PYSC 1001 Exam Notes (A) PDF

Thinking - Cognition: Internal mental processes including information processing, thinking, reasoning, and problem solving - Knowledge: body of information acquired through study, investigation, observation, and experience - Mental representati...

Thinking - Cognition: Internal mental processes including information processing, thinking, reasoning, and problem solving - Knowledge: body of information acquired through study, investigation, observation, and experience - Mental representations used to signify information: language, visual - Thoughts as images - Mental image: representation of any sensory experience stored in memory and can be retrieved for use later - E.g. Maps - Can be rotated, zoomed in or out, identify features - Children more likely to recall images: inability to symbolise experience - Adults use language, which begins to overwrite or interfere with ability to access visual images - Symbols of information containing gist - Autism: likely to use images - Thoughts as concepts - Concept formation not unique to humans - Pigeons peck at images of water with fish but not water without fish - Concepts as common features: e.g. dogs as furry animals with four legs - Flaw: there are always exceptions, either insufficient to describe the subject matter, or also describes other things - Flexible definition: group of instances that share overlapping features rather than checklist of features - Feature detection model: determining truthfulness of statements by considering overlapping features - Comparing features of something with a checklist of features - Problem: unclear boundary: different features under cultural differences, e.g.