Unit 2 : Cognition

perception

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information

bottom-up processing

the brain starts with raw sensory information from the environment, like sight, sound, or touch, and gradually builds a perception

top-down processing

perceiving things based on your prior experiences and knowledge

schemas

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

selective attention

focusing our conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

cocktail party effect

the ability to focus one’s attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli

in-attentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is focused elsewhere

change blindness

failing to notice changes in the environment

Gestalt psychology

theory that people who are given a cluster of sensations tend to organize them into a ‘gestalt’- a form or a whole

closure

like top-down processing, we fill gaps if we can recognize it

figure-ground

organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings.

proximity

group objects that are close together as being part of same group

similarity

objects similar in appearance are perceived as being part of same group

binocular cues

depth cue that depends of the use of two eyes

retinal display

depth cue that depends on the use of two eyes

monocular cues

a depth cue that is available to either eye

perceptual constancies

the ability to perceive objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change

prototype

a mental image or best example of a category which provides a quick and easy method for sorting items into categories and can help organize unfamiliar items by finding an appropriate category.

concept

mental grouping of similar objects, events. ideas, or people

assimilation

trying to find a place for stimuli in your existing schema

accommodation

when you alter your schema to include new information

executive functions

a set of cognitive processes that enable goal-directed behavior, including skills like working memory, inhibitory control (self-control), and cognitive flexibility (shifting between tasks), essentially allowing individuals to plan, organize, and manage complex tasks effectively.

algorithm

a methodical, logical role or procedure that guarantees a solution to a problem

heuristic

mental shortcuts that help people make decisions quickly

representative heuristic

estimating the likelihood of events in reference to how closely they resemble a particular prototype

availability heuristics

estimating the likelihood of events on how readily they come to mind

Mental set

tendency to persist in using the same problem aolvim

priming

the phenomenon where exposure to a stimulus (often unconsciously) influences how someone perceives or responds to a subsequent stimulus

framing

the way an issue is pretended or worded can impact how people responded

gamblers fallacy

belief that if a particular outcome has occurred several times in a row, the probability of that outcome happening again in the next trial is now lower.

sunk-cost fallacy

tendency for people to continue investing time, money, or effort into something even when it is no longer beneficial, simply because they have already invested significantly in it, essentially feeling obligated to see it through despite negative outcomes

functional fixedness

creativity

creativity

divergent thinking

convergent thinking

explicit memory

retention of facts and experiences that one can consciously know

episodic memory

semantic memory

implicit memory

retention of learned skills

procedural memory

prospective memory

long-term potentiation

working memory

shirt term memory that adds conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual information

visuospatial sketch pad

long term memory

the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system

sensory memory

feeds our acting working memory

central executive

phonological loop

iconic memory

sensory memory of visual stimuli

echoic memory

sensory memory of auditory stimuli

automatic processing

the unconscious encoding of incidental information such as space, time, and meaning

effortful processing

requires attention and conscious effort