Cognitive Psychology Exam 1

cognitive psychology

scientific study of mental processes (not behavior)

What is a main challenge for Cognitive Psychology?

Mentally processes cannot be directly observed

How did the work of Aristotle contribute to the field of Cognitive Psychology?

Mental processes are lawful and predictable; why does thinking about one thing automatically lead to thinking about a different thing?

What are the Laws of Association? (4 of them)

Law of contiguity - things that happen close together in time are stored together

Law of frequency - things that happen frequently together and often paired together 

Law of similarity - similar things are stored together 

Law of contrast - opposite things are stored together 

What do the laws of association tell us about the mind?

It is organized, subjective, and behavioral responses are predictable 

What is Structuralism? What was a common method structuralists used to study the mind? Know the person associated with structuralism.

Focus on conscious experience of the world and break experience down into basic elements (sensations, images, feelings) 

Method: introspection (you experience, reflect, report back basic elements)

Person: Wilhelm Wundt

What is functionalism? How is it different from structuralism? Know the person associated with functionalism.

Focus on the functions or purpose of the mind 

Whereas structuralists tend to focus on perceptual experience, functionalists started to think about more complex processes 

Person: William James 

Philosophy: major contribution(s) and what was lacking for the study of psychology

Contribution: started asking questions about how the mind works 

Lacking: scientific method