Cognitive Psychology Basics

Cognitive Psychology

• Studies mental processes, including:
  • Perception: how we interpret sensory information
  • Attention: selecting and focusing on relevant information
  • Memory: encoding, storage, and retrieval of information
  • Language: understanding and generating spoken and written language
  • Problem-solving: thinking and decision-making strategies
• Key concepts:
  • Cognitive biases: systematic errors in thinking and decision-making
  • Information processing: how we process and transform information
  • Cognitive load: the amount of mental effort required to complete a task

Social Psychology

• Examines how people think, feel, and behave in social situations, including:
  • Social influence: how others affect our behavior and attitudes
  • Attitudes and persuasion: how we form and change opinions
  • Group dynamics: how groups form, function, and influence behavior
  • Interpersonal attraction: what attracts us to others
  • Aggression and altruism: why we help or harm others
• Key concepts:
  • Social norms: unwritten rules that govern behavior
  • Conformity: going along with the group
  • Obedience: following authority figures

Developmental Psychology

• Explores human development across the lifespan, including:
  • Cognitive development: how children think and reason
  • Social and emotional development: how children form relationships and regulate emotions
  • Moral development: how children develop moral principles and values
  • Language development: how children acquire language
• Key concepts:
  • Stages of development: Piaget's stages of cognitive development
  • Nature vs. nurture: the role of genetics and environment in development

Abnormal Psychology

• Studies unusual patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior, including:
  • Anxiety disorders: excessive fear or anxiety
  • Mood disorders: depression and bipolar disorder
  • Personality disorders: persistent patterns of thought and behavior
  • Psychotic disorders: loss of contact with reality
• Key concepts:
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5): a classification system for mental disorders
  • Etiology: the causes of mental disorders
  • Treatment approaches: psychotherapy, medication, and other interventions

Biological Psychology

• Examines the physical basis of behavior, including:
  • Brain structure and function: the neural basis of behavior
  • Neurotransmitters: chemical messengers that transmit signals
  • Genetics: the role of genes in behavior and development
  • Sensory and motor systems: how we perceive and respond to the environment
• Key concepts:
  • Neuroplasticity: the brain's ability to change and adapt
  • Synaptic transmission: how neurons communicate with each other
  • Brain regions and functions: the roles of different brain areas

Cognitive Psychology

• Examines mental processes, including perception, attention, memory, language, and problem-solving.
• Cognitive biases: systematic errors in thinking and decision-making.
• Information processing: how we process and transform information.
• Cognitive load: the amount of mental effort required to complete a task.

Social Psychology

• Examines how people think, feel, and behave in social situations, including social influence, attitudes and persuasion, group dynamics, interpersonal attraction, and aggression and altruism.
• Social norms: unwritten rules that govern behavior.
• Conformity: going along with the group.
• Obedience: following authority figures.

Developmental Psychology

• Explores human development across the lifespan, including cognitive development, social and emotional development, moral development, and language development.
• Stages of development: Piaget's stages of cognitive development.
• Nature vs. nurture: the role of genetics and environment in development.

Abnormal Psychology

• Studies unusual patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior, including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, and psychotic disorders.
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5): a classification system for mental disorders.
• Etiology: the causes of mental disorders.
• Treatment approaches: psychotherapy, medication, and other interventions.

Biological Psychology

• Examines the physical basis of behavior, including brain structure and function, neurotransmitters, genetics, and sensory and motor systems.
• Neuroplasticity: the brain's ability to change and adapt.
• Synaptic transmission: how neurons communicate with each other.
• Brain regions and functions: the roles of different brain areas.