PSYC 3310: Memory & Cognition Lecture Review

• Definition: Cognitive psychology studies how we think, learn, remember, and use information.
  
  

• Key Processes:
  
  

  • Acquiring Information: Perception, attention, memory.

  • Manipulating Information: Language, decision-making, reasoning, visualization.

  • Using Knowledge: Creativity, problem solving, categorizing.
    
    

• Hidden Processes: Many mental processes happen without our awareness.
  
  

• Studying the Mind:
  
  

  • We can’t directly see thoughts, so scientists study behavior to make inferences about what’s happening in the mind.
    
    

Early Pioneers in Cognitive Psychology

• Franciscus Donders (1868):
  
  

  • Studied decision-making and reaction time.

  • Developed simple and choice reaction time tasks to measure how long it takes to make decisions.
    
    

• Wilhelm Wundt (1879):
  
  

  • Founded the first psychology lab and emphasized studying sensations through analytic introspection.
    
    

• Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885):
  
  

  • Studied memory using nonsense syllables to explore learning and forgetting.
    
    

Rise and Fall of Behaviorism

• John Watson:
  
  

  • Introduced behaviorism, focusing on observable behavior over internal thoughts.

  • Rejected introspection due to inconsistent results.
    
    

• Classical Conditioning:
  
  

  • Ivan Pavlov: Discovered how responses can be conditioned (e.g., dogs salivating at a bell).
    
    

• Operant Conditioning:
  
  

  • B. F. Skinner: Focused on how rewards and punishments shape behavior.
    
    

The Cognitive Revolution

• Information-Processing Approach:
  
  

  • Compared mental processes to how computers work—storing and processing information in stages.
    
    

• Key Studies:
  
  

  • Tolman’s maze experiment showed that rats developed cognitive maps, indicating they learn about their environments.
    
    

Cognitive Neuroscience

• Definition: Studies how the brain supports cognitive processes.
  
  

  • Looks at brain structures and functions, and examines how brain activity relates to behaviors.
    
    

Brain Structure**:

• The brain has two hemispheres and four lobes (Frontal, Parietal, Temporal, Occipital) responsible for various functions.

Neurons and Communication

• Neurons send signals through electrical impulses.

• Synapses allow communication between neurons using neurotransmitters.

Questions to Consider

1. What is cognitive psychology? Cognitive psychology is the study of how we think, learn, remember, and solve problems. It helps us understand our mental processes.

2. How is it possible to study the inner workings of the mind when we can’t really see the mind directly? You can study humans' behavior and actions.

3. What was the cognitive revolution? It was a time when psychologists focused on mental processes and began to see the mind like a computer.

4. How is cognitive psychology relevant to everyday experience? It helps us understand how we learn and make decisions, which can improve our learning.

• Donders - How long it takes to make a decision.

• Wundt - 1st lab and how people report their experiences.

• Ebbinghaus - How quickly we forget stuff.

• Watson - Human behavior.

• Skinner - Rewards and punishment affect behavior.

Some Questions We Will Consider

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• How is information transmitted from one place to another in the nervous system?

• How are things in the environment, such as faces and trees, represented in the brain?