Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

These flashcards cover key concepts and terminology related to the introduction of cognitive psychology, early experiments, and foundational theories.

Cognitive Psychology

The study of mental processes such as perception, memory, and reasoning.

Donders (1868)

Pioneering researcher in cognitive psychology known for his work on reaction time and the mental processes involved in decision making.

Reaction Time

The time it takes to react to a stimulus; measured as the time between the presentation of a stimulus and the initiation of a response.

Simple Reaction Time

The time taken to respond to the presence or absence of a single stimulus.

Choice Reaction Time

The time taken to respond to one of two or more stimuli.

Ebbinghaus’ Savings Method (1885)

A measure of memory retention calculated by the difference between the time taken to learn information initially and the time taken to relearn it after a delay.

Forgetting Curve

A graph depicting the rate of memory loss over time; shows that forgetting occurs rapidly at first and then levels off.

Behaviorism

An approach in psychology that focuses only on observable behaviors and the relationships between stimuli and responses.

Cognitive Map (Tolman 1938)

A mental representation of physical locations; developed in Tolman's maze experiment.

Information-Processing Approach

A model of cognition that views the mind as a system that processes information through a sequence of stages.

Mental Processes

Cognitive activities such as thinking, memory, perception, and problem-solving.