Cognition

Question 1

What is cognitive psychology?

Answer 1

Area of psychology that studies mental processes such as thinking, memory, planning, reasoning, attention and perception.

Question 2

what is Inattentional blindness?

Answer 2

Failure to see something we’re looking at, occurs because attention is preoccupied.

Question 3

Example of Inattentional blindness

Answer 3

Basketball video (Simons & Chabris, 1999)

Question 4

Is Inattentional blindness in the eyes or brain?

Answer 4

In the brain.

Eye tracking can show where people are directing their eyes - People who didn’t see unexpected item looked at it as often as those who did!!!

Question 5

What is change blindness?

Answer 5

We’re very bad at noticing even large changes, failure to update representations between views.

Question 6

Example of change blindness

Answer 6

Plane - engine disappearing

Question 7

What is a feature search?

Answer 7

• Any certain features always noticed
• Visual pop out: The idea that some basic features don’t need attention to be seen

Question 8

What is a conjunction search?

Answer 8

• May be primitive features
• When you are combining features together, to find those items you need to use your selective attention
• Have to look around in a serial manner to find the bit that changed.

Question 9

What is the Feature Integration Theory?

Answer 9

Certain basic features are processed automatically (don’t have to think about it) and in parallel (process the entire visual field at once, not one object at a time)

Question 10

Example of the Feature Integration Theory

Answer 10

You instantly notice a red dot among blue dots — your brain detects the color difference without effort.

Question 11

What is top-down attention

Answer 11

Voluntary, purposeful, strategic directing of attention.

Question 12

Example of top-down attention

Answer 12

Finding a friend in a crowd when you know that they are wearing red.

Question 13

What is bottom-up attention

Answer 13

Reflexive, some things seem to grab attention on their own

Question 14

Example of bottom-up attention

Answer 14

A fire alarm - not because we were looking for it but because it jumped out at us

Question 15

What is the cocktail party effect?

Answer 15

We can pay attention to one conversation in a noisy room, and seemingly “tune out” the others…except we’ll usually hear if someone says our name!

Question 16

What is the dot-probe task and what does it study?

Answer 16

• Dots shown on left & right of screen, participants need to say which side, responses as fast as possible (speeded)
• Before dot appears there are 2 images (one emotional, one neutral)
• Most drawn to emotional image
• Measures attentional bias

Question 17

What is attentional bias?

Answer 17

Bias toward emotionally threatening over neutral images in people with anxiety

(People with anxiety: faster to notice negative emotions (like anger or fear), slower to stop looking at them or shift attention away)

Question 18

What is the emotion-induced blindness task?

Who developed it?

Answer 18

A series of images - task is to look for the rotated image

Steve Most (NSW)

Question 19

our attention ‘prioritises’ things that are ________.

Answer 19

emotional

Question 20

What is memory?

Answer 20

The processes that allow us to
record, store, and later retrieve
experiences and information.

Question 21

What is encoding/recording?

Answer 21

The process of taking in information and converting it into a form the brain can store and later retrieve.
It’s the first step in creating a memory.

Question 22

What is storage?

Answer 22

The process of keeping encoded information in the brain over time, so it can be used later.

Question 23

What is retrieval?

Answer 23

The process of accessing and bringing stored information back into conscious awareness when you need it.

Question 24

Three stage model of memory (TSMOM) - Explain sensory memory

Answer 24

The first stage — where information from the environment enters through the senses (sight, sound, etc.)

A brief, high capacity, representation of what is being sensed:

• Iconic: visual sensory memory (lasts about 1⁄4 of a second)
• Echoic: auditory sensory memory (lasts about 2-4 seconds)

Question 25

TSMOM - Explain working memory

Answer 25

A limited capacity system that temporarily stores and processes information Information will last about 20-30 seconds if not being used/actively processed

Question 26

Examples of working memory

Answer 26

(Luck & Vogel, 1997) - show dots, take it away, is it in the same spot? Rehearsal helps keep information in working memory (repeating information to yourself)

Question 27

What is Amnesia?

Answer 27

Amnesia is a memory disorder that involves partial or total loss of memory, typically caused by damage to the brain, trauma, or psychological factors.

Question 28

TSMOM - Explain long term memory

Answer 28

Has no known capacity, transfers memory into long-term storage

Question 29

Explain the primacy effect

Answer 29

Items that were made their way into long term memory store (first one on a list you are trying to remember usually

Question 30

Explain therecency effect

Answer 30

Working memory, usually last words show on a list you are trying to remember

Question 31

Explain the Serial position effect

Answer 31

People tend to remember the first and last items in a list better than the middle items.

