Cognitive Psychology Past Papers PDF

Week 1: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology Mind - A system that creates representations of the world so that we can act within it to achieve our goals. Cognition - The mental processes such as perception, attention, and memory, which is what the mind creates....

Week 1: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology Mind - A system that creates representations of the world so that we can act within it to achieve our goals. Cognition - The mental processes such as perception, attention, and memory, which is what the mind creates. Cognitive Psychology - Is the study of how people perceive, learn, remember and think about information. All of the why’s of how’s of the world. Founding Science of Cognitive Psychology Wilhelm Wundt Professor of biology in Germany fascinated by human consciousness. First psychology laboratory at the university of Leipzig in 1879. Father of Psychology Edward Titchener Student of Wundt, professor at Cornell University Groundwork for the study of consciousness and Experimental Psychology. Structuralism - Every experience of the mind can be broken down into its constituent part. Introspection - A method of looking inwardly at one’s conscious experiences. intro - inward spectares - look John Henry Alston Best known for his studies of the sensations of heat and cold. Focus: Experimental Psychology/Educational Psychology University of North Caroline, 1920 Gestalt Psychology Human consciousness meaningfully broken down into raw elements. “The whole is different from the sum of its parts.” Max Wertheimer (early to mid 20th century), Germany, later the US A professor of psychology at the University of Frankfort in 1900’s Has different views from structuralists. Functions of Conscious Mind Functionalism - mind’s primary purpose is to help humans adapt to their environment. William James (late 19th to early 20th century) First taught “psychology” course at Harvard University “The Principles of Psychology” on 1980 Father of American Psychology Cognitive Psychology - The branch of psychology dedicated to studying how people think. Herman Ebbinghaus (late 19th to early 20th) Developed methods for studying memory. Invented nonsense syllables. Sigmund Freud (19th to early 20th century) Austrian physician who practiced neurology. Born in Vienna, Austria Father of Psychoanalysis Psychoanalytic Theory - first force of psychology. Psychoanalysis The belief that everyone has unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories. Psychoanalysis therapy aims to release repressed emotions and experiences. Behaviorism and Social Learning Theory - behaviorists studies adaptive value of learning from experience. Ivan Pavlov (late 19th to early 20th century, Russia) - classical conditioning. John B. Watson (early to mid 20th century, US) – Father of Behaviorism (The Little Albert experiment) Albert Bandura (mid to late 20th century) Social Learning Theory. Bobo Doll experiment(1961). 36 boys 36 girls. 3-6 years old, 3 groups Aggressive, Non-aggressive, No Model Humanistic Psychology Founders: Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, Victor Frankl Believes that human beings determine their own after through the conscious decisions their make. Week 2: Cognitive Models of Intelligence Intelligence - is the capacity to learn from experience, using metacognitive processes to enhance learning. 1. Capacity to learn from experience - based on past interactions and experience. 2. The ability to adapt to surrounding environment - responses to changing circumstances or new information. John B. Carroll (1916-2003) An american educational psychologist who created the three-stratum model of intelligence. Student of Goodenough and Skinner. ▪ Stratum I. Specific Abilities - vocabulary knowledge, arithmetic computation, reaction time, spelling proficiency. ▪ Stratum II. Broad Abilities - fluid and crystalized intelligence, general memory and learning, broad visual and auditory perception, broad retrieval ability, broad cognitive and processing speed. Fluid Intelligence - abstractly, reason quickly, and solve new problems (tends to decline with age). Crystalized Intelligence - past experiences and education (improves with age). ▪ Stratum III. General Intelligence (G factor) - academic development, problem solving, learning new skills, multi-tasking. Howard Gardner - american cognitive psychologist who created the Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Theory of Multiple Intelligences - which intelligence comprises multiple independent constructs, not just a single, unitary constructs. 1) Linguistic Intelligence - used in reading a book; writing a paper, novel, or a poem; and understanding spoken words. 