Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is reduced latent inhibition linked to in individuals with mental illnesses?
What is reduced latent inhibition linked to in individuals with mental illnesses?
Which type of thinking is focused on finding one best solution to a problem?
Which type of thinking is focused on finding one best solution to a problem?
What do expert problem solvers primarily rely on?
What do expert problem solvers primarily rely on?
What is opportunity cost in decision-making?
What is opportunity cost in decision-making?
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What is the main difference between life-sustaining and pleasure-related decisions?
What is the main difference between life-sustaining and pleasure-related decisions?
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Which process involves making generalizations from specific observations?
Which process involves making generalizations from specific observations?
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Which aspect of decision-making is influenced by anticipated emotions?
Which aspect of decision-making is influenced by anticipated emotions?
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In the Wason Selection Task, what is the purpose of checking the vowel and odd number?
In the Wason Selection Task, what is the purpose of checking the vowel and odd number?
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What is dual process theory's System 1 characterized by?
What is dual process theory's System 1 characterized by?
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Which of the following best describes savants in relation to creativity?
Which of the following best describes savants in relation to creativity?
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The Ultimatum Game is primarily used to explore which aspect of decision-making?
The Ultimatum Game is primarily used to explore which aspect of decision-making?
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Which of the following statements about emotional processing is correct?
Which of the following statements about emotional processing is correct?
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What is the focus of the evolutionary roots of logical thinking?
What is the focus of the evolutionary roots of logical thinking?
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What can cognitive appraisals influence in emotional responses?
What can cognitive appraisals influence in emotional responses?
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Which brain area is primarily responsible for regulating emotional responses?
Which brain area is primarily responsible for regulating emotional responses?
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What characterizes insight problems during their resolution process?
What characterizes insight problems during their resolution process?
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In the emotion and attention interaction, what effect does an emotional stimulus following a neutral stimulus have?
In the emotion and attention interaction, what effect does an emotional stimulus following a neutral stimulus have?
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Which type of problems typically engage the left hemisphere of the brain?
Which type of problems typically engage the left hemisphere of the brain?
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What type of cognitive bias is commonly associated with depression?
What type of cognitive bias is commonly associated with depression?
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Which brain-based treatment targets the prefrontal cortex to alleviate depression symptoms?
Which brain-based treatment targets the prefrontal cortex to alleviate depression symptoms?
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What is the primary focus of the Gestalt approach to problem solving?
What is the primary focus of the Gestalt approach to problem solving?
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What does cognitive reappraisal involve?
What does cognitive reappraisal involve?
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How does functional fixedness impair problem solving?
How does functional fixedness impair problem solving?
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What is a significant outcome of the attentional blink task with emotional stimuli?
What is a significant outcome of the attentional blink task with emotional stimuli?
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What is positive transfer in the context of problem solving?
What is positive transfer in the context of problem solving?
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Which of the following defines latent inhibition?
Which of the following defines latent inhibition?
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Which emotion is NOT considered one of the six universal emotions proposed by Ekman & Friesen?
Which emotion is NOT considered one of the six universal emotions proposed by Ekman & Friesen?
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At what age do infants typically begin to use eye-gaze cues to predict what others are thinking?
At what age do infants typically begin to use eye-gaze cues to predict what others are thinking?
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Which of the following cognitive abilities tends to improve with age due to accumulated knowledge?
Which of the following cognitive abilities tends to improve with age due to accumulated knowledge?
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How do cognitive processes influence emotional regulation?
How do cognitive processes influence emotional regulation?
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What technique is famously associated with methodical problem solving?
What technique is famously associated with methodical problem solving?
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What is the primary function of the amygdala in emotion processing?
What is the primary function of the amygdala in emotion processing?
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What is the primary function associated with procedural memory?
What is the primary function associated with procedural memory?
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What effect does Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS) have on cognitive abilities?
What effect does Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS) have on cognitive abilities?
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What key milestone marks the development of Theory of Mind (ToM)?
What key milestone marks the development of Theory of Mind (ToM)?
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What is a key feature of statistical learning in infants?
What is a key feature of statistical learning in infants?
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What does the 'low road' pathway of the amygdala involve?
What does the 'low road' pathway of the amygdala involve?
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What is the main reason why adults may struggle with skills relying on procedural learning?
What is the main reason why adults may struggle with skills relying on procedural learning?
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What is the effect of emotional memories on memory consolidation?
What is the effect of emotional memories on memory consolidation?
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In the Marshmallow Test, what cognitive ability is primarily being measured?
