Cognitive Psychology PSYC 250: Exam 1 Review

• Cognitive Psychology PSYC 250 Exam 1 Review based on Chapters 1-3 and all lecture materials.

What is Cognitive Psychology?

• It is the study of the internal world engaging with your external reality.
• Includes definitions, meanings, and differences.
• Explores approaches to the problem of the "black box."

History

• Introspection was one of the original methods for assessing the mind.
• Introspection had problems associated with subjectivity and lack of reproducibility.

Behaviorism

• Focuses on stimulus-response relationships.
• Watson's Behaviorist Manifesto started the move towards behaviorism.
• Pavlov worked with classical conditioning.
• Skinner focused on radical behaviorism.
• Tolman introduced the idea of cognitive maps.
• Behaviorism was deemed to have problems in that it didn't account for internal processes.

Cognitive Approach

• Relies on assumptions and an information processing metatheory.
• The mind is like a computer.

Cognitive Neuroscience

• Key concerns include identifying mental representations and processes.

Methods for measuring information processing

• Reaction time and accuracy are important metrics.
• Expertise experiment analyzes differences in both areas to explore cognitive understanding.
• Focuses on the processes behind cognition rather than just the product.

Brain & Cognition

• Explores the relationship between the "Mind" vs. the physical "Brain".
• Includes the homunculus problem relating to where the mind is located.
• Analysis is done by examining the different component parts.
• Modularity approach studies cognitive and neurological modules.

Localization of Function

• Aims to identify where functions are localized in the brain as well as their functional circuitry.
• The cerebral cortex is divided into four lobes, each with general functions.

Studying Functional Circuits

• Brain damage (lesions) studies are used to understand functional circuits.
• Brain activation studies explore functional circuits.
• Electrical activation (EEG/ERP) is good for determining 'when' something happens but poor at determining 'where'.
• Neuroimaging uses techniques like PET/MRI and fMRI,
• fMRI is good for determining 'where', and okay for determining 'when'.

Perception

• Examines the difference between pure sensation vs. perception.
• Uses visual illusions to reveal how perception works.
• Perception is the addition of data and knowledge.
• Difficulties in perception include:
• Inverse projection (3D to 2D mapping)
• Use of surface features
• Contrast effects
• Ambiguities in size and distance
• Perceptual constancy

Likelihood Principle

• The Likelihood principle explores how we perceive information (von Helmholtz).
• Two types of processing involved:
  • Bottom-up (data-driven) processes
  • Top-down (concept-driven) processes
• Change blindness reveals limits to attentional processing.

Pattern (object) Recognition

• Bottom-up approaches involve analysis preceding synthesis.
• Holistic and analytic processing are contrasting methods.
• Template, feature, and structure theories each have their characteristics and problems.

Theories

• Prototype theories have unique characteristics and problems.
• Context affects conceptually-driven (top-down) effects and data-driven (bottom-up) effects.
• Speech perception includes categorical perception.

Attention

• Attention is necessary for many cognitive processes
• It functions as a mental process and a limited mental resource.
• Monitoring and concentrating are key aspects of attention.
• There are different types of attention: -selective -divided.

Auditory Attention

• The cocktail party effect demonstrates selective auditory attention.
• Shadowing (dichotic listening task) was studied by Cherry (1953).

Filter/Bottleneck Models

• These models explain how attention filters information and can be distinguished as follows:
  • Early filter (Broadbent)
  • Attenuation model (Treisman)
  • Late filter (Deutsch & Deutsch)
• Capacity models describe attention as a resource with dependence.

Controlled vs. Automatic Processing

• Divided attention is examined using dual-task experiments like Strayer & Johnston's cell-phone/driving experiment.
• Allocating attention during multitasking is a complex process.
• Automatization has pros and cons, exemplified by the Stroop task.

Visual Attention

• Investigates why only parts of scenes are selected for attention.
• Executive attention helps regulate cognitive processes
• Orienting and alerting are components of attention.
  • Bottom-up (attention capture)
  • top-down (controlled) processing

Spotlight Model

• The spotlight model describes how attention focuses on certain areas.
• It includes overt vs. covert orienting.
• Posner's (1980) spatial cueing task illustrates these concepts.

Visual Search

• Explores how we find targets among distractors.
• Feature search (parallel; pop-out) vs. conjunction search (serial; controlled)
• Feature Integration Theory (Treisman):
  • Initial fast "pre-attentive" feature maps
  • Slower controlled 'binding' of features
• Feature presence vs. absence affects search efficiency.
• Processing can be serial or parallel.
• Experience and attentional skill are factors.
• Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) is assessed via experiments like the Green & Bavelier video game experiment.

Review of Cognitive Psychology (PSYC 250) Exam 1, covering chapters 1-3 and lecture materials. Topics include the definition of cognitive psychology, its history (introspection, behaviorism), the cognitive approach, and cognitive neuroscience. It explores how the internal world interacts with external reality.