a response if rewarded

Behaviorism

Focuses on observable behavior and environmental events

Classical Conditioning

Focuses on learned associations

Radical Behaviorism

Concentrates on the study of observable behavior

Operant Conditioning

Involves strengthening or weakening behavior based on reinforcement

Edward Tolman

Father of modern cognitive psychology, emphasized mental processes

Goal

According to Tolman, all behavior is directed toward a goal.

Social Cognitive Theory

Theory that Albert Bandura is a proponent of.

Observing and modeling

According to Albert Bandura, we learn our own behavior by observing and modeling the behavior of others.

Gestalt psychology

Main idea is that we best understand psychological phenomena when viewed as organized wholes.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Represents the emphasis of Gestalt psychology.

Cognitivism

Belief that human behavior can be understood in terms of how people think.

Cognitive Revolution

Took place in the early 1950s as a response to behaviorism.

Psychobiology

Focuses on the interaction between biological processes and behavior.

Cell assembles

Coordinated neural structures that develop through frequent stimulation, according to Donald Hebb.

Noam Chomsky

Stressed the biological and creative potential of language.

Engineering

Application of scientific and mathematical principles to design and build machines.

Computation

Process of performing mathematical calculations using a computer.

Applied Cognitive Psychology

Use of psychological principles to solve real-world problems and improve human performance.

Turing Test

Test by which a computer program is judged based on its output being indistinguishable from human output.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Attempt to construct systems showing intelligent processing of information.

Ulric Neisser

Father of modern cognitive psychology.

Modularity

Implies that processes in one domain operate independently of processes in other domains.

Cognition

Mental action of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.

Intelligence

Ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.

Three-Stratum Model of Intelligence

Hierarchy of cognitive abilities proposed by Carroll.

Theory of Multiple Intelligence

Proposed by Howard Gardner, suggests multiple independent constructs of intelligence.

Triarchic Theory of Multiple Intelligence

Cognitive model of intelligence proposed by Sternberg.

Fluid Ability

Speed and accuracy of abstract reasoning in the Three-Stratum Model of Intelligence.

Crystallized Ability

Accumulated knowledge and vocabulary in the Three-Stratum Model of Intelligence.

Gardner's Eight Intelligences

Include Bodily Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist, and others.

Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Emphasizes creative, analytical, and practical abilities working together.

Research Methods

Investigate mental processes using experimental studies, observational studies, and neuroimaging techniques.

Theory

Organized body of general explanatory principles based on observation.

Hypotheses

Tentative proposals regarding expected empirical consequences of a theory.

Statistical Significance

Indicates the likelihood of obtaining results if only chance factors were in operation.