Exam 1

Question 1

What are the modern assumptions of cognitive psych?

Answer 1

1) mental processes exist
2) humans are active info processors
3) time and accuracy measures show how processes and structures work
4) humans are limited processors of info

Question 2

Who first proposed that the mind’s perspectives are actually a function of the state of nerves in the brain

Answer 2

Johannes Muller

Question 3

Approach that says humans not only respond to stimuli, but process the information they receive

Answer 3

Information-Processing Theory

Question 4

term for degree of abstraction useful in describing an operation (ions, nuclei in the brain) ( movement of electrons, circuit diagrams in computers)

Answer 4

level

Question 5

Types of information processing (what the brain is doing at a level of analysis):

Answer 5

storage, manipulation, transformation

Question 6

States that the description at one level can’t be replaced by description at another level (not interchangeable)

Answer 6

critical notation

Question 7

related positive pairs pair the fastest

Answer 7

Semantic Priming

Question 8

normal target conditions related to similar words faster than nonword (abnormal primes)

Answer 8

Response Priming

Question 9

Specifying the correct combo of structures involved and the processes needed for a trait

Answer 9

Identifiability

Question 10

whether a theory is valid, following the test

Answer 10

Adequacy

Question 11

limits the structure-process trade-offs so that representations are processes aren’t modified too much

Answer 11

Constraints

Question 12

Modern cognitive researches uses these 2 main methods:

Answer 12

1) systematic experimentation (using operational definitions)
2) control of confounding factors

Question 13

Data sources for cognitive psych

Answer 13

1) Phenomenological (experience)
2) Correlational neural methods ( blood flow recordings)
3) Causal neural methods (tumor, brain area removed)
4) Chronometrics (reaction times, neuroimaging)
5) Accuracy (precent correct)

Question 14

Three difficulties in measuring RT and accuracy data:

Answer 14

1) Expectancy effects
2) Structure-process trade-offs
3) Speed-Accuracy trade-offs

Question 15

Human patterns of cognition are not passive but….

Answer 15

Active

Question 16

Is positive or negative info processed better?

Answer 16

positive

Question 17

The initial process of detecting and coding (ambiguous) environmental info

Answer 17

sensation

Question 18

result of psychological processes where meaning, relationships, context, judgements, experiences, and memory play a role

Answer 18

perception

Question 19

Common problems with perception

Answer 19

TMI- too much info
TLI- too little info

Question 20

processing that begins with stimulation of receptors

Answer 20

bottom-up

Question 21

processing begins with prior knowledge or expectations that modifies initial response

Answer 21

top-down

Question 22

type of nervous system coding where different stimuli alter the activity of different neurons

Answer 22

spatial coding

Question 23

type of nervous system coding where the intensity of stimulation is encoded by neural firing

Answer 23

temporal coding

Question 24

The region of the retina that must be illuminated to obtain a response in any given neuron

Answer 24

The Receptive Field

Question 25

how does the visual system respond to contrast?

Answer 25

maximally

Question 26

Dual task of the visual system:

Answer 26

Maintain generality while also being able to respond to specific environmentally important stimuli

Question 27

The series of neurons that communicate info from the retina to the cortex

Answer 27

Retino-Geniculo-Cortical Pathway

Question 28

The reduction of a response from ganglion cells neighbors due to stimulation

Answer 28

lateral inhibition

Question 29

perceptual conséquences of lateral inhibition

Answer 29

edge enhancement brightness illusion

Question 30

specialized neurons in what area results in parallel processing?

Answer 30

Area VI

Question 31

The what system

Answer 31

identifies visual objects

Question 32

The where system

Answer 32

location of objects and guiding actions

Question 33

location of the what system

Answer 33

occipital-temporal pathways

Question 34

location of the where system

Answer 34

occipital-parietal pathways

Question 35

neural firing is only synchronized for...

Answer 35

attended stimuli

Question 36

examples of top-down processing

Answer 36

odor intensity perception, speech segmentation, regularities, schemas

Question 37

Principles that say many stimuli are ambiguous and ability to interpret relies on similarity, proximity, good continuation, closure, and simplicity

Answer 37

Gestalt Principles

Question 38

Associative Agnosia

Answer 38

condition where the patient can see but not link the input to visual knowledge -can draw from memory -perceive an object, but not recognize it

Question 39

Apperceptive Agnosia

Answer 39

patient can perceive an objects features but can't accurately bind them to perceive the object as a whole

Question 40

small elements that result from organized perception of form

Answer 40

features

Question 41

Integrative Agnosia

Answer 41

patient has difficulty seeing how multiple features are bound together

Question 42

Influences on errors:

Answer 42

1) regularity 2) well-formedness

Question 43

recent firing results in higher starting activation (warm-up effect)

Answer 43

recency

Question 44

frequent firing results in higher starting activation (exercise effect)

Answer 44

frequency

Question 45

In recognition, perfect accuracy is sacrificed for.....

Answer 45

efficiency

Question 46

Most common form of specialized recognition

Answer 46

Face Recognition

Question 47

type of agnosia known as face blindness

Answer 47

Prosopagnosia

Question 48

"super-recognizers"

Answer 48

are extremely accurate at recognizing faces but have no other perceptual or memory based advantages that we know of

Question 49

concentration of mental activity, limiting what is taken in externally and processed internally

Answer 49

Attention

Question 50

Detects unexpected but important events without interfering with important current processing

Answer 50

Attention task

Question 51

How does Reisberg describe attention?

Answer 51

As an achievement

Question 52

Why can't we process all the info in from of us?

Answer 52

We have limited capacity and once we reach that capacity performance declines (circular logic)

Question 53

List some problems associated with ADHD:

Answer 53

difficulty sustaining attention failure to finish tasks avoidance of sustained efforts distracted by stimuli failure to pay close attention

Question 54

The three attentional networks:

Answer 54

1) alerting 2) orienting 3) executive

Question 55

Network of sustained attention, vigilance, alertness

Answer 55

Alerting network

Question 56

Network where specific info is selected from multiple stimuli

Answer 56

Orienting network

Question 57

Network of supervisory, selective, conflict resolution, and focused attention

Answer 57

Executive network