Lecture 1 Flashcards
Introduction to Cognition (22 cards)
What is cognition?
The mental process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.
What are the key cognitive processes studied in psychology?
Attention, perception, memory, language, decision-making, and problem solving.
Why is it difficult to study cognitive processes directly?
Because they are internal and not directly observable; researchers infer them from behaviour.
What are common methods used to study cognition?
Behavioural experiments, brain imaging (fMRI), EEG, case studies, computational modelling.
What is the difference between introspection and empirical methods?
Introspection involves self-reporting mental processes; empirical methods use objective measurement.
What is the ‘information processing approach’?
A model that compares the mind to a computer: information is input, processed, and output.
What did cognitive psychology reintroduce that behaviourism rejected?
The study of internal mental processes.
Why is studying cognitive errors important?
Errors help reveal the structure and limitations of cognitive processes.
What is a mental representation?
An internal cognitive symbol representing external reality.
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The study of neural mechanisms underlying cognition.
What does ‘modularity’ mean in cognitive psychology?
The idea that the mind has specialised, independent modules for different functions.
How does cognitive psychology link to other disciplines?
It connects with neuroscience, AI, linguistics, and philosophy.
What is the main challenge of inferring cognition from behaviour?
Different mental processes can produce similar behaviours, making inference difficult.
Why is replication important in cognitive psychology?
It ensures reliability and generalisability of findings.
Why is interdisciplinary research useful in cