Chapter 4 Cognition, Consciousness, and Language

Information Processing Model

brain encodes, stores, and retrieves information

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

Sensorimotor Stage

focuses on manipulating environment to meet physical needs through circular reactions, ended by object permanence

Properational Stage

focuses on symbolic thinking, egocentrism, centration

Concrete Operational Stage

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

Formal Operational Stage

focuses on abstract though and problem solving

Biological Factors Affecting Cognition

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

Problem Solving

requires problem, solutions, testing of solutions, evaluation of results

Mental Set

pattern of approach for given problem

Functional Fixedness

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

Types of Problem Solving

trial-and-error, algorithms, deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning

Trial-And-Error

try until success

Algorithms

try all possible calculated options

Deductive Reasoning

conclusions from general rules

Inductive Reasoning

generalizations from evidence

Heuristics

shortcuts/rules of thumb used to make decisions

Biases

experiment or decision maker unable to objectively evaluate information

Intuition

gut feeling regarding particular decision; can be attributed to experience in prior situation

Gardener’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences Areas

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

States of Consciousness

alertness, sleep, dreaming, altered states

Alertness

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

What waves predominate on EEG during alertness?

beta and alpha

Sleep Importance

health of brain and body

Stage 1 of Sleep

light sleep, dominated by theta waves

Stage 2 of Sleep

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

Stage 3 and 4 of Sleep

deep (slow-wave) sleep (SWS), delta waves predominate

What stage do most sleep disorders occur?

3 and 4 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep

Rapid Eye Movement (REM)

mind appears close to awake on ECG, but person is asleep

What occurs during REM?

eye movements, body paralysis, dreaming focused on procedural memories

Sleep Cycle Length for Adults

\~90 minutes

When is REM more frequent?

during the morning

When are cortisol levels increased during sleep?

the morning to promote wakefulness

Dyssomnias

insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, sleep deprivation, parasomnias

Parasomnias

night terrors, sleep walking

Hypnosis

state of consciousness where individuals appear to be in control of normal faculties, but are in highly suggestible state

What can hypnosis be used for?

pain control, psychological therapy, memory enhancement, weight loss, stop smoking

Meditation

quieting of mind and used for relief of anxiety; plays role in religion

Depressants (Types)

alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines

Depressants Function

promote or mimic GABA

Stimulants (Types)

amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy

Stimulants Function

increase dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin

Opiates and Opioids (Types)

heroin, morphine, opium, prescription pain medication (hydrocodone, oxycodone)

What kind of death can opiates and opioids cause?

respiratory depression

Hallucinogens (Types)

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

Marijuana Drug Category

depressant, stimulant, hallucinogenic effects

What is the active ingredient in marijuana?

tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

What mediates drug addiction?

mesolimbic pathway

Selective Attention

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

Divided Attention

uses automatic processing to pay attention to multiple activities at the same time

Phonolgy

actual sound of speech

Morphology

building block of words

Semantics

meaning of words

Syntax

rules dictating word order

Pragmatics

changes in language delivery depending on context

Nativist (Biological) Theory

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

Learning (Behaviorist) Theory

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

Social Interactionist Theory

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

Whorfian (Linguistic Relativity) Theory

lens through which we view and interpret the world is created by language

Broca’s Area Function

controls motor function of speech

Broca’s Aphasia

area damaged causing nonfluent aphasia where generating word takes much effort

Wernicke’s Area Function

controls language comprehension

Wernicke’s Aphasia

area damaged causing fluent, aphasia with lack of comprehension

Arcuate Fasciculus Funciton

connects Broca and Wernicke area

Conduction Aphasia

area damaged causing inability to repeat words heard despite intact speech generation and comprehension