Cognitive Psychology Overview

The scientific study of mental processes and mental representations.

A specific mental process or activity, such as attention, memory, or language.

An internal structure that represents knowledge, concepts, or experiences.

The scientific study of the brain and nervous system, especially as they relate to mental functions.

A technique that allows researchers to record the electrical activity of individual neurons in the brain.

A branch of psychology that studies how brain damage affects cognitive functions.

A non-invasive technique that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate or inhibit brain activity.

Techniques that measure brain activity, such as fMRI and PET scans.

A task where participants respond "same" if two letters are both vowels or consonants, and "different" if they are from different categories.

The time it takes to respond to a stimulus. In Posner's task, reaction times are used to infer how mental representations are processed.

Posner's hypothesis that different reaction times in his letter matching task reflect the level of processing required. Identifying the physical letter is fastest, then recognizing the sound, and lastly categorizing (vowel/consonant).

A modified version of Posner's letter matching task where an interval separates the presentation of two letters.

The time gap between the presentation of two stimuli in Posner's Version 2.

The difference in reaction time decreases as the SOA increases, suggesting a shift to a more abstract representation that is less dependent on the specific features of the stimulus.

A task where participants memorize a set of letters and then must decide if a probe letter was in the set.

Breaking down mental processes into smaller, more manageable units. This can be done by examining reaction times in different tasks.

The time taken to complete a cognitive task, often used as a measure of cognitive processing speed.

The number of items in a memory set, often used to manipulate the difficulty of a memory comparison task.

A technique that involves examining the activity of individual neurons in the brain.

An approach to studying cognition that emphasizes the systematic manipulation of variables to test hypotheses.

Research using non-human animals to study biological processes, often used in cognitive neuroscience to understand the brain and behavior.

A debate concerning the ethics of using animals for research purposes, considering the potential benefits to humans versus the harm to animals.

The use of different imaging techniques, such as fMRI and EEG, to study brain activity and function.

A procedure where parts of the brain are surgically removed or altered to change behavior. It was once used to treat conditions like depression, but is now considered outdated and harmful.

Altering brain activity by removing, stimulating, or using medication to improve a person's overall functioning.

A brain injury that affects how a person functions, often resulting in specific deficits.

When a patient group has trouble with one task, but not another.

When two different patient groups show impairment on different tasks, providing stronger evidence for a specific brain area's role.

Any mental activity requires multiple brain areas working together. Damage to one area doesn't mean that area is responsible for the entire task.

Any injury that damages brain tissue. Examples include stroke, trauma, or brain tumors.

A theory suggesting that the mind is full of different, interacting 'parts' that influence our thoughts and behaviors.

The relationship between two variables where changes in one variable are associated with changes in the other.

A direct causal link between two variables, where one variable directly causes a change in the other.

A study that examines a single individual, often with a specific brain injury or condition, to understand the relationship between brain structure and function.

A study that compares a group of individuals with a specific brain injury or condition to a control group without the injury or condition. This helps researchers identify common patterns and effects.

A technique that uses light to manipulate the activity of neurons. It allows researchers to directly control specific neurons and observe their effects on behavior.

A neuroimaging technique that measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow and oxygenation. It provides images of brain function during cognitive tasks.

A neuroimaging technique that combines fMRI and TMS to explore the role of specific brain areas in cognitive processes. It helps researchers understand how brain areas interact and contribute to behavior.

A technique that uses magnetic pulses to temporarily activate or deactivate specific brain regions. By observing changes in cognitive function, researchers can infer the role of that brain region.

A neuroimaging technique that measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow. Active brain regions require more oxygen, leading to changes in blood flow that are picked up by fMRI.

A method used in cognitive neuroscience to investigate the relationship between brain activity and mental processes. This involves temporarily disrupting or stimulating specific brain regions using TMS and observing the resulting changes in behavior.

The ability to distinguish between two different sensory experiences, such as recognizing the difference in texture between a smooth and rough surface.

The time interval between the presentation of two stimuli in a task. This is often used in studies of cognitive processes to gauge the time it takes to perform a mental operation.

The ability of the brain to represent information in different ways depending on the task or context. For example, a letter can be represented based on its physical features, its sound, or its category (vowel or consonant).

A technique used in neuroscience to study the relationship between specific brain regions and cognitive functions. This involves comparing the performance of individuals with brain damage in different tasks to see which cognitive functions are impaired.

The study of the relationship between the brain and behavior using neuroimaging techniques like fMRI, TMS, and EEG to understand how brain activity relates to cognitive processes.