Cognitive and Biological Psychology

This set of flashcards covers key concepts from a lecture on cognitive and biological psychology, focusing on attention, cognitive control, and related phenomena.

Attention

Taking possession by the mind of one out of several possible objects or trains of thought.

Cognitive Control

A set of processes involved in maintaining an operative goal and relevant information while suppressing distractions.

Selective Attention

Enables individuals to focus on one aspect of sensory input for further processing.

Salient Events

Events in the environment that stand out and capture attention.

Top-Down Attention

Attention driven by goals and expectations.

Bottom-Up Attention

Attention driven by stimulus salience.

Attentional Control

Processes that ensure goal-directedness in the presence of distractions.

Inhibition

Suppressing goal-irrelevant information to maintain focus.

Distraction

When goal-irrelevant information receives priority over goal-relevant information.

Cognitive Flexibility

The ability to adapt cognitive processing strategies to face new and unexpected conditions.

Congruency Effect

People are slower and more error-prone on incongruent compared to congruent trials.

Flanker Task

A cognitive task used to measure selective attention and response inhibition.

Stroop Effect

Conflict experienced when reading the ink color of words that convey different meanings.

Theta Activity

Brain oscillations associated with cognitive control, typically occurring in the 4-8 Hz range.

Alpha Waves

Brain oscillations that vary in amplitude based on attention directed towards relevant or irrelevant information.

Conflict Monitoring

The brain's ability to detect discrepancies between intended and actual responses.

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC)

Brain region involved in executive functions and cognitive control.

Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)

Brain region involved in conflict monitoring and attentional control.

Task-Switching

Switching between different tasks and the associated cognitive costs.

Mixing Cost

The additional cognitive load experienced during task performance in mixed blocks.

Updating

The ability to maintain and manipulate information as it is needed.

Shifting

The ability to switch attention between different tasks or mental sets.

Inhibitory Control

The capacity to suppress responses that interfere with goal-directed behavior.

Self-Generated Information

Thoughts and memories that arise without external prompts but can act as distractions.

Bottleneck

The limit in cognitive resources available for processing information.

Selectivity

The ability to prioritize certain information over other, irrelevant information.

Cognitive Load

The total amount of mental effort being used in working memory.

Automatic Processes

Fast, involuntary cognitive responses that do not require attention.

Controlled Processes

Slow, voluntary cognitive responses that require focused attention.

Proportion Congruency Effect (PCE)

The influence of the proportion of congruent and incongruent trials on response times and accuracy.

Context-Specific PCE

Effects of congruency that depend on the context in which stimuli are presented.

Item-Specific PCE

Effects of congruency that vary depending on the specific items being tested.

Response Conflict

A situation where multiple responses compete, causing delays and errors.

Cognitive Bottleneck

A stage in processing where the flow of information is restricted.

Real-Life Example

Practical illustrations of cognitive processes observed in day-to-day scenarios.

Lab Example

Experimental tasks used to study cognitive processes in controlled settings.

Causal Role of Alpha

Evidence suggesting that alpha amplitude is involved in inhibition of irrelevant information.

Dynamic Functional Networks

Networks in the brain that change based on task demands and cognitive control needs.

Goal-Directedness

The focus of cognitive processes towards achieving specific objectives.

Cognitive Tasks

Activities designed to assess various aspects of cognitive functioning.

Medial Frontal Theta

Theta activity that originates from the medial frontal region and is indicative of cognitive control needs.

Inhibition Timing Hypothesis

A theory suggesting that oscillatory brain activity reflects changes in inhibition timing.

Attention Bias

The tendency to pay more attention to certain stimuli over others.

Sensitivity

The level at which one can detect a target stimulus among distractors.

Attention Dynamics

The fluctuations and shifts in focus and cognitive resources over time.

Interference Control

The ability to manage conflicting information that disrupts cognitive processing.

Memory Updating

The active refreshing of information in working memory as it changes.

Cognitive Efficiency

The effectiveness with which cognitive tasks are performed.

Neural Oscillations

Rhythmic patterns of neural activity that correspond with cognitive functions.

Psychological Research

The systematic study of behavior and mental processes.

Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)

Brain responses that are the direct result of a specific sensory, cognitive, or motor event.

Sensory Overload

A condition where the volume of stimuli exceeds processing capacity.

Filter Mechanism

A cognitive strategy to disregard irrelevant information.

Cognitive Resources

The mental assets available for processing information.

Experimental Design

Methodological structure of the studies conducted to test hypotheses.

Empirical Evidence

Data obtained through observation or experimentation.

Cognitive Neuroscience

The interdisciplinary field studying the relationship between cognition and neural processes.

Executive Functioning

Higher-level cognitive processes that regulate and control other cognitive activities.