Cognitive Psychology Chapter 1

Questions and Answers

The scientific study of mind and behavior through experiments (correct)

Emotional responses and behaviors

Observation of social interactions

Developmental stages of childhood

Imagination

Memory

Perception

Emotional expression (correct)

Cognitive behaviors like memory and decision-making (correct)

Physical health and well-being

Personality traits and characteristics

Social interactions and relationships

It uses patient studies with brain damage to infer brain functioning. Signup and view all the answers

Attention Signup and view all the answers

Food packaging Signup and view all the answers

Amount of water in soil Signup and view all the answers

Wind strength directly correlates with wave height. Signup and view all the answers

Increased television viewing and increased aggression. Signup and view all the answers

Other factors may impact the relationship between two correlated variables. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Experimental psychology examines mind and behavior through scientific experiments.
Cognition encompasses all mental processes leading to thoughts, knowledge, and awareness.
Cognitive processes dictate cognitive functions such as attention, memory, learning, decision-making, language, perception, and motor skills.
Cognitive functions are fundamental components of complex behaviors.

Links exist between experimental psychology and cognitive neuropsychology.
Brain damage in patients can provide insights into specific brain functions.
Independent variables (causes) impact dependent variables (effects) in research, illustrated by examples like food packaging and shelf life.

Correlation between variables does not imply causation; a third variable may influence observed relationships.
Example: A notable association exists between television viewing and later aggressive behavior over 17 years, emphasizing the need for caution in interpreting correlation as causative.

Traditionally recognized senses include sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, with additional perceptions such as kinesthetics and balance.
Psychophysics measures stimulus strength and observer sensitivity, assessing absolute thresholds for detection.

Detection is not binary; factors like noise and response criteria affect perception.
A response criterion influences detection threshold; a lenient responder shows a lower threshold.

Light enters the eye through the cornea, which refracts and protects the internal structures.
Light passing through the pupil is absorbed by the retina, which may reflect back in bright conditions.
The lens fine-tunes refraction, with ciliary muscles adjusting its shape to focus light on the retina.

Opponent-process theory categorizes primary colors into pairs (red-green, blue-yellow, black-white) affecting perception through inhibitory processes at the ganglion level.
Trichromatic theory explains color perception using three primary colors (red, green, blue) combined in various proportions.
Both theories offer complementary explanations of color vision: one at the receptor level, the other at the neural level.

Opponent-process theory accounts for red/green color blindness, the most common type affecting males (~8%) more than females (~1-2%).
Ishihara test identifies color deficiencies, testing the ability to perceive numbers hidden within colorful patterns.