MCAT BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCE CHAPTER 4 (copy)

cognition looks at

how our brains process and react to the info overload presented to us by world

is cognition a uniquely human trait?

no, but we're most advanced species in terms of complex thought

what region is large in our subspecies?

frontal lobe - skull shaped to accommodate this

explain the information processing model that was applied to human brain

in 1950s, science and engineering turned toward production of computers and AI and there are steps to store and process info like info needs to be encoded in a language the computer understands, then stored for later and able to retrieve info when needed

what is the theory?

that the brain is like a computer where it must encode info into chemical and electrical signals, store info for later retrieval through a certain process

Paivio's dual coding theory

verbal association and visual images are used to process and store information

give an example

"dad" recalls some info and picture of "dad" recalls same info so can code this info in two ways

what does this build?

redundancy and increases chance info can be retrieved and used effectively when cued

human brain doesn't just handle facts, it also handles

emotions, sensations, memories

four key components/pillars of information processing model - 1

- thinking requires sensation, encoding and storage of stimuli

-2

stimuli must be analyzed by brain rather than responded to automatically to be useful in decision making

-3

decisions made in one situation can be extrapolated and adjusted to help solve new problems (situational modification)

-4

problem solving is dependent not only on the person's cognitive level but also on the context and complexity of the problem

cognitive development

development of one's ability to think and solve problems across the life span

cognitive develop during childhood

limited by the pace of brain maturation

early cognitive development, we learn

control of one's body and how to interact with and manipulate environment (master physical environment)

as these physical tasks are mastered,

new challenge arises

what is this challenge?

abstract thinking

what skills develop during lifetime?

social skills

what develops throughout childhood?

development of the ability to think abstractly

development of abstract thinking is dependent upon

increases in working memory and mental capacities

as brain develops,

the ability to process information in an abstract manner develops

Jean Piaget

one of the most influential figures in developmental psychology

what did Piaget insist?

that there are qualitative differences between the way children and adults think

four stages of cognitive development

sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

are these four stages connected?

yes, passage through each is continuous and sequential and completion of each prepares individual for next

infants learn mainly through what?

instinctual interaction with the environment like grasping reflex (learning it's possible to grasp objects through experience)

schemata

organized patterns of behavior and thought

schema can include

a concept, a behavior, or a sequence of events

as a child proceeds through the stages, what has to happen to the different schemata?

new information has to be placed into them

it was theorized this new information is processed via

adaptation

two complementary processes of adaptation

assimilation and accomodation

assimilation

process of classifying new info into existing schemata

accommodation

process by which existing schemata are modified to encompass this new information

when does accommodation occur?

occurs if new info doesn't really fit neatly into existing schemata

sensorimotor stage age

birth to 2 years

what happens in sensorimotor stage?

child learns to manipulate his/her environment to meet physical needs

____ begins

circular reactions (repetitive natures)

primary circular reactions

repetition of a body movement that originally occurred by chance like sucking thumb

why are primary circular reaction behaviours repeated?

because child finds it soothing

secondary circular reactions

manipulation focused on something outside body like repeatedly throwing toys from high chair

why is this repeated?

because child gets responses from environment like parent picking up the toy for them

key milestone that ends sensorimotor stage

The development of object permanence

object permanence

understanding objects continue to exist even when out of view

explain object permanence in peek a boo

- entertains young infants because they lack object permanence
- interpret adult as revealing themselves as though they just came into existence

object permanence marks beginning of

representational thought

representational though

child has begun to create mental representations of external objects and events

preoperational stage age

2-7 years

3 parts of the preoperational stage

- symbolic thinking
- egocentrism
- centration

symbolic thinking

ability to pretend, play make believe and have an imagination

egocentrism

inability to imagine what another person may think or feel

centration

tendency to focus on only one aspect of a phenomenon, or inability to understand conservation

example of centration

child presented with two identical pizza quantities but one and twi slices and can't tell it's same because focus on number of slices and not quantity

concrete operational stage age

7-11 years

in concrete operational stage, children understand

conservation and consider others perspectives

in concrete operational stage children can engage in

logical thought as long as they're working with concrete objects or info that's directly available

they have not developed yet

the ability to think abstractly

formal operational stage age

~11 years

in this stage, able to

think logically about abstract ideas

this stage generally coincides with

adolescence

formal operational stage marked by

the ability to reason about abstract concepts and problem solve

Piaget's pendulum experiment illustrates

difference between this type of thought and concrete operational stage

explain pendulum experiment

children given pendulum and can vary string length, weight, push force and initial swing angle and asked to find what determined the swing frequency
- those in concrete op stage will randomly manipulate to fit their hypothesis while adolescents hold all variables constant and manipulate one at a time to methodically discover length affects frequency

