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Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
This deck covers the fundamental concepts of cognitive psychology, its historical development, key figures, and methodologies. It also explores the cognitive revolution, the influence of computing science, and the interdisciplinary nature of cognitive science.
What is cognition?
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Key Terms
Term
Definition
What is cognition?
Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring, organizing, and using information, including perception, memory, thinking, learning, a...
Why is the study of cognitive psychology important?
Cognitive psychology helps us understand our own mind, how we experience and interpret the world, and influences many areas of psychology such as clin...
Who is considered the founder of experimental psychology?
Wilhelm Wundt is considered the founder of experimental psychology.
What method did Wilhelm Wundt introduce to study mental processes?
Wilhelm Wundt introduced introspection, where trained individuals analyze and report their own thoughts and sensations under controlled conditions.
What is the recency effect?
The recency effect is the tendency to recall the last items in a list more accurately than earlier ones.
What did Hermann Ebbinghaus study, and what method did he use?
Hermann Ebbinghaus studied memory using nonsense syllables to reduce the influence of prior knowledge.
Related Flashcard Decks
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
What is cognition? | Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring, organizing, and using information, including perception, memory, thinking, learning, and decision-making. |
Why is the study of cognitive psychology important? | Cognitive psychology helps us understand our own mind, how we experience and interpret the world, and influences many areas of psychology such as clinical, educational, and social psychology. |
Who is considered the founder of experimental psychology? | Wilhelm Wundt is considered the founder of experimental psychology. |
What method did Wilhelm Wundt introduce to study mental processes? | Wilhelm Wundt introduced introspection, where trained individuals analyze and report their own thoughts and sensations under controlled conditions. |
What is the recency effect? | The recency effect is the tendency to recall the last items in a list more accurately than earlier ones. |
What did Hermann Ebbinghaus study, and what method did he use? | Hermann Ebbinghaus studied memory using nonsense syllables to reduce the influence of prior knowledge. |
What is the main focus of behaviorism? | Behaviorism focuses on observable behavior and responses to environmental stimuli, rejecting the study of internal mental processes. |
What does the Gestalt approach emphasize? | The Gestalt approach emphasizes that people organize information into meaningful wholes and that perception cannot be understood by breaking experiences into smaller parts. |
What was the cognitive revolution? | The cognitive revolution was a shift in psychology during the 1940s to 1960s from behaviorism to a focus on internal mental processes. |
What is ecological validity? | Ecological validity refers to how well the conditions of a study reflect real-life situations and how applicable the findings are to everyday experiences. |
What is cognitive science? | Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary field that studies the mind and mental processes, integrating psychology, neuroscience, computer science, linguistics, and philosophy. |
How has computing science influenced cognitive psychology? | Computing science introduced artificial intelligence and computer modeling, simulating human thinking and problem-solving, and led to the computer metaphor of the mind. |
What is the computer metaphor in cognitive psychology? | The computer metaphor suggests that the human mind works like a computer, processing information in a structured, step-by-step manner. |
What is the information-processing approach? | The information-processing approach views cognition as a series of stages, similar to a computer processing information step-by-step. |
What is the connectionist approach? | The connectionist approach, or parallel distributed processing, models cognition as networks of interconnected units that process information simultaneously. |
What is cognitive neuroscience? | Cognitive neuroscience studies how brain structure and function relate to cognitive processes, using methods from cognitive psychology and neuroscience. |
What is the significance of brain lesions in cognitive neuroscience? | Brain lesions help identify which brain areas are involved in certain functions by studying cognitive deficits resulting from specific brain damage. |
What does functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measure? | fMRI measures brain activity based on changes in blood oxygenation, providing detailed images of where activity occurs in the brain. |
What is an event-related potential (ERP)? | ERP measures electrical activity in the brain using electrodes on the scalp, tracking brain responses to specific stimuli with excellent timing precision. |
What is the role of schemas in memory according to Frederic Bartlett? | Schemas are existing knowledge structures that influence how we remember information, suggesting memory is an active, constructive process. |