Question 32

What is explicit memory and an example

Answer 32

Requires conscious or intentional memory retrieval - Things you know, you know Example: Recalling the date of your friend's birthday.

Question 33

What is declarative memory and an example

Answer 33

Factual knowledge and includes two subcategories: - episodic (personal experiences) - semantic (general factual knowledge) Example: Knowing that the Earth orbits the Sun.

Question 34

What is implicit memory and an example

Answer 34

Influences our behaviour without conscious awareness. Example: Automatically feeling nervous when walking into an exam room, without consciously thinking about past experiences.

Question 35

What is procedural memory and an example

Answer 35

Involves skills and actions and classically conditioned response Example: Riding a bicycle without needing to think about the movements.

Question 36

What is a semantic network?

Answer 36

A semantic network is a structure of nodes and links where: - Nodes represent concepts or ideas (e.g., "dog," "animal," "pet"). - Links represent the relationships or associations between those concepts (e.g., "a dog is an animal").

Question 37

Explain 'depth of processing' and give an example.

Answer 37

Using elaboration * “Is the word presented in uppercase letters?” * “Does the word rhyme with ‘cloud’?” * Information with personal meaning & distinctive properties are also better remembered. Example: if you live on 'plant' street you will likely remember it.

Question 38

Explain 'Context-dependent memory' and give an example

Answer 38

Memory is improved when retrieval occurs in the same environment as encoding. Environmental cues present during learning can trigger memory during recall. Example: If you study in a library, you may recall the information better in the library.

Question 39

Explain 'State-dependent & Mood -congruent recall' and give an example

Answer 39

Easier to recall information when your internal state or mood at retrieval matches that during learning. Examples: State: Being caffeinated or sober Mood: Sad mood leads to recalling sad memories Retrieval Cues: State, mood, and environment all help trigger related memories.

Question 40

What is a 'Flashbulb memory' and an example

Answer 40

A vivid recollection of where you were and what you were doing when something emotional occurred; often high confidence in accuracy of memory Knowing exactly what you were doing when 9/11 happened.

Question 41

Explain long-term potentiation

Answer 41

* Memories are formed by a series of biochemical events that occur between and within neurons: synaptic change. * Long-term potentiation (LTP): Enduring increase in synaptic strength

Question 42

What is a hippocampus and what does it do?

Answer 42

Heavily involved in forming new memories Critical for spatial memory and navigation

Question 43

Explain how parts of the brain are involved in long term memory Include: Cortex,

Question 44

What is retrograde amnesia?

Answer 44

Memory loss for events that took place before the onset of amnesia.

Question 45

What is anterograde amnesia?

Answer 45

Memory loss for events that occur after the initial onset of amnesia. Still have memories from before but cannot make or store new ones.

Question 46

What is infantile amnesia?

Answer 46

Memory loss for early experiences. An exception is traumatic events (e.g. a car accident).

Question 47

Who is Clive Wearing and what happened to him? What type of amnesia did he have?

Answer 47

A musician who contracted a type of herpes that severely damaged his brain. Retrograd and anterograde amnesia. - He can remember playing piano (procedural) & only remembers his wife and that he has kids. - He has an intact procedural memory but very compromised explicit memory.

Question 48

Who is H.M (Henry Molaison) and what happened?

Answer 48

One of the most famous patients in the history of neuroscience and psychology - Suffered severe epilepsy, most of hippocampus & surrounding brain tissue removed. - Retrograd and anterograde amnesia. - His performance showed he was still able to store implicit, procedural memories (gain new procedural memories - learn new skills) EXPERIMENT - gave him task: shaped outline by 2 lines (close together) - he had to draw b/w lines not go over, look through a mirror. - did it over a no. of days, improving. - by 3rd day he forgot it again but made almost no errors. - a skill he has been able to learn even though having no memory of doing it before.

Question 49

What is dementia?

Answer 49

Impaired memory and other cognitive deficits caused by brain degeneration that interfere with normal daily functioning.

Question 50

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Answer 50

A progressive brain disorder that is the most common cause of dementia.

Question 51

What is Hyperthymestic Syndrome? Give an example.

Answer 51

A rare condition in which a person has an extraordinary ability to recall personal past events in vivid detail, often referred to as highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM). Example: Jill Price - can remember every day of her life since she was 14 years old. - more episodic.