Overview of Cognitive Psychology

Scope of Cognitive Psychology

• Cognition involves storing, transforming, and using knowledge.
• Cognitive psychology often is synonymous with the study of cognition.

Gestalt Psychology

• Emphasizes the human tendency to organize perceptual experiences.

Behaviorism

• Critiqued in the 1950s for only examining observable psychological processes.

Event Related Potential (ERP) Technique

• Used to study attention shifts in response to visual stimuli.

Donders' Findings

• Mental responses can be inferred from observable behavior.
• Choice reaction time (RT) is longer than simple RT.
• Discrimination RT is less than choice RT.

Laboratory Studies in Cognitive Psychology

• Limitations include studying cognitive processes in artificial environments removed from real-world contexts.

Connectionist Model

• Utilized for distinguishing between different stimuli.

Processing Types

• Serial processing involves handling one element at a time.
• Parallel processing involves multiple processes occurring simultaneously.

Cognitive Neuroscience

• Subfield integrating brain activity evidence with behavioral studies.

Cognitive Neuropsychology

• Investigates patients with specific cognitive deficits to enhance understanding of cognitive tasks.

Computational Cognitive Psychology

• Focuses on developing computer models to understand human cognitive performance.

Subtractivity

• Assumes that brain damage leads to impairments by subtracting brain functions without adding new pathways.

Meta-Analysis

• Combines findings from various studies to create a comprehensive view of specific topics.

Behaviorist Approach

• Concentrates on observable stimuli and behavior while neglecting internal mental processes.

Memory

• The hippocampus is the brain region most associated with memory.

Emotion

• The amygdala is primarily linked to emotional processing.

Consciousness

• The thalamus is involved in consciousness.

Brain Activity Observation

• fMRI captures brain changes over seconds to minutes; EEG detects changes in milliseconds.

Advantages of fMRI and EEG

• fMRI offers higher spatial resolution compared to EEG.

Computational Models in Cognition

• Provide clear, precise numerical descriptions, avoiding vague interpretations.

Perception

• Involves prior knowledge to interpret sensory stimuli.

Pattern Recognition

• The identification of arrangements of stimuli is termed pattern recognition.

Distinctive Features Model

• Difficulty distinguishing between certain letters supports the distinctive features theory.

Geon Example

• A three-dimensional cylinder is an example of a geon.

Bottom-Up Processing

• Highlights the role of sensory stimuli in pattern recognition.

Pattern Recognition Process

• Involves both top-down and bottom-up processes for comprehensive understanding.

Word Superiority Effect

• Identifying letters is more accurate within words than in isolation.

Prosopagnosia and Familiar Faces

• Galvanic skin responses indicate reactions to familiar faces in individuals with prosopagnosia.

Gestalt Psychology and Perception

• Figure-ground separation is essential before object identification.

Gestalt Laws of Perceptual Organization

• Law of Pragnanz: Simplest organization is perceived.
• Law of Proximity: Objects close to each other are grouped together.
• Law of Similarity: Items with similar characteristics are grouped.
• Law of Good Continuation: Lines are perceived as continuous.
• Law of Closure: Incomplete shapes are perceived as whole.

Perception Theories

• Direct perception theories follow bottom-up processing, emphasizing environmental stimuli.
• Constructive perception theories use top-down processing, where expectations shape perception.
• Template theories involve matching stimuli with retained templates in long-term memory.