Cognitive_325_Week_1b_-Intro_to_Cognitive_Psychology

Cognitive Psychology Overview

• Instructor: Dr. Jonas Vibell

Course Structure

• Topics covered include:

  • Cognitive Psychology

  • Cognitive Neuroscience

  • Perception

  • Various types of Attention

  • Memory Systems

  • Memory Traces & Memory Schemas

  • Imagery and Concepts

  • Language Syntax & Semantics

  • Computational Neuroscience

  • Problem Solving and Creativity

  • Reasoning (deductive & inductive)

  • Judgement and Choice

  • Intelligence and Creativity

  • Consciousness

  • Brain Imaging

  • Future of Cognitive Science

Key Themes in Cognitive Psychology

• Information Processing: Focus on understanding how inputs relate to outputs within the nervous system.

• History: Evolution from behaviorism toward studying cognitive processes like attention, memory, and problem-solving.

• Cognitive Ethology: Understanding cognitive processes in situational context to increase ecological validity in studies.

Important Theoretical Concepts

• Black Box: The mind is viewed as a system with observable inputs and outputs but unknown internal workings.

• Cognitive Psychology: A research field systematically testing the relationship between stimuli (inputs) and responses (outputs).

• Rebirth of Mind Study: Emphasizes the importance of cognitive neuroscience, memory, and language, paralleling computer analogies.

Research and Methodology

Reaction Time Studies

• Investigations conducted by Hick and Hyman show that response times increase:

  • With the number of signals

  • For less frequent and less probable signals

Capacity of Memory and Perception

• Memory limits impact processing capacity as demonstrated by Webster and Thompson's experiments, highlighting:

  • Constraints in simultaneous listening tasks and complex message identification.

Ecological Validity

Introduction to Cognitive Ethology

• Cognitive processes can vary based on situational context; lab findings may not always reflect real-world cognition.

• Steps for Ecological Research:

  1. Observe natural behavior.

  2. Simplify and test in the lab.

  3. Assess the applicability of lab findings to real-world contexts.

Historical Foundations of Cognitive Psychology

Donders (1868) Reaction Time Experiment

• Introduced simple vs choice reaction time tasks to measure cognitive processing duration.

Behaviorism and Its Limitations

• Behaviorism: Emphasizes observable behavior, as championed by figures like Watson and Skinner, focusing on:

  • Environmental control over behavior.

  • Operant and classical conditioning as key learning mechanisms.

Conditioning Theories

Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)

• Relationship between neutral stimuli and unconditioned stimuli to produce conditioned responses.

Operant Conditioning (Skinner)

• Focuses on how consequences affect voluntary behavior through:

  • Reinforcement (positive/negative) to increase behavior.

  • Punishment to decrease behavior.

Memory Over Time

Ebbinghaus Experiments

• Demonstrated the forgetting curve and retention scores over time post-learning, emphasizing the decay of memory with elapsed time.

Information Processing Models

Waugh and Norman’s Memory Model

• Distinction between Primary Memory (immediate moment awareness) and Secondary Memory (long-term storage).

• Brown-Peterson Task illustrates the effect of distractions on memory recall.

Broadbent’s Filter Model

Model Structure

• Addresses information channel capacity.

• Information processing occurs in a series of steps involving sensory input, filtering, and higher-level analysis.

Experimental Findings

• Higher accuracy in recalling information when processed in a sequential versus simultaneous manner across different channels.

Information Theory Contributions

• Claude Shannon’s insights have established the framework for understanding how information can be measured and transmitted effectively.

Ecological Approach to Perception

• Gibson emphasizes the role of environmental context, highlighting the significance of affordances in perception and interaction with stimuli.

Neuroscience and Cognitive Psychology

• Both fMRI, EEG, and other outputs serve as indicators of cognitive processes, illustrating the integration of neuroscience in understanding cognition.