Cognitive Psychology Exam Study Flashcards (Ch. 1-4)

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key concepts from Chapters 1-4 of the Cognitive Psychology notes.

Cognitive Psychology

The study of thinking and mental processes such as perception, attention, memory, language, reasoning, decision-making, and problem-solving.

Representationalism

The view that cognitive processes operate on mental representations (symbols, features).

Embodied Cognition

Cognition is shaped by physical interactions with the world and the body.

Biological Perspective

Cognition arises from neural networks and brain activity.

Empiricism

Knowledge comes from systematic observation and evidence.

Determinism

Every event has a cause; behaviors can be explained by prior events.

Testability

A hypothesis must be observable or testable through empirical methods.

Parsimony

Prefer simpler explanations when evidence is comparable.

Case study

In-depth examination of a single case (e.g., Phineas Gage) to learn about cognition.

Correlational study

Examines relationships between variables but cannot establish causation.

Experimental study

A study manipulating an independent variable to observe effects on a dependent variable.

Independent variable

The variable deliberately changed or controlled by the experimenter.

Dependent variable

The variable measured to assess the effect of the manipulation.

Accuracy

Proportion of correct responses in a task.

Response time

Speed of responding to a stimulus.

EEG

Electroencephalography; measures electrical activity of the brain via scalp electrodes.

fMRI

Functional MRI; measures brain activity by detecting blood flow changes.

Phineas Gage

Historical case of frontal lobe damage altering personality and executive function.

Broca's Aphasia

Left frontal lobe damage causing difficulties in speech production.

Wernicke's Aphasia

Left temporal lobe damage causing impaired language comprehension.

Object agnosia

Inability to recognize objects despite intact vision.

Hippocampus

Brain structure critical for memory formation.

Neuron

Basic brain cell that transmits information via electrical and chemical signals.

Action potential

Rapid electrical impulse along a neuron triggered by ion exchange.

Synapse

Gap between neurons where neurotransmitters cross to relay signals.

Serotonin

Neurotransmitter involved in mood, sleep, and appetite regulation.

Dopamine

Neurotransmitter linked to reward and motivation.

GABA

Inhibitory neurotransmitter that reduces neural activity; promotes calm.

Glutamate

Major excitatory neurotransmitter important for learning and memory.

Frontal lobe

Brain region supporting executive function, attention, and decision-making.

Parietal lobe

Brain region involved in sensory processing and movement.

Occipital lobe

Brain region responsible for visual processing.

Temporal lobe

Brain region involved in auditory processing and memory.

Lateralization

Differential specialization of the left and right hemispheres.

Bottom-up processing

Perception driven by sensory input and stimulus features.

Top-down processing

Perception guided by knowledge, expectations, and context.

Transduction

Conversion of sensory stimuli into neural signals.

Trichromatic theory

Color vision theory: three types of cones for red, green, and blue.

Opponent-process theory

Color perception explained by opposing color channels.

Absolute threshold

Minimum stimulus intensity detectable by the senses.