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Questions and Answers
What is cognitive psychology primarily concerned with?
How does a mental set affect problem-solving?
What is demonstrated by the Bruner Potter paradigm?
What defines 'zeitgeist' in the context of psychology?
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What characterizes an insight problem?
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What is the primary focus of structuralism in understanding the mind?
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Which of the following methods is NOT associated with functionalism?
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What criticism is associated with introspection as a method of studying the mind?
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Who is considered the main proponent of structuralism?
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William James contributed to psychology by emphasizing which concept?
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What misconception does functionalism challenge regarding psychological processes?
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Which statement reflects a limitation of structuralism?
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In the context of psychological methods, which process is focused on by cognitive psychology?
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What is the main characteristic of sensory memory?
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Which statement accurately defines short-term memory?
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What does the term 'perception' refer to in the context of sensation and perception?
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What principle is illustrated by the concept of size constancy?
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What do depth cues allow us to determine?
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What is a key idea behind Gestalt psychology?
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Which of the following best describes long-term memory?
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What characterizes the fading of long-term memory compared to short-term memory?
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What is the main reason people mind-wander while reading?
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Which of the following best describes subliminal perception?
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What does the rebound effect refer to in the context of thought suppression?
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Which level of consciousness involves one’s explicit understanding of ongoing experience?
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What is the primary characteristic of controlled processes?
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What does the Word Superiority Effect suggest about letter recognition?
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What is meant by 'change blindness'?
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What is a significant consequence of inattentional blindness?
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According to James Gibson's Ecological Approach, what is highlighted in perception?
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What are optical flow patterns primarily concerned with?
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Which statement best describes 'change blindness blindness'?
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How do bottom-up processes contribute to visual perception?
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What is the impact of overactive top-down processing on visual perception?
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Study Notes
Cognitive Psychology
- The empirical investigation of mental processes and brain structures involved in acquiring, encoding, using, and storing information.
Zeitgeist & Psychology
- The Zeitgeist is the prevailing intellectual and cultural climate of an era.
- The ideas of the time are often reflected in fashion, popular music, and other aspects of culture.
- Zeitgeist also impacts how individuals perceive the world and research in psychology.
Mental Set
- It’s a set of assumptions and perspectives that influence problem-solving.
- Can hinder innovative approaches.
- Bruner Potter paradigm illustrates how mental sets influence visual recognition, making it difficult to identify images presented in a blurry manner.
Insight Problems
- They require overcoming mental sets to find solutions.
- Often associated with an “aha” experience.
- The history of psychology is influenced by mental sets, as they govern the dominant school of thought and research.
Schools of Thought in Psychology
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Structuralism: Focused on analyzing the mind into fundamental elements.
- Methods: Introspection.
- Central Figure: Wilhelm Wundt.
- Limitations: Results were subjective and difficult to replicate.
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Functionalism: Investigated the purposes and functions of mental processes.
- Methods: A combination of introspection, observation, and experimentation.
- Central Figure: William James.
- Key Concept: The "stream of consciousness" emphasizes the dynamic and fluid nature of mental processes.
Information Processing Model
- The information processing model views the mind as a structured system with different stages.
- Sensory Memory: Briefly holds sensory information (large capacity, fades quickly).
- Short-Term Memory: Temporarily stores a limited amount of information (7 +/- 2 items, fades quickly).
- Long-Term Memory: Stores information for extended periods (unlimited capacity, fades slowly).
Sensation and Perception
- Distinguishes between:
- Sensation: Detecting sensory information.
- Perception: Interpreting sensory information.
Basic Perceptual Phenomena
- Size Constancy: Our perception of an object’s size remains relatively constant, regardless of viewing distance.
- Shape Constancy: We perceive an object's shape consistently, even with changes in orientation or angle.
- Depth Cues: Monocular (one eye) and binocular (two eyes) cues provide distance estimations.
- Gestalt Psychology: The whole is more than the sum of its parts. Emphasizes the dynamic nature of perception where we seek the best interpretation of available information.
Gestalt Principles
- Explain how we perceive visual information.
- The Word Superiority Effect: Recognizing letters quicker in words than in isolation.
- Change Blindness: We fail to notice changes in objects or scenes.
Change Blindness & Inattentional Blindness
- Attributed to:
- Top-Down Processing: Conceptual understanding influences perception, often hindering the detection of changes.
- Importance of Bottom-Up Processing: James Gibson's ecological perception theory emphasizes how environmental features guide perception.
- Optical Flow Patterns: Helps with navigation.
- Inattentional Blindness: We fail to notice unexpected but obvious objects.
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Implications:
- Our visual system excels at recognizing the overall picture of the scene.
- Top-down processes can mask significant details.
Controlled Processes and Levels of Consciousness
- Controlled Processes: Conscious, deliberate, and resource-intensive mental operations.
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Levels of Consciousness:
- Non-Conscious: Below the surface of awareness (e.g., automatic priming of words).
- Experiential Consciousness: Ongoing experience (e.g., current thoughts).
- Meta-Consciousness: Explicit understanding of the contents of experience (e.g., realizing you've been mind wandering).
Mind Wandering
- Occurs when our mind drifts from a task.
- Can be explained by an absence of meta-conscious awareness.
- Lucid Dreaming: Conscious awareness during a dream.
- Subliminal Perception: The effects of stimuli presented below the threshold of conscious awareness.
- Priming: Exposure to a stimulus (prime) influences subsequent processing of related stimuli.
Unconscious Priming and Consciousness Control
- Unconscious Priming: Automatic priming happens without conscious effort.
- Thought Suppression: Actively trying to avoid specific thoughts.
- Rebound Effect: Thought suppression can paradoxically increase the likelihood of those thoughts emerging.
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Description
Explore the key concepts of cognitive psychology, including mental processes, the influence of Zeitgeist on perception, and the importance of mental sets in problem-solving. This quiz will challenge your understanding of how these factors interact in psychological research and daily life.