2) Logical-Mathematical Intelligence - used in solving math problems, in balancing a check-book, in solving mathematical proof, and in logic reasoning. 3) Spatial Intelligence - perceive the visual word accurately and use perceptions to recreate visual experience. 4) Musical Intelligence - used in singing a song, composing a sonata, playing a trumpet, or even appreciating the structure or a piece of music. 5) Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence - used in dancing, playing basketball, running a mile, or throwing a javelin. 6) Interpersonal Intelligence - used in relating to other people, such as when we try to understand another’s person’s behavior, motives, or emotions. 7) Intrapersonal Intelligence - used in understanding ourselves, the basis for understanding what we are and our interests. 8) Naturalists Intelligence - used in understanding patterns in nature. 9) Existential Intelligence - sensitivity to issues related to meaning of life, death, and other aspects of the human condition. Robert Sternberg (Dec. 12, 1949. 74 yrs. old) - an American psychologist who worked theories on love, intelligence, and creativity. Sternberg Test Of Mental Ability (STOMA) 1. Creative Abilities (Experiential Intelligence) - are used to generate novel ideas. 2. Analytical Abilities (Componential Intelligence) - ascertain whether your ideas are good ones. 3. Practical Abilities (Contextual Intelligence) - are used to implement the ideas and persuade others of their value. Week 3: Memory Process Ulric Richard Gustav Neisser (1928-1012) - the German-American psychologist who discovered how the mind thinks and works, also known as the father of Cognitive Psychology. Cognitive Psychology Scientific method to study human mind Cognitive Models Mental processes: perception, attention, memory, etc. Memory - the ability or power of our mind to store the past experiences of learning and utilizing them at later stage. 1) Sensory Memory - briefest form of memory that captures every information (15-30 secs). 2) Short-term Memory - holds information temporarily (around 20-30 secs). 3) Long-term Memory - storage of information over extended periods (from hours to lifetime). ▪ Autobiographical Memory - memory for specific experiences from our life (long-term storage of facts and events). Longer-term Memory Explicit (declarative) - Episodic (experienced events) and Semantic (knowledge and concepts) Implicit (non-declarative) - Procedural (skills and actions) and Emotional Conditioning. Semantic Memory “just the facts” - storehouse of permanent knowledge such as meanings of words in a language. Episodic Memory “this is me” - long-term storage of information regarding past experiences. past information or events Reminisce Bump - the enhanced memory for adolescence and young adulthood. Why Reminisce Bump occurs? 1. Identity Formation 2. First Experiences - first of many things in life (e.g: do you still remember your first love?) 3. Cognitive Development - fully developed: hippocampus and prefrontal cortex 4. Emotional Intensity - emotionally charged events are easier to remember. 5. Flashbulb Memories - refers to a person’s memory for the circumstances surrounding shocking, highly charged events (James Kulik and Roger Brown, 1977) Narrative rehearsal hypothesis (Ulric Neisser and coworkers, 1996) - we may remember events not because of a special mechanism but because we rehearse events after they occur. The Constructive Nature of Memory Constructed Memory - based on what happened + knowledge, experiences, and expectations. Source Monitoring - the process of determining the origins of our memories, knowledge, and beliefs. External, Internal, Reality Source Monitoring Error/Source Misattributions - misidentifying the source of a memory. fallibility of human memory. Types of Source Monitoring Errors Misattribution of Memory - misidentification of the origin of a memory by the person making the memory recall. Cryptomnesia - involves the unconscious influence of memory that causes current thoughts to be wrongfully attributed as novel. False Memories - fabricated or distorted recollection of an event. such memories maybe entirely false or imaginary. Reality Monitoring - confusions between real and imagined experiences. Illusory Truth Effect - the enhanced probability of evaluating a statement as being true upon repeated presentation. “Human Memory is Fallible”  Week 4: Research Methods and Cognitive Neuroscience Metacognition - people’s understanding and control of their own thinking process. ▪ Metacognitive Knowledge and Metacognitive Regulation Cultural Intelligence (CQ) - describe a person’s ability to adapt to a variety of challenges in diverse cultures. Theory - is an organized body of general