In the Marshmallow Test, what cognitive ability is primarily being measured?
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How do cultural differences affect perceptual tasks between Western and Eastern cultures?
How do cultural differences affect perceptual tasks between Western and Eastern cultures?
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Which factor is a positive influence on cognitive health in older age?
Which factor is a positive influence on cognitive health in older age?
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What does the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis suggest about language?
What does the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis suggest about language?
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What do longer looking times in infants, as shown in Baillargeon's studies, suggest?
What do longer looking times in infants, as shown in Baillargeon's studies, suggest?
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What is clustering in the context of cognitive strategies?
What is clustering in the context of cognitive strategies?
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In which aspect does declarative memory typically peak during development?
In which aspect does declarative memory typically peak during development?
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What is the primary characteristic of cognitive decline related to aging?
What is the primary characteristic of cognitive decline related to aging?
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What best describes the understanding of others' beliefs in false-belief tasks?
What best describes the understanding of others' beliefs in false-belief tasks?
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Study Notes
Insight vs. Non-Insight Problem Solving
- Insight problems: Characterized by a sudden "aha!" moment, preceded by ~300ms of high-frequency brain activity. Right hemisphere activity is involved, integrating distant associations unconsciously.
- Non-insight problems: Characterized by a gradual increase in "warmth" (subjective feeling of nearing the solution). Left hemisphere activity focused on closely connected associations.
- Metcalfe and Wiebe (1987): Insight problems show little progress until the "aha!" moment, whereas non-insight problems display increasing "warmth."
Gestalt Approach & Problem Solving
- Gestalt approach: Emphasizes restructuring, analogies, and a combination of insight and methodical problem-solving strategies.
- Methodical problem-solving: Approaches like Means-End Analysis (Newell & Simon) involve creating sub-goals to bridge the current state to the goal state.
Obstacles to Problem Solving
- Functional fixedness: Inability to see novel uses for objects (e.g., Duncker's candle problem).
- Mental set: Preconceived notions hindering problem-solving flexibility.
- Expertise: Expert problem-solvers leverage domain-specific knowledge, pattern recognition, and automatic processes.
Positive and Negative Transfer
- Positive transfer: Solving previous problems can facilitate subsequent problem-solving.
- Negative transfer: Solving earlier problems can hinder the solution of later ones.
Functional Fixedness (Duncker’s Candle Problem)
- Functional fixedness: Difficulty in perceiving novel functions for familiar objects.
- Example: Participants in the candle problem struggled to use a box as a support because of its container function.
Latent Inhibition & Cognitive Flexibility
- Latent inhibition: Ability to filter out irrelevant stimuli; lower latent inhibition correlates with creativity.
- Relevance: Impacts both convergent (single solution) and divergent (multiple solutions) thinking.
TDCS & Divergent Thinking
- Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS): A brain stimulation technique that can enhance divergent thinking by stimulating the prefrontal cortex and promoting cognitive flexibility.
Mental Illness and Creativity
- Mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder): Individuals with these conditions may be overrepresented in creative professions.
- Latent inhibition: Reduced latent inhibition is potentially linked to enhanced creativity in some individuals with mental illnesses.
Savants and Creativity
- Savants: Individuals with exceptional specialized abilities often have abnormalities or damage in the anterior temporal lobe (ATL).
- Research (Chi & Snyder, 2011, 2012): Used TMS to explore creative problem-solving by comparing those with typical ATL function and those with damage/dysfunction.
Practical Creativity
- Combination of insight and method: Problem-solving often requires both sudden insights and methodical trial-and-error.
- Expertise and novices: Effective problem-solving benefits from specialized knowledge and pattern recognition compared to general strategies.
Creativity in Problem Solving
- Convergent thinking: Focuses on finding a single best solution.
- Divergent thinking: Aims to generate multiple potential solutions.
Decision-Making, Reasoning, and Judgment
- Types of decisions: Little decisions (everyday choices) vs. big decisions (substantial life choices).
- Decision-making process: Weighing benefits and costs of each alternative.
- Expected Utility Theory (Gamble example): Decisions should maximize expected utility (potential benefit minus cost).
- Complexity in decision making: Variables involve opportunity cost, probability, payoff, effort, context, preference.
- Decision categories: Life-sustaining vs. non-life-sustaining but important; pleasure-related.
Decision Making Towards a Goal
- Goal planning and evaluation: A series of decisions and evaluations needed to reach a defined goal.
Conditional Syllogisms
- Example: Logical reasoning examples demonstrating valid vs. invalid structures.
Wason Selection Task
- Task examples: Illustrating how social context can affect the ability to test rules.
Evolutionary Roots of Logical Thinking
- Social exchange theory: Reasoning about social rules likely evolved to enhance cooperation.
- Game theory: Used to analyze strategic decision-making.
Dual Process Theory in Decision Making
- System 1 (fast): Intuitive and automatic thinking, prone to biases.
- System 2 (slow): Logical and effortful thinking, utilized for complex problems.
Heuristics in Decision Making
- Heuristics: Cognitive shortcuts that simplify decisions but can lead to biases.
- Examples: Availability heuristic, representativeness heuristic.
Inductive Reasoning
- Inductive reasoning: Generalizing from specific observations.
Emotion and Risk
- Expected emotions: Anticipating the emotional impact of a decision (e.g., regret).
- Risk aversion: Avoiding potential losses due to negative emotions.
- Ultimatum game: Illustrates how fairness and emotions can override rational decisions.
Moral Decision-Making
- Trolley problem: Examining different ways of reasoning in moral dilemmas.
Deductive Reasoning
- Syllogisms: Logical structure-based reasoning (e.g., all A are B, all B are C).
Emotion
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Low-road vs. high-road processing:
- Low road (fast): Immediate, automatic emotional response.
- High road (slow): More cognitive appraisal, conscious control of responses.
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Emotion and attention: Emotional stimuli are more noticeable than neutral stimuli.
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Cognitive appraisals in emotional response: Emotions are shaped by evaluations of situations.
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Emotion and cognition interaction: Cognitive biases influence emotional responses.
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Emotion regulation: Managing and controlling emotional states. Prefrontal Cortex plays a critical role in this.
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Cognition and emotion in psychopathology (e.g., depression): Negative cognitive biases and attentional and executive control deficits are linked to depression.
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Brain-based treatments for depression: Techniques like TMS, DBS, and TDCS target the brain and cognitive processes.
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Positive psychology and emotional neuroscience: Research on brain activity relating to positive emotions (e.g., left prefrontal cortex activity associated with happiness).
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Universal emotions: Recognized across cultures.
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Amygdala’s role in emotion: Central to processing emotions, especially fear. Its fast and slow pathway processing is important in threat detection.
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Top-down emotional regulation (e.g., cognitive reappraisal vs. suppression): Different approaches to controlling emotions have differing effects.
Development
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Infant cognitive development: Infants learn via familiarity, preferentially listening, statistical learning of sounds.
- Statistical learning examples: Infants detect patterns and regularities without explicit instruction, applying to both language and visual environments.
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Statistical learning & procedural memory: Early and stable procedural memory contributes to development.
- Procedural vs. declarative memory: Comparison of memory types.
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Joint attention & theory of mind (ToM): Development of awareness of other people’s mental states. Crucial milestones are around ages 1 and 4-5. False-belief tasks are useful in testing theory of mind development.
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Development and aging in adulthood: Cognitive changes throughout the lifespan, highlighting overall processing declines in older adulthood.
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Executive function development in children: Growth and maturation of the frontal lobe contribute to inhibitory control, working memory, and planning skills (demonstrated via tasks such as the Marshmallow Test).
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Factors influencing development: Habituation and looking time demonstrate cognitive development in infants & statistical learning across infancy.
Cross-Cultural Cognition
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Culture and cognition: Culture impacts how individuals perceive, interpret, and remember information.
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Cultures and language: Language systems influence how cultures approach cognitive tasks.
- Categorization and perception: The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis illustrates the influence of language on categorization of (e.g., colors). The Himba tribe's color terms showcase this.
- Analytical (Western) vs. Holistic (Eastern) thinking styles: Differences in how people perceive objects and relationships in the world.
- Short-term memory (STM) differences across cultures: Deaf individuals show variations depending on if they utilize visual or verbal coding.
- Critical cross-cultural research considerations: Recognizing biases and challenges inherent in comparing cultures.
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Cultures and language: Language systems influence how cultures approach cognitive tasks.
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Memory strategies and clustering: Cultural influences on memory strategies (e.g., clustering).
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Cultural influences on perception and memory: Cultures shape cognitive processes, including how people perceive, interpret, and remember information.
Studying That Suits You
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Description
Explore the differences between insight and non-insight problem solving through the Gestalt approach. This quiz discusses the neurological aspects, strategies, and obstacles involved in each type. Test your understanding of Metcalfe and Wiebe's findings and problem-solving methods.
