Ch 4- Cognition, Consciousness, Language Flashcards
“The study of _____ looks at how our brains process and react to the incredible information overload presented to us by the world.”
Cognition
What are the 4 key components (pillars) of the information processing model?
- Thinking requires sensation, encoding, and storage of stimuli
- Stimuli must be analyzed by the brain (rather than responded to automatically) to be useful in decision-making
- Decisions made in one situation can be extrapolated and adjusted to help solve new problems (also called situational modification)
- Problem-solving is dependent not only on the person’s cognitive level, but also on the context and complexity of the problem”
“is the development of one’s ability to think and solve problems across the lifespan.”
Cognitive Development
_______ was one of the most influential figures in developmental psychology.
Jean Piaget
insisted that there are qualitative differences between the way that children and adults think, and thus divided the lifespan into four stages of cognitive development:”
sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.
How did page say infants learn?
Through instinctual interaction with the environment
What is a schema according to Jean Piaget?
“A schema can include a concept (What is a dog?), a behavior (What do you do when someone asks you your name?), or a sequence of events (What do you normally do in a sit-down restaurant?)”
“Piaget theorized that new information is processed via _______
Adaptation
Adaptation comes about by 2 complimentary processes: Assimilation and Accommodation
According to Piaget, ______ is the process of classifying new information into existing schemata. If the new information does not fit neatly into existing schemata, then accommodation occurs.
_________ is the process by which existing schemata are modified to encompass this new information.”
“Assimilation; Accommodation is the process by which existing schemata are modified to encompass this new information.”
What is the first stage of Piagets stages and what happens
“sensorimotor stage, starting at birth and lasting until about two years of age. In this stage, a child learns to manipulate his or her environment in order to meet physical needs.”
“Primary circular reactions are the repetition of a body movement that originally occurred by chance, such as sucking the thumb; usually, the behavior is repeated because the child finds it soothing. Secondary circular reactions occur when manipulation is focused on something outside the body, such as repeatedly throwing toys from a high chair. These behaviors are often repeated because the child gets a response from the environment (such as a parent picking up the dropped toy). ”
In the first stage of Piaget (Sensorimotor) what are the 2 different types of circular reactions? (named for their repetitive nature)
“Primary circular reactions are the repetition of a body movement that originally occurred by chance, such as sucking the thumb; usually, the behavior is repeated because the child finds it soothing.
Secondary circular reactions occur when manipulation is focused on something outside the body, such as repeatedly throwing toys from a high chair.
These behaviors are often repeated because the child gets a response from the environment (such as a parent picking up the dropped toy). ”
What is the key milestone that ends the sensorimotor stage (piaget)
Object permanence
“Object permanence marks the beginning of representational thought, in which the child has begun to create mental representations of external objects and events.”
“Object permanence marks the beginning of ________, in which the child has begun to create mental representations of external objects and events.”
Representational Thought
The pre-operatational stage lasts from what age and what is it characterized by
“lasts from about two to seven years of age, and is characterized by symbolic thinking, egocentrism, and centration.”
“Symbolic thinking refers to the ability to pretend, play make-believe, and have an imagination. Egocentrism refers to the inability to imagine what another person may think or feel. Centration is the tendency to focus on only one aspect of a phenomenon, or inability to understand the concept of conservation”
________ refers to the ability to pretend, play make-believe, and have an imagination.
_______ refers to the inability to imagine what another person may think or feel.
______ is the tendency to focus on only one aspect of a phenomenon, or inability to understand the concept of conservation”
“Symbolic thinking; Egocentrism; Centration
“The preoperational stage lasts from about two to seven years of age, and is characterized by symbolic thinking, egocentrism, and centration.”
The Concrete operational stage lasts from what age and what is it characterized by
7 to 11;
“In this stage, children can understand conservation and consider the perspectives of others. ”
So no egocentrism or contration
“Additionally, they are able to engage in logical thought as long as they are working with concrete objects or information that is directly available. These children have not yet developed the ability to think abstractly.”
The Formal operational stage lasts from what age and what is it characterized by
Starts at 11;
“marked by the ability to think logically about abstract ideas. Generally coinciding with adolescence, this stage is marked by the ability to reason
about abstract concepts and problem-solve.”
What is Piagets pendulum experiment?
“Children were given a pendulum in which they could vary the length of the string, the weight of the pendulum, the force of the push, and the height of the swing. They were asked to find out what determined the frequency of the swing. Children in the concrete operational stage manipulated the variables at random and even distorted the data to fit preconceived hypotheses. Adolescents, on the other hand, were able to hold all variables but one constant at a given time, proceeding methodically to discover that only the length of the string affects the frequency.
“Lev Vygotsky, a prominent educational psychologist proposed what relating to what drives cognitive development?
“proposed that the engine driving cognitive development is the child’s internalization of her culture, including interpersonal and societal rules, symbols, and language.”
Relating to intelligence, what are the 2 different types of intelligences and what are they?
“Fluid intelligence consists of problem-solving skills, while crystallized intelligence is more related to use of learned skills and knowledge. ”
“Fluid intelligence was shown to peak in early adulthood, while crystallized intelligence peaked in middle adulthood. Regardless, both types of intelligence have been shown to decline with age.”
“is rapid fluctuation in cognitive function that is reversible and caused by medical (nonpsychological) causes
Delirium
What is a mental set
“the tendency to approach problems in the same way.”
What is the first step to solving a problem?
Frame the problem (“create a mental image or schematic of the issue._ Then generate potential solution and begin to test them
What is Dunckers Candle Problem?
“You walk into a room and see a box of matches, some tacks, and a candle. Your task is to mount the candle on the wall so that it can be used without the wax dropping on the floor.”
Concept is Problem-solving can be impeded by an inappropriate mental set, as well as by functional fixedness”
“Functional fixedness can thus be defined as the inability to consider how to use an object in a nontraditional manner.”
In psychology what are 4 different types of problem solving?
- Trial and Error
- Algorithms
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning