Cognitive Psychology Knowt Study Guide Flashcards

Donders

Measured how long a mental decision takes using reaction time.

Wundt

Associated with structuralism; used analytic introspection to examine conscious experience.

Ebbinghaus

Studied forgetting and memory, defining savings as the time saved when relearning material.

William James

Studied the mind through observation; associated with functionalism and the stream of consciousness.

Watson

Associated with behaviorism; Little Albert study demonstrated learned fear through conditioning.

Skinner

Associated with operant conditioning and reinforcement, where positive reinforcement adds something desirable to increase behavior.

Tolman

Demonstrated that rats formed cognitive maps and that latent learning can occur without reinforcement.

Köhler

Investigated insight learning, defined as the sudden realization of a solution.

Neisser

Organized and defined cognitive psychology as a field and coined the term.

Broadbent

Proposed an early-selection filter model where unattended information is filtered out prior to semantic processing.

Cherry

Studied dichotic listening and the cocktail party effect, which is the ability to focus on one conversation among others.

Miller

Established that short-term memory capacity is about $7 \pm 2$ items and that chunking increases useful capacity.

Chomsky

Proposed that language has an innate component, introducing Universal Grammar and the Language Acquisition Device (LAD).

Atkinson & Shiffrin

Proposed the Modal Model of memory detailing the sequence: sensory memory -> short-term memory -> long-term memory.

Tulving

Categorized long-term memory into episodic (events), semantic (facts), and procedural (actions/skills).

Continuous vs. Discontinuous Development

Continuous development involves gradual change, whereas discontinuous development involves qualitative stage-like change.

Nature vs. Nurture

Nature refers to biological and genetic potential, whereas nurture refers to environmental experience shaping development.

Normative Approach

A developmental research approach that studies large groups to determine typical patterns and average milestone ages.

Sensorimotor Stage

Piaget's stage (ages 0–2) where infants learn through senses and motor actions and develop object permanence.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's stage (about ages 2–6) featuring symbolic thinking alongside an egocentric perspective.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget's stage (about ages 7–11) characterized by logical thinking about concrete events and an understanding of conservation.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget's stage (about ages 12+) involving abstract and hypothetical reasoning.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) & Scaffolding

ZPD is the gap between what a learner can do alone versus with help; scaffolding is the temporary support provided during learning.