unit 7 cognition psych

memory

info being stored and retrieved

encoding

getting info into brain

storage

retaining info

retrieval

get information back out

automatic processing

takes place without conscious effort

effortful processing

takes place when we put effort to remember smth

spacing effect

info spread over time

testing effect

having to retrieve info

serial position effect

tendency to recall the first and last thing in a list

primacy

first thing you recall

recency

last thing you recall

deep processing

visual and acoustic

shallow processing

semantic encoding

mnemonic devices

tricks that help memory and often visually placed

chunking

organizing info easier to manage groups

method of loci

imaging placing items around room

peg word system

list where each item is associated in imagination with number - word pair

sensory memory

perception of sight, hearing, smell, taste information, through sensory cortices of brain

iconic memory

sensory memory of visual image, lasts a half second

echoic memory

sensory memory of auditory stimuli, lasts 3-4 seconds

george spirling

iconic memory

short term memory

lasts 20 seconds to a minute, 7 items plus minus 2

working memory

combination of both short and long term memory

long term memory

capacity is limitless and can last forever

long term potential

a process by which synaptic connections between neurons become stronger with frequent activation.

short term stress

stress that lasts for a period of minutes to hours, and chronic stress as stress that persists for several hours per day for weeks or months

flashbulb memory

clear memory of emotional events ex) 9/11

prolonged (long term) stress

releases hormones like cortisol (comes from abuse, PTSD, combat) known to shrinking the hippocampus

implicit memory

“knowing how” (unconscious) retention that is unconscious, conditioned associations

procedural memory

memories for performance of actions or skills

classical conditioning

exposure to stimuli allows prediction

cerebellum

muscle memory and balance

explicit memory

“ knowing that (conscious) memory of facts rules concepts and events

episodic memory

general knowledge, facts, rules, concepts and proportions

semantic memory

personally experienced events and context in which they occured

damage to the hippocampus

causes those to lose their explicit memory and keep there implicit memory (long term)

damage to left side of hippocampus

issues remembering verbal

damage to right side of hippocampus

visual designs and locations

amnesia

loss of memory

retrograde

cant recall prior memory

anterograde

cant create new memories

recall

ability to call up stored memories EX) fill in the blank, FRQ, written writing

recognition

identifying something already learned EX) multiple choice, word bank

relearning

measurements of time saved when learning 2nd time, faster and easier

context effect

more likely to remember something if we learn it in the same context

retrieval cues

helps us pull info out of memories, stimulus to remembering

priming

activation of particular associations in our memory, often unconscious

deja vu

environment loaded with common cues feel like youve done it before

state dependent memory/mood congruent

likely to remember something if in the same state of mind (happy,sad anxious)

connection to depression

repressed childhood memory

why is forgetting important

need it cause of trauma,not all data is important can cause damage

encoding failure

didnt pay attention, didnt get past sensory memory EX) what a penny looks like

storage decay (or transience)

disuse, not assessed so disappear

forgetting curve

by Hermann Ebbinghaus, indicates 50% of what we learn is forgotten quickly if you don’t review or use the information, the longer the period the quicker you forget

retrieval failure

inability to locate memories, tip of tongue phenomenon, commonly associated with memory loss in old age

interference

location of 2 or more memories that interferes with retrieval

proactive interference

(previous) old disrupts new memories

retroactive interference

(recent) new disrupts old memories

motivated forgetting (repression)

(very controversial) forcing memory out of consciousness, involved in psychoanalysis - sigmund freud

do we create false memories

yes (elizabeth loftus)

misinformation effect

if we are primed with misleading information, we are likely to incorporate it into our memory (ex:eye witness testimonies)

confabulation

mind filling in gaps in our memory, creating false information (related to gestalt)

source amnesia

attributing event to wrong source

cognition

all mental actions associated with thinking (knowing, memory, and language)

cognitive psychology

study of K M L ; includes problem solving, decision making and forming new judgements

concepts

mental grouping of similar objects, events , ideas, ppl that represent a category

hierarchies

broad to narrow (order/patterns)

prototypes

best example incorporates all features of a concept EX) olive is a fruit but if apple is a prototype, we have trouble knowing if it is a fruit or not

algorithms

step by step procedures (ex: cooking) time consuming though

heuristics

shortcuts (efficient, speedy and simple, likely prone to error)

representative heuristics

judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they match the prototype (similar to stereotyping)

availability heuristics

estimating likelihood of an event based on availability, if instances are easy to think of we assume they are common

insights

sudden emergence of a solution (aha moment)

what part of the brain is activated when insight is thought of

requires the right temporal lobe

what did Kohler do

lab with chimpanzees and problem solving

creativity

ability to produce new and valuable idea

convergent thinking

direct thinking, systematic attempt to reach a specific goal

divergent thinking

not direct, consisting of free flow of thought to generate many possible solutions

confirmation bias

tendency to search for info that goes along with what we already believe, and ignore info that doesn’t

fixation

the inability to see a problem from a new perspective

mental set (aka rigidity)

tendency people have to only use solutions that have worked in the past rather than looking for alternative ideas

functional fixedness

refer to the tendency to view objects in their typical manner

overconfidence

when we overestimate our knowledge and abilities

when people are 100% confident in their answer, they tend to be wrong what percent of the time

15-40%

belief perseverance

tendency to cling to one’s initial belief even after receiving new information that contradicts or disconfirms the basis of that belief

framing

is the way in which something is presented, has a powerful impact

language

how we combine spoken, written and signed words as we think and communicate do

phonemes

the smallest sound unit in a language (ex: cat has 3) amount in human languages - 869)

morphemes

the smallest unit in a language that carries meaning, some are also phonemes, including prefixes and suffixes(ex:cat has 2)

grammer

system of rules for language

semantics

study of meaning in language

syntax

word order (made of rules of how we use to assemble sentences) learning 2nd language means syntax is rearranged or mixed

receptive language comes before productive language meaning

comprehension comes before speaking

babbling stage

* begins around 4 months
* contains sound from all languages

one word stage

also known as holographic speech or language development in single words, around 12 months, by 18 word learning explodes

two word stage

telegraphic speech, age two, child uses mostly noun and verbs

2+years of age

* develops into full sentences
* overgeneralization: applying grammer rules to everything even things that dont apply

instead of telling them nicely how to correct it, how should one correct it

by repeating the correct thing instead

B.F SKinner

developed operant conditioning (reward and punishment) who applies behavioral principles theory to language acquisition

association

sights with sound