Cog Psych Unit 1

Cognition

the internal states, thoughts, and episodes occurring within an observer

What is the source of the mind?

brain and nervous system

Physiognomy

a pseudoscience that determines an individual’s intelligence and personality from their facial features

Who discovered localization within the brain?

Franz Joseph Gall

What is localization

Certain parts of the brain are responsible for certain functions

Phrenology

A pseudoscience claiming that the shape and size of various parts of the skull (and brain inferred) determines personality.

What did Camillo Golgi believe?

The nerves are directly connected into a huge network

What did Santiago Ramon y Cajal believe?

The nerves are indirectly connected

What are the nerves that are directly connected called?

reticular network

What are the nerves that are indirectly connected called?

synaptic network

What are examples of cognition?

Perception, attention, memory, conceptualization, language, problem-solving, reasoning, judgment, and decision-making.

Where does cognition come from?

The brain and nervous system

What is cognitive psychology?

The study of how the mind perceives, stores, and uses informatio

What is the mind?

A group of interacting mental functions that represent the world and help us achieve goals.

What did Galvani discover about nerves?

Nerves work through electrical conduction.

What is localization of function?

The idea that certain brain areas are responsible for certain mental functions.

Who proposed early ideas about localization of function?

Franz Joseph Gall

What method did Gall use?

Phrenology

What did Camillo Golgi believe about neurons?

He believed nerves were directly connected in one large network.

What was Golgi’s idea called?

The reticular network

What did Santiago Ramón y Cajal believe and what was it called?

He believed neurons were separate cells connected indirectly. The synaptic network

How do neurons communicate according to the synaptic network idea?

NTs pass across a gap between neurons

What is the fundamental problem in studying the mind?

Mental processes cannot be directly seen or touched.

How do psychologists study invisible mental processes?

By observing behavior and using scientific instruments.

What is instrumentation?

Using tools to measure or record behavior or brain activity.

What is an example of simple instrumentation?

Using your eyes

What is an example of advanced instrumentation?

fMRI

What is empiricism?

systematic observation

What is determinism?

The idea that behaviors have underlying causes.

What is testability?

Theories must be able to be evaluated through observation.

What is parsimony?

Prefer simpler explanations over unnecessarily complicated ones.

What is confirmation bias?

The tendency to look for information that supports what we already believe.

What is the relationship between theory and observation in cognitive psychology?

Theories guide what we study, and observations help evaluate theories.

What is a case study?

An intensive study of one person or a small number of people.

What is an advantage and disadvantage of a case study?

It provides a large amount of detailed information but results may not generalize to everyone.

What is an advantage and disadvantage of correlational studies?

They can measure many variables and are relatively inexpensive, but they cannot prove cause and effect.

What is a spurious correlation?

A relationship between variables that may appear meaningful but is not truly causal.

What is an experimental study?

A study where researchers manipulate one variable and measure its effect on another.

What are behavioral variables?

Observable measures of behavior.

What are common behavioral measures?

Reaction time and percentage of correct or incorrect responses.

What are physiological variables?

Physical measurements from the body or brain.

Examples of physiological variables?

HR, blood pressure, cortisol, etc.

What tools can measure brain activity?

EEG, PET, fMRI, and other methods

Who was Donders?

An early researcher who studied reaction time.

What is mental chronometry?

Measuring how long a mental process takes.

What is reaction time?

The time between presentation of a stimulus and a person’s response.

What is a simple reaction-time task?

Pressing a button when a light appears.

What is a choice reaction-time task?

Choosing between different responses depending on the stimulus.

How did Donders estimate decision-making time?

Choice RT minus simple RT.

Why was Donders’ work important?

It showed that mental processes can be inferred from behavior.

Who was Ebbinghaus?

An early memory researcher.

What did ebbinghaus study?

Learning and forgetting

What is psychophysics?

The study of the relationship between physical stimuli and how we perceive them.

What does psychophysics compare?

What physically exists in the environment versus what we perceive.

What is the two-point threshold?

The smallest distance at which two touches are perceived as separate.

What is a just noticeable difference, or JND?

The smallest difference between two stimuli that a person can detect.

What is the method of limits?

Presenting stimuli in increasing or decreasing amounts to find the point where perception changes.

What is an example of the method of limits?

Gradually increasing sound frequency until a person can detect it.

Who was Wilhelm Wundt?

A psychologist who created the first psychology laboratory.

What theoretical approach did Wundt use?

Structuralism

What is structuralism?

The idea that experience is built from basic sensations.

What method did Wundt use?

Analytic introspection

What is analytic introspection

Having trained participants describe their thoughts and experiences in response to stimuli.

Who proposed behaviorism?

John Watson

What is behaviorism?

An approach that focuses only on directly observable behavior.

What is classical conditioning?

Learning that occurs when one stimulus becomes associated with another stimulus.

Who is strongly associated with operant conditioning?

B.F. Skinner

What is operant conditioning?

Changing behavior using rewards and punishments.

What is extinction?

When a behavior decreases or stops because it is no longer reinforced.

What is a schedule of reinforcement?

A rule for when reinforcement is given

What is fixed-interval reinforcement?

Reinforcement is given after a specific amount of time.

Example of fixed interval?

Getting paid monthly