Lecture 1_Introduction_ForUpload

Lecture 1 - What is Cognitive Psychology?

Overview

• Introduction to cognitive psychology and its significance.

Page 1: What is Cognitive Psychology?

• Definition and importance of cognitive psychology.

Page 2: Topics Covered

1. What is Cognitive Psychology?

2. Different disciplines of Cognitive Psychology.

3. The rise of Cognitive Psychology.

4. Research approaches in studying cognition.

Page 3: Reiteration of Topics

• Emphasizes the key concepts of cognitive psychology to be explored further.

Page 4: Introduction to Psychology

• Psychology was originally defined as "the study of the mind and brain."

• Utilizes a scientific approach to study behaviors and mental processes.

  • Behaviors: Observable actions of individuals.

  • Mental Processes: Internal experiences such as sensations, perceptions, dreams, thoughts, beliefs, and feelings.

Page 5: Cognition Defined

• Cognitive Psychology focuses on cognition, defined as mental processes including perception, attention, and memory.

Page 6: Historical Context

• Emergence in the 1950s and 1960s, emphasizing the connection between mental functions and observable behaviors.

• Studies various cognitive aspects including attention, language, learning, memory, perception, and problem-solving.

Page 7: Content Structure

• Key areas of focus in cognitive psychology reiterated for clarity.

Page 8: Cognitive Psychology Overview

• Concerned with the scientific study of the mind.

• Explores how individuals perceive, learn, remember, and think about information, focusing on:

  • Memory

  • Learning

  • Perception

  • Reasoning

  • Problem-Solving

  • Decision-Making

  • Language

  • Attention

  • Emotion

Page 9: Further Content Structure

• Reiteration of key topics in cognitive psychology for study and reference.

Page 10: Key Contributors to Cognitive Psychology

• Important historical figures prior to the cognitive revolution:

  • Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850–1909): Studied memory and word lists under varied conditions.

  • Sir Frederic Bartlett (1886–1969): Examined social processes of remembering and influenced memory with existing knowledge.

Page 11: Key Contributors Continued

• Jean Piaget (1896–1980): Developed cognitive-developmental stage model.

• Donald E. Broadbent (1926–1993): Mechanism of attention.

• Daniel Kahneman (1934–2024): Nobel Prize for work on decision-making.

Page 12: Key Contributors Continued

• George Miller (1920–2012): Co-founder of cognitive psychology; studied short-term memory.

• Eleanor Rosch (1938–): Developed prototype theory of categorization.

Page 13: Further Contributions

• Amos Tversky (1937–1996): Explored prediction, judgment, and decision-making alongside Kahneman.

Page 14: Foundational Cognitive Psychologists

• Franciscus Donders (1818-1889): Measurement of decision-making time through reaction-time experiments.

• His research inferred mental processes from behavioral responses.

Page 15: Donders' Reaction Time Experiment

• Simple RT Task: Participant responds quickly after a light appears.

• Choice RT Task: Participant responds according to the side the light appears on.

Page 16: Donders' Experimental Illustration

• Visualization of Donders's experiments showing tasks and participant responses to different light stimuli.

Page 17: Sequence of Events in Donders' Experiments

• Breakdown of delay between stimulus presentation and participant response.

Page 18: Conclusions from Donders' Study

• Difference between choice and simple reaction times inferred decision time for choices (1/10th second).

Page 19: Wilhelm Wundt's Contributions

• Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920): Founder of experimental psychology and first lab in 1879.

• Pioneered reaction time experiments as a measure to study psychology.

Page 20: Wundt's Structuralism

• Proposed that experience is shaped by sensations and analyzed through analytic introspection.

Page 21: Hermann Ebbinghaus and Memory

• Explored memory through nonsense syllables, determining repetitions needed for recall.

Page 22: Ebbinghaus's Research Findings

• Developed a savings measure for memory, observing differences between initial learning and relearning.

Page 23: Ebbinghaus's Savings Curve

• Graphical representation of memory retention over various time intervals, illustrating rapid forgetting initially.

Page 24: William James's Influence

• William James (1842-1910): Early American psychologist; taught psychology and established a psychology demonstration lab.

Page 25: James’s Key Work

• Authored influential "Principles of Psychology" comprising fundamental psychological concepts.

Page 26: James’s Methodology

• Observational approach without conducting experiments; studied cognition comprehensively.

Page 27: The Rise of Behaviorism

• John Watson (1878-1958): Introduced behaviorism that shifted focus from the mind to observable behavior.

Page 28: Watson’s “Little Albert” Experiment

• Examined classical conditioning and fear through the famous "Little Albert" study.

Page 29: B.F. Skinner’s Contributions

• Focused on operant conditioning, exploring stimulus-response relationships through reinforcement.

Page 30: Timeline of Early Studies

• Key milestones in psychology from Donders's experiments to the rise of behaviorism highlighted.

Page 31: Decline of Behaviorism

• End of behaviorism in the 1950s marked by breakthroughs in cognitive map and language acquisition.

Page 32: Spatial Navigation by Tolman

• Edward Tolman (1886-1959): Demonstrated cognitive mapping in rats navigating a maze.

Page 33: Tolman’s Maze Design

• Experimental design showing the exploration and navigation of rats within a maze.

Page 34: Support for Cognitive Mapping

• Rats displayed navigational behavior supporting cognitive map theory against behaviorism.

Page 35: Language Acquisition Debates

• Skinner’s theory emphasizing imitation and reinforcement in language learning.

Page 36: Chomsky's Counter Arguments

• Noam Chomsky (1928-): Critiqued Skinner’s theory, proposing innate biological programming for language.

Page 37: Chomsky and Skinner Debate

• Resources for further exploration of Chomsky and Skinner's differing views on language acquisition.

Page 38: The Cognitive Revolution

• The 1950s breakthroughs led to a resurgence of interest in the study of the mind and cognitive processes.

Page 39: Timeline of Cognitive Revolution Events

• Significant milestones in the rise of cognitive psychology and decline of behaviorism noted for study.

Page 40: Structure of Content

• Continuation of important topics and concepts to be focused on for cognitive psychology.

Page 41: Understanding Cognitive Behavior

• Measurement of observable behavior to infer underlying cognitive activity and insights about mental processes.

Page 42: New Concepts Acquired

• Overview of updated theories and concepts introduced in cognitive psychology.

Page 43: Research Approaches

• Information-processing approach: Stages of mental operations inspired by computer insights.

Page 44: Artificial Intelligence's Role

• AI development leading to simulations for modeling human behavior in cognitive research.

Page 46: Physiology of Cognition Methods

• Neuropsychology, EEG, Brain Imaging Techniques (PET and fMRI): Understanding behavioral implications of brain functions.

Page 47: Electroencephalography (EEG)

• Summation of electrical activity from multiple brain neurons indicated through electrode placement.

Page 48: Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

• Technique using radioactive substances to visualize brain activity and neuronal behaviors.

Page 49: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

• Imaging showing blood flow and oxygen level changes indicating neural activity during cognitive tasks.

Page 50: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

• Technique applying magnetic fields to observe the impact on brain functionality and behavior correlations.

Page 52: Models in Cognitive Psychology

• Two prevalent models:

  1. Structural Models

  2. Process Models

Page 53: Structural Models

• Representations mimicking physical structures (e.g., brain models depicting various regions).

Page 54: Visual Structure Representation

• Example models illustrating neurological structure interactions (visual systems).

Page 55: Process Models

• Illustrate cognitive processes with connections determining relationships between functions.