Cognition

Cognition (8–10%) – Study Guide

Memory:

• 3 Basic Processes / Information Processing Model:
  

  • Encoding – getting information in

  • Storage – retaining information

  • Retrieval – getting information out

• Eidetic Memory: Photographic memory

• Sensory Memory: Initial, brief storage of sensory info

• Working Memory: Active processing; part of short-term memory

• Long-Term Memory: Permanent storage of info

• Chunking: Grouping info into units

• Rehearsal: Repeating info to retain it

• Levels of Processing Theory: The deeper the processing, the better the memory

Types of Memory:

• Declarative Memory: Facts and info

• Episodic Memory: Personal experiences

• Procedural Memory: How-to skills

• Semantic Memory: General knowledge

• Engram: Physical trace of memory in the brain

• Anterograde Amnesia: Can’t form new memories

• Retrograde Amnesia: Can’t recall old memories

• Flashbulb Memory: Vivid memory of an emotionally significant moment

• Implicit vs. Explicit Memory:
  

  • Implicit – Unconscious (skills)

  • Explicit – Conscious (facts/events)

• Priming: Activation of associations in memory

• Recall vs. Recognition:
  

  • Recall – Retrieve info without cues

  • Recognition – Identify info with cues

• Mood-Memory Congruent: Recall is better when mood matches memory

Schacter’s Seven Sins of Memory:

1. Transience – Memory fades over time

2. Absent-Mindedness – Lapses in attention

3. Blocking – Inaccessibility of info

4. Misattribution – Confusing source of memory

5. Suggestibility – Memory influenced by suggestion

6. Bias – Distortions based on beliefs

7. Persistence – Unwanted memories stick

Memory Effects:

• Proactive Interference – Old info interferes with new

• Retroactive Interference – New info interferes with old

• Serial Position Effect – Better recall of first and last items

Language & Cognition:

• Language Structures of the Brain – LAD (Language Acquisition Device): Innate biological ability to learn language

• Acquiring Vocabulary: Learning words, starts rapidly after infancy