Psychology Chapter 1: Course Intro

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Questions and Answers

What is the total weight of quizzes in the course assessments?

16% (correct)

20%

Which of the following assessments is cumulative?

Quizzes

Final Exam (correct)

Tests

None of the above

Which of the following is a technique used in cognitive psychology to study mental processes?

Literature reviews

Behavioral observations

Neuroimaging techniques (correct)

Surveys and questionnaires

What is the primary focus of cognitive psychology?

Internal mental processes Signup and view all the answers

How should students format their emails when communicating with the instructional team?

Include the course code and a brief description Signup and view all the answers

What demonstrates a conditioned stimulus in Little Albert's experiment?

The rat Signup and view all the answers

Which psychologist is known as the 'Father of Operant Conditioning'?

B.F. Skinner Signup and view all the answers

Operant conditioning primarily focuses on which aspect of behavior?

Voluntary behaviors Signup and view all the answers

What is a critical characteristic of cognitive psychology?

Examines internal mental processes Signup and view all the answers

What was one limitation of behaviorism that cognitive psychology aimed to overcome?

Exclusion of internal thought processes Signup and view all the answers

In the context of operant conditioning, what is the role of reinforcement?

To encourage repeated behaviors Signup and view all the answers

During which decades did cognitive psychology emerge as a prominent field?

1950s and 1960s Signup and view all the answers

How does classical conditioning differ from operant conditioning?

Operant conditioning focuses on voluntary responses whereas classical does not Signup and view all the answers

What does prototype theory rely on for understanding a category?

The most typical features of a category Signup and view all the answers

How do exemplars provide a basis for categorization?

By recalling specific instances experienced in the past Signup and view all the answers

What is a key difference between exemplars and prototypes?

Exemplars are based on specific instances while prototypes are average features Signup and view all the answers

What happens with category membership as one gains more experience?

Both exemplars and prototypes can aid in identifying membership Signup and view all the answers

How do atypical features affect category membership?

They depend on one's beliefs about the category Signup and view all the answers

What role does typicality play in category judgments?

It is significant but not always aligned with prototypes or exemplars Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes reasoning using exemplars?

It focuses on recalling specific instances experienced by the individual Signup and view all the answers

What factor influences how individuals judge resemblance between categories?

Beliefs about the essential characteristics of the category Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of the amygdala in memory consolidation?

It increases activity in the hippocampus during emotional events. Signup and view all the answers

What do flashbulb memories typically concern?

Highly emotional and extraordinary events. Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of people interviewed after the September 11 attack changed their accounts one year later?

37% Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon describes how discussion with others might alter a person's memory?

Co-witness contamination. Signup and view all the answers

What effect does physiological arousal during a traumatic event have on memory consolidation?

It increases the consolidation of the memory. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a factor that can lead to repressed or fragmented memories?

Enhanced rehearsal of the memory. Signup and view all the answers

How does time affect memory accuracy according to research on long-term remembering?

Memories remain equally well retained after 3 and 10 years. Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect of memory may be undermined under stress according to the information on traumatic memories?

Memory for emotionally significant details. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary characteristic of akinetopsia?

Normal vision with impaired motion perception Signup and view all the answers

Under which condition is binocular disparity a helpful depth cue?

When objects are relatively close to the viewer Signup and view all the answers

What does selective attention allow an individual to do?

Focus on a single input while ignoring others Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon describes the inability to notice stimuli directly in front of us due to strong selective attention?

Inattentional blindness Signup and view all the answers

What type of information can sometimes leak through the unattended channel during dichotic listening?

Physically salient characteristics, such as speaker's gender Signup and view all the answers

Which visual illusion creates the appearance of a bent pathway due to grid lines?

Stereokinetic effect Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of attention can influence how we respond to information?

Attention is influenced by the relevance of information to behavior Signup and view all the answers

What is one effect of selective attention during the cocktail party phenomenon?

Failure to remember one's own name when spoken Signup and view all the answers

What does inattentional blindness refer to?

The failure to see a prominent stimulus Signup and view all the answers

Which hypothesis states that only attended input is analyzed?

Early selection hypothesis Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used for the auditory equivalent of inattentional blindness?

Inattentional deafness Signup and view all the answers

How does the late selection hypothesis differ from the early selection hypothesis?

It proposes that selection occurs after all inputs are analyzed. Signup and view all the answers

What does biased competition theory propose about attention?

Attention creates a bias in neuron sensitivity towards attended stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

What explains why participants may not notice certain shapes in inattentional blindness studies?

Expectation leads to selective blindness Signup and view all the answers

What can often cause individuals to notice unattended auditory inputs, such as their name?

Priming of salient information Signup and view all the answers

What type of blindness involves failing to detect changes in a scene?

Change blindness Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Lecture 1: Course Intro/Evaluations (Chapter 1)

Lectures are in-person
Full slides are posted before lectures
Class times: Tues, Wed, Fri, 3:30 PM - 4:20 PM
Classroom: JHE 376
Textbook: Reisberg, D. (2021) Cognition: exploring the science of the mind
Assessments:
- Quizzes (4 x 4%): Non-cumulative - Sept 17, Oct 1, Nov 5, Nov 19
- Tests (2 x 25%): Non-cumulative - Oct 8, Dec 3
- Final Exam (34%): Cumulative - TBD by registrar
- All assessments combine multiple choice and written answers
Missing deadlines:
- Any missed assessment receives a grade of 0 unless MSAF is used
- For missed quizzes, weight is added to upcoming test
- For missed tests, weight is added to the exam
Instructor: Dr. Yasaman Jabbari ([email protected])
Teaching assistants: Xueqi (Catherine) Ao ([email protected]), Prabdeep Panesar ([email protected]), Rachel Simon ([email protected])
Office hours posted on A2L
Email subject lines should include PSYC 2H03 and a brief description of the inquiry
Allow 2 business days for response

Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology is crucial in understanding human behavior by studying internal mental processes like thinking, memory, perception, and problem-solving.
It's applied across various fields including healthcare, business, education, filmmaking, journalism, and law.

Lecture 2: Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology emerged in the 1950s/1960s due to limitations of earlier traditions (introspectionism and behaviorism).
Introspectionism focused on internal thoughts but had limitations in terms of objectivity and observation.
Behaviorism focused on observable behavior, but ignored internal mental processes.
Important figures/approaches:
- Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener (structuralism)
- John Watson
- Noam Chomsky
- Immanuel Kant (transcendental method)

Lecture 3: Visual Perception (Chapter 3)

Light travels through the cornea - lens to the retina
Retina consists of photoreceptors (rods and cones).
Rods are for low light levels and peripheral vision.
Cones provide high acuity and color vision, mainly in the fovea.
Bipolar and ganglion cells transmit visual information.

Lecture 4: Attention (Chapter 5)

Attention is a cognitive process to select, modulate, and focus relevant information.
Selective attention allows focusing on one task while ignoring others
Dichotic listening and the "cocktail party effect" illustrate selective attention's ability.
Inattentional blindness is the inability to see prominent stimuli when attention is elsewhere, Inattentional deafness & numbness are the auditory and haptic equivalents.
Change blindness is the failure to notice significant changes in a scene.

Lecture 5: Memory 1 (Chapter 6)

Memory: acquisition, storage, and retrieval.
Analogous to creating a file in a computer
The Modal Model (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968):
- Sensory memory: fleeting information (iconic/echoic).
- Short-term memory: limited capacity information (Working Memory).
- Long-term memory: permanent/very large capacity storage.
Updating the Modal Model with concept of working memory
Sensory memory plays a minor role.
Short-term memory updated to working memory
Memory operates as a dynamic processing system

Lecture 6: Memory 2 (Additional Memory Types)

Working vs Long-term memory
The concept of working memory is updated from short-term memory.
Long-term memory is comprised of long-lasting/enduring memories broken down into explicit (conscious) and implicit (unconscious) memories

Lecture 7: Memory 3 (Chapter 8)

Memory Errors
Cargo plane crash (1992) and how participants' memories of an event are prone to errors and contamination
Causes and mechanisms of forgetting
- Decay theory of forgetting
- Interference theory
- Retrieval failure
- The roles of context and perspectives on remembering

Lecture 8: Concepts and Categories (Chapter 9)

Concepts aid in applying general knowledge to new cases and conclusions
Concept of a "dog" is based on definitional understanding or on a combination of features
The problem with formal definitions is flexibility
Conceptual and Categorization Models
- Prototype Theory - comparing to an ideal/average form of a concept or category
- Exemplar Theory - based on specific examples

Lecture 9: Language (Chapter 10)

Propositional Networks
Basic concept network of propositions
Propositions are smallest units of knowledge

Lecture 10: Concepts and Categories 2 (Chapter 9)

Basic-level categories: categories that are privileged and easily accessible.
These categories mediate understanding and inferences from existing knowledge.

Additional Concepts to Review

Embodied Cognition
Flashbulb Memories
Memory Confidence/Confidence-Based Errors
Memory Errors/Memory Failures/Misinformation
Source Memory vs Familiarity

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Description

This quiz covers the introductory content of PSYC 2H03, including course structure, assessment methods, and important deadlines. Familiarize yourself with the key elements such as quizzes, tests, and the final exam to succeed in the course.