Flashcards on Watson's Observable Conduct Approach

Questions and Answers

What is analytic introspection?

A procedure used by early psychologists in which trained participants described their experiences and thought processes elicited by stimuli presented under controlled conditions.

What is the behavioral approach to the study of the mind?

When the mind is studied by measuring a person's behavior and by explaining this behavior in behavioral terms.

What is behaviorism?

The approach to psychology, founded by John B. Watson, which stated that observable behavior is the only valid data for psychology.

What does choice reaction time refer to?

Reacting to one of two or more stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

What is cognition?

The mental processes involved in perception, attention, memory, language, problem solving, reasoning, and making decisions. Signup and view all the answers

What is cognitive psychology?

The branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of the mental processes involved in perception, attention, memory, language, problem solving, reasoning, and decision making. Signup and view all the answers

What is the cognitive revolution?

A shift in psychology that began in the 1950s, from the behaviorist approach to an approach focused on explaining behavior in terms of the mind. Signup and view all the answers

What is cognitive science?

The interdisciplinary approach to the study of the mind, including fields like computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, and psychology. Signup and view all the answers

What is the information-processing approach?

The approach to psychology in which the mind is seen as processing information through a sequence of stages. Signup and view all the answers

What is long-term memory?

A memory mechanism that can hold large amounts of information for long periods of time. Signup and view all the answers

What is mental chronometry?

Measuring the time-course of mental processes. Signup and view all the answers

What is mental rotation?

Rotating an image of an object in the mind. Signup and view all the answers

What is the modal model of memory?

The model proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin describing memory as processing information through a series of stages. Signup and view all the answers

What is a model in cognitive psychology?

A representation of the workings of the mind. Signup and view all the answers

What is the physiological approach to the study of the mind?

When the mind is studied by measuring physiological and behavioral responses. Signup and view all the answers

What is reaction time?

The time it takes for a person to react to a stimulus. Signup and view all the answers

What is the savings method?

A method used to measure retention in Ebbinghaus's memory experiments. Signup and view all the answers

What is sensory memory?

A brief stage of memory that holds information for seconds or fractions of a second. Signup and view all the answers

What is short-term memory?

A memory mechanism that temporarily holds information for a short duration. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Key Terms in Cognitive Psychology

Analytic introspection: Procedure where trained participants report experiences and thought processes in response to controlled stimuli.
Behavioral approach: Focuses on studying the mind by measuring observable behavior and explaining actions in behavioral terms.
Behaviorism: Founded by John B. Watson, this psychological approach asserts that only observable behavior is valid data for psychology, dismissing consciousness and unobservable mental processes.
Choice reaction time: The time taken to react to one of multiple stimuli, illustrated in Donders' experiment where participants made different responses to different stimuli.
Cognition: Encompasses mental processes related to perception, memory, language, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making.
Cognitive psychology: Branch of psychology studying mental processes scientifically, including perception, attention, memory, language, and decision-making.
Cognitive revolution: A movement in the 1950s transitioning from behaviorism to an approach explaining behavior in terms of mental processes, leading to the information-processing approach.
Cognitive science: Interdisciplinary field studying the mind, incorporating disciplines like computer science, neuroscience, linguistics, and psychology.
Information-processing approach: Developed in the 1950s, this perspective views the mind as processing information through various stages.
Long-term memory: A storage mechanism holding large amounts of information for extended periods, part of the modal model of memory.
Mental chronometry: Technique used to assess the duration of mental processes.
Mental rotation: The cognitive task of rotating images of objects in the mind, evidenced by Shepard and Metzler's experiments assessing object similarity from different angles.
Modal model of memory: Proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin, it depicts memory as processing information through stages, including short-term and long-term memory.
Model in cognitive psychology: A representation of mental processes, often depicted as interconnected boxes representing specific functions.
Physiological approach: Examines the mind by measuring physiological responses and explaining behavior in physiological terms.
Reaction time: The interval between stimulus presentation and a subject's response, measured in various forms of reactions, like button presses or verbal responses.
Savings method: Developed by Ebbinghaus to measure memory retention, calculating repetitions required to recall lists of nonsense syllables after varying intervals.
Sensory memory: The initial stage of memory, lasting seconds or fractions of a second, where sensory information is briefly stored.
Short-term memory: A temporary storage system for information that can hold a limited amount of data for a short duration.

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Test your knowledge of key concepts from Chapter 1 of Cognitive Psychology with these flashcards. Each card presents important terms and their definitions, helping you to enhance your understanding of the field. Perfect for students looking to reinforce their learning and prepare for exams.