One's culture will determine what one is expected

To learn - some cultures placed higher value on social learning like cultural traditions and roles while others value knowledge

One's culture influences the rate of

Cognitive development since children are treated very differently from culture to culture

Lev Vygotsky

Education psychologist that proposed engine driving cognitive development is child's internalization of their culture, including interpersonal and societal rules, symbols, language

Vygotsky believes that as child develops, their skills and abilities are

Still in formative stages

How do they develop those skills?

With help from adults and other children like teacher instruction, observing another child perform the skill

Reaction time in early adulthood

Steadily increases

Time-based prospective memory

The ability to remember to perform a task at a specific time in the future; declines with age.

Early research indicated that between 30-40

There is a substantial decline in IQ

Fluid intelligence

Problem solving skills which peaks in early adulthood and declines with age

Crystallized intelligence

Related to use of learned skills and knowledge which peaks in middle adulthood and declines with age

Decline in intellectual abilities in adulthood is linked with

How long an older adult retains the ability to function in activities of daily living (eating, bathing, toileting, dressing, ambulation)

Is this decline uniform?

No since certain characteristics like having higher education level or more frequency performance of intellectual activities, socializing, stimulating environment can be protective against intellectual decline

Is intellectual decline benign?

Not always, some types especially those resulting in dementia are very common and indicate progressive loss of function beyond that of old age

Dementia often begins with

Impaired memory

Dementia later progresses to

Impaired judgment and confusion

What changes are common in dementia?

Personality changes

Most common cause of dementia?

Alzheimer's disease

Another cause of dementia

Vascular (multi-infarct) dementia caused by high BP and repeated microscopic clots in the brain

People with dementia often require

Full time supportive care for daily living activities which places stress on families as the care usually falls on them

Cognition can be affected by what

Many conditions like actual brain problems (organic brain disorders), genetic and chromosomal conditions, metabolic derangements and long term drug use

Environment can affect

Cognitive development and day to day cognition

What else may influence cognitive development?

Parenting styles - reward, punishment, or indifference for emerging skill

Our genetics can predipose us to a state that

May make cognitive development difficult

Example?

Many genetic and chromosomal disease like down syndrome or fragile s syndrome are associated with delayed cognitive development and antisocial personality disorder has a strong genetic component so presence of genes for this may make it difficult for child to appreciate rights of others

Intellectual disabilities in child can be caused by

Chemical exposures, illness, injury, trauma during birth

What can cause FAS

Alcohol use during pregnancy

What is Fetal alcohol syndrome?

Slowed cognitive development and distinct craniofacial features

List the craniofacial features in FAS

- skin folds at corners of eyes
- low nasal bridge
- short nose
- indistinct philtrum
- small head circumference
- small eye opening
- small midface
- thin upper lip

Brain infections may result in what

Electrical abnormalities and slowed development

Birth complications may affect what

Cognition, especially those causing reduced oxygen delivery to the brain

What can occur following brain trauma?

Reduced cognition - this occurs with shaken baby syndrome

Not all cognitive decline in adulthood is

Slow

Delirium

rapid fluctuation in cognitive function that is reversible and caused by medical (nonpsychological) causes

Delirium may be the result if

A rapid decline in cognition

Delirium causes

Electrolyte and pH disturbances, malnutrition, low blood sugar, infection, drug reaction, alcohol withdrawal, pain

Process of problem solving

- frame problem by creating mental image or schematic
- generate potential solutions and test them which may be derived from a mental set
- once tested, evaluate results and consider other solutions that may be easier or more effective

Mental set

tendency to approach similar problems in the same way