325_Review_1
PSY 325: Review 1
TA: Gabriel (Gabe) Custodio
Today’s Schedule
Cognitive Psychology General Overview
Theories
Neuroanatomy and Perception
Attention
Memory
Cognitive Paradigms
Exam Expectations
Scantrons will be Provided
Please bring a #2 Pencil
38 Multiple Choice Questions
Student ID Number required
2 Exam forms: A and B
No Sharing Answers
No Electronics allowed
Before we Start
Notify if content is going too fast
Raise hand for questions
Q&A session for specific clarifications after review
Cognitive Psychology General Overview
What is Cognitive Psychology
Scientific study of how the mind works
Focuses on perception, learning, memory, thinking
Definitions:
Sternberg (1999): Studies how people perceive, learn, and remember information.
Solso (2005): Examines processes underlying mental events.
Sinnett et al.: Discusses cognition as the mental action of knowing.
Ecological Validity
New approach - cognitive ethology by Kingstone et al. (2008)
Cognitive processes depend on situational context.
Lab findings may not reflect real-world processes.
Alternative Research Approach
Observe and describe natural behavior first.
Gradually simplify in the lab.
Determine if lab findings predict real-world phenomena.
Theories
Parallelism
Mind and brain are two aspects of the same reality
Every mental event has a corresponding brain event.
Isomorphism
Originates from Gestalt psychology.
Mental and neural events share structural relationships.
Gestalt principle: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Epiphenomenalism
Mind is a byproduct of brain processes without causal impact on behavior.
Analogy: Steam (mind) from a train (brain).
Information Theory
Influential model in cognitive psychology.
Humans process information rather than just responding.
Salience of a message is inversely related to its likelihood.
Broadbent's Filter Model
Information processing is limited by channel capacity.
Steps in the model:
Information entered through input channels (eyes, ears).
Signals enter a capacity-free sensory buffer.
Simple stimulus characteristics extracted.
Filter selects messages based on physical characteristics.
Selected information analyzed for higher-order attributes.
Unselected messages held in sensory buffer subject to decay.
Neuroanatomy and Perception
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Measures electrical activity on brain surface.
High temporal resolution, low spatial resolution.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
Observes metabolic activity via oxygen consumption.
Provides a 3D image, differentiates white and gray matter.
Low temporal resolution, high spatial resolution.
Neuroimaging Tools Summary
Event Related Potentials (ERPs): Signaling timing and location of cognitive processes.
Magnetoencephalography (MEG): Measures magnetic fields from brain activity.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET): Uses radioactive tracers to image metabolic processes.
Four Lobes of the Brain
Frontal: Complex cognitive functions
Parietal: Sensation, spatial perception, attention
Occipital: Visual processing
Temporal: Hearing, language, complex patterns.
Aphasia
Damage to speech-specific brain regions
Broca's aphasia: Impaired speech production, intact comprehension
Wernicke's aphasia: Impaired comprehension, intact production
Mnemonic: "The word stay broke!"
Physiology of Visual Perception
Connections
Connections between visual areas are bi-directional.
Feedforward and re-entrant feedback mechanisms facilitate visual processing.
Processing Pathways
Ventral or "what" pathway: Determines object shape, color, meaning.
Dorsal or "where" pathway: Determines object location, guides action.
Relative Perception
Perception influenced by prior experiences
Empirical theory of color vision discusses its relativity.
Visual Dominance
Visual prepotency effect: Visual stimuli dominate other senses.
Importance of visual stimuli in attentional focus to compensate for visual processing limitations.
McGurk Effect & Ventriloquist Effect
Illustrates interaction between auditory and visual perception
Examples demonstrate complex perceptual processing.
Attention
Endogenous vs. Exogenous Attention
Spatial attention: Selecting visual information for conscious awareness.
Endogenous: Voluntary movements of attention
Exogenous: Involuntary movements triggered by external stimuli.
Types of Attention
Alerting: Orientation to critical stimuli.
Vigilance: Focus on a single stimulus with high detection ability.
Selective: Focus on a single stimulus while ignoring others.
Divided: Focusing on multiple stimuli with potential loss of focus.
Dual Task Performance
Divided attention is challenging for similar and complex tasks requiring conscious effort.
Easier for dissimilar and simple tasks or when at least one task is automatic.
Change Blindness
Difficulty detecting changes in a visual scene, studied with the flicker paradigm.
Demands attention to notice subtle differences between images.
Change Blindness - Real-World Implications
Saccadic suppression results in momentary blindness when shifting gaze, despite real-world absence of visual interruptions.
Memory
Long-Term Memory
Divided into declarative (explicit) and procedural (implicit).
Declarative: Knowledge that can be stated (episodic and semantic).
Procedural: Knowing how to perform tasks without verbal explanation.
Memory Systems
Sensory Memory: Brief retention of sensory information (iconic and echoic).
Working Memory: Integrates and manipulates information dynamically with subsystems for phonology, visuals, and episodic memory.
Spreading Activation and Priming
Activation of one node in networks activates related information.
Positive priming: Speeding response to related stimuli.
Negative priming: Slowing responses to previously inhibited stimuli.
Cognitive Paradigms
Flanker Task
Tests interference from distractors and automatic processes affecting selective attention.
Stroop Task
Analyzes interference from automatic processes on response inhibition and selective attention.
Implicates DLPFC and ACC in attentional control.
Posner Task
Investigates cueing effects on attention.
Mental Rotation Task
Assesses spatial ability in relation to working memory.