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Cognitive
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is cognitive psychology? | The study of internal mental processes. |
| What are the two main areas of cognitive psychology? | Basic processes and complex processes |
| What are the basic processes in cognitive psychology | Perception, attention, and information storage |
| What are the two types of information storage? | Short-term memory and long-term memory |
| What are the complex processes in cognitive psychology | Language, visual imagery, thinking, problem-solving, reasoning, and decision-making |
| What is perception | The process of interpreting sensory information. |
| What is attention | The ability to focus on specific information while ignoring other stimuli |
| What makes cognitive research tricky | Mental processes cannot be observed directly; they must be measured indirectly |
| What did B. F. Skinner focus on | Input and output (observable behavior), not internal mental processes |
| What is the “black box” problem in psychology | We cannot directly observe what happens inside the mind, only inputs and outputs |
| What is introspection | A self-report method where people describe their own thoughts and mental processes |
| What is a problem with introspection | It can be biased, inaccurate, or influenced by memory errors |
| What is reaction time (RT) used to measure | How long it takes someone to respond, often used to measure attention or processing speed |
| What are three ways researchers measure cognitive processes | Reaction time, accuracy of responses, and responses to open-ended questions. |
| What is a construct? | A concept that cannot be measured directly |
| How do psychologists measure constructs | By using approximations or indirect measures |
| Give an example of a construct | Intelligence (measured through processing speed, general knowledge, problem-solving) |
| What is the “10% of our brain” myth | The false belief that humans only use 10% of their brain |
| What is the left-brained/right-brained myth? | The incorrect idea that people are strictly logical (left-brained) or creative (right-brained) |
| What is the learning styles myth? | The false belief that people learn best only through one specific style (visual, auditory, etc.). |
| What is the neural basis of cognition | How brain structures and neural activity support mental processes |
| What are the main topics in this overview? | Sense and perception, eye anatomy and functioning, basic neuro, and visual perception |
| Why is vision considered part of cognition | Because the brain interprets visual information, meaning vision involves mental processing, not just seeing. |
| What is sensation? | Detection of physical energy by sense organs, which send information to the brain |
| What is perception | The brain’s interpretation of raw sensory inputs |
| What is transduction | The process by which the nervous system converts external physical energy into electrical signals (action potentials). |
| What are sensory receptors | Specialized cells that detect specific types of energy and begin the process of transduction |
| Can sensation occur without perception | Yes, if sensory organs detect stimuli but the brain does not consciously interpret them |
| Can perception occur without sensation | Yes, in cases like phantom limb, where perception exists without current sensory input |
| What brain area is damaged in blindsight | The primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe. |
| What can patients with blindsight do | They can guess the direction of motion but deny being aware of seeing anything |
| What is object agnosia? | A condition where patients can describe or draw objects but cannot name them |
| What brain areas are involved in object agnosia? | The occipital lobe and the temporal lobe |
| What is phantom limb? | A condition where a person perceives sensations in a limb that has been amputated. |
| What does sensation without perception demonstrate? | That detection of stimuli can occur without conscious awareness |
| What does perception without sensation demonstrate? | That the brain can create perceptual experiences without current sensory inpu |
| What is bottom-up processing? | Processing that begins with sensory input and builds up to a final perception (data-driven). |
| What is top-down processing | Processing guided by prior knowledge, expectations, and context |
| How do Gestalt principles help us perceive objects? | They help us organize visual information into meaningful wholes rather than separate parts |
| Give an example of a Gestalt principle | Proximity — objects close together are perceived as a group (e.g., dots arranged closely appear as rows rather than individual dots). |
| How do we recognize objects like a cat? | By identifying characteristic features (fur, four legs, tail, ears) and matching them to stored knowledge. |
| Why is describing a cat by features sometimes insufficient? | Because features can vary (hairless cat, missing leg), yet we still recognize it as a cat. |
| What is feature detection theory? | The theory that we recognize objects by first detecting individual features, then assembling them into a whole. |
| How could we test feature detection theory? | Present stimuli briefly (e.g., 30 ms) and test whether participants correctly identify letters or features. |
| Why is it easier to confuse “O” and “Q” than “O” and “H”? | Because “O” and “Q” share more visual features. |
| What is the word-superiority effect? | Letters are recognized more accurately and quickly when they appear within a real word than alone. |
| What is the word frequency effect? | Common words are recognized faster than rare words. |
| What is repetition priming? | Exposure to a word makes it easier to recognize the same word again later |
| Why do plausible words get recognized more easily than non-words (e.g., LAFE)? | Because top-down expectations influence perception. |
| What does misreading “TPUM” as “TRUMPET” demonstrate? | Top-down processing—our expectations shape what we perceive |
| Why is feature detection theory not the whole explanation for word recognition? | Because context, expectations, and experience influence recognition (top-down processiWatching TV and knitting, because they use different types of processing (visual vs. motor), reducing competition.ng) |
| What is a feature net? | A network of neurons that respond to patterns of features frequently experienced together. |
| What is a bigram? | A pair of letters that frequently appear together in a language (e.g., “st”) |
| Why are we faster at recognizing “st” than “jt”? | Because “st” is a common bigram learned through repetition. |
| What evidence supports the feature net theory? | Word-superiority effect, plausible word advantage, and expectation-based misreadings. |
| What is attention? | The process of selectively focusing on certain information while ignoring other stimuli. |
| Is attention the same as perception? | No. Perception is interpreting sensory input; attention is selecting what information gets processed more deeply. |
| Is attention the same as consciousness? | No. Attention can occur without full conscious awareness. |
| Is attention under our control? | Sometimes. It can be voluntary (controlled) or automatic (captured by stimuli). |
| What are the three main types of attention? | Selective attention, divided attention, and sustained attention. |
| What is selective attention | Focusing on one task or input while ignoring others. |
| Can selective attention be internal and external? | Yes. External (e.g., searching for a green object) and internal (e.g., thinking about later plans). |
| What is divided attention? | Attempting to focus on more than one task at the same time. |
| What is sustained attention? | Maintaining focus over a prolonged period (alertness/vigilance). |
| What does it mean that attention is capacity-limited? | We have a limited amount of attentional resources and cannot fully process everything at once. |
| What is inattentional blindness? | Failing to notice something unexpected when attention is focused elsewhere (e.g., missing the gorilla). |
| What is change blindness? | Failing to detect changes in a visual scene. |
| Why is it hard to divide attention within the same modality? | Because similar tasks (e.g., reading and watching TV) compete for the same cognitive resources |
| Which is easier: watching TV and knitting, or watching TV and reading? Why? | Watching TV and knitting, because they use different types of processing (visual vs. motor), reducing competition. |
| What is the spotlight model of attention? | The idea that attention works like a spotlight, enhancing processing in a specific area. |
| What is the difference between a wide beam and a narrow beam of attention? | A narrow beam focuses deeply on a small area; a wide beam covers more area but with less detail. |
| Is attention the same as eye movement? | No. Attention can shift before the eyes move. |
| How do researchers measure attention? | Using eye tracking and EEG. |
Created by:
katievp7