explanatory principles regarding a phenomenon, usually based on observations. Hypothesis - tentative proposals regarding expected empirical consequences of the theory, such as outcomes of research. Thesis is a statement of belief that represents an initial idea, proposition, or concept it is the starting point of a discussion or argument Thesis: “Technology improves human productivity and quality of life.” Synthesis integrates the most credible features of each two views. Synthesis: “Technology should be used responsibly to enhance productivity while encouraging critical thinking and self-reliance.” Antithesis is a statement that counters a previous statement or belief. Antithesis: “Technology leads to dependency and reduces critical thinking. Distinctive Research Methods 1. Controlled Laboratory Experiments - obtain samples of performance at a particular time and place. 2. Psychobiological Research - used to understand how psychological and biological connections shape the human cognition. 3. Self-reports (e.g. Verbal Protocols, Self- Rating, Diaries) - obtain participants’ reports of own cognition in progress or as recollected. 4. Case Studies - engage in intensive study of single individuals, drawing general conclusions about behavior. 5. Naturalistic Observation - observe real-life situations (classroom, home). 6. Computer Simulation and Artificial Intelligence - attempt to make computers simulate human cognitive performance on various tasks. Cognitive Neuroscience Cognitive neuroscience - Is the field of study linking the brain and other aspects of the nervous system to cognitive processing and, ultimately, to behavior. Brain - is the organ in our bodies that most directly controls our thoughts, emotions, and motivations. Localization of function refers to the specific areas of the brain that control specific skills or behaviors. Nervous system - Is the basis for our ability to perceive, adapt to, and interact with the world around us. Gross Anatomy of the Brain: Forebrain - Is the region of the brain located toward the top and front of the brain. Cerebral cortex - is the outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres. Basal Ganglia (singular: ganglion) are collections of neurons crucial to motor function. BASAL GANGLIA (BASAL NUCLEI) ▪ Cerebral Cortex- decides on body movement. ▪ Basal Ganglia - millions of nerve cell bodies and execute smooth movements. Limbic System is important to emotion, motivation, memory, and learning. Septum - involved in anger and fear. Amygdala - plays an important role in emotion as well, especially in anger and aggression. Hippocampus - plays an essential role in memory formation. ▪ Korsakoff’s syndrome: a disease that produces loss of memory function due to damaged or removal of hippocampus. Thalamus - relays incoming sensory information through groups of neurons that project to the appropriate region in the cortex. The Midbrain helps to control eye movement and coordination. Superior Colliculi (on top) - involved in vision (especially visual reflexes). Inferior Colliculi (below) - involved in hearing. Reticular activating system (also extends into the hindbrain) - important in controlling consciousness (sleep arousal), attention, cardiorespiratory function, and movement. The Hindbrain is a significant brain region that is connected to the midbrain and spinal cord. Cerebellum - essential to balance, coordination, and muscle tone. Pons - involved in consciousness (sleep and arousal). Medulla oblongata - serves as juncture at which nerves cross from one side of the body to opposite side of the brain. Hemispheric Specialization Marc Dax (1836) Treated more than 40 patients suffering from aphasia-loss of speech. Saw that in every case there had been damage to the left hemisphere of the brain. Paul Broca (1861) Left hemisphere of the brain is critical in speech. Broca’s area Carl Wernicke (1861) He work on patients with language comprehension issues. Language ability to the left hemisphere (Wernicke’s area). Karl Spencer Lashley (1915) Father of Neuropsychology, known for his research regarding the memory and brain function. Studied localization of the brain. Lobes of the Brain Each of the hemispheres has been divided into four lobes: frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital. Frontal lobe - higher executive functions including emotional regulation, planning, reasoning and problem solving occur. Parietal lobe - responsible for integrating sensory information, including touch, temperature, pressure and pain. Temporal lobe (primary auditory cortex) - auditory information from the ears; process information so we understand what we’re hearing. Occipital lobe (primary visual cortex) - the major visual processing center in the brain.