cog psy ch1

memory

processes used to acquire, retain, and retrieve info

perception

process of interpreting info coming from the senses

language

shared symbolic system for communication

attention

“implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others”

sensation

transferring info about the env. from the senses to the brain

transduction

physical energy is transferred into neural signals

sensory memory

store for each sensory system

explicit memory

conscious memory

implicit memory

unconscious memory

semantic memory

general world knowledge

short term memory

temporary memory- transfer from/into LTM

long term memory

holds info indefintely

metamemory

knowledge about your own memory abilities

encoding

taking in info in a way that can be stored in the brain

retrieval

pulling out info

storage

holding onto info

interference

getting in the way of info

decay

info fading away

recognition

like multiple choice exams

recall

like short answer exams

phonology

sound system- differs between languages

syntax

word ordering- differs between languages

semantics

meaning

discourse

multiple sentences

pragmatics

social constraints

linguistics

study of language

psycholinguistics

scientific study of the cognition of language (ie. comprehension, word learning, reading and reading aloud)

selection - stroop task

measures a person's ability to suppress an automatic habit and name the ink color of a word instead of reading the word itself

brain injury

researchers study changes in cognition and behavior following damage to a specific brain region to determine what functions that region contributes to

brain imaging

examine the brain's structure or activity and determine which areas are associated with particular cognitive functions

EEG

records the brain's electrical activity using electrodes placed on the scalp, allowing researchers to examine the timing of neural activity

single cell recording

measures the electrical activity of individual neurons to determine how specific neurons respond to stimuli or cognitive processes

connectionism

uses a computational model to simulate what happens during mental processes, ie. during reading aloud

assumptions of modern cog psych

• mental processes exist

• these processes can be studied and discovered

• it is possible to infer a mental process from B

• mental processes involve a series of steps

• mental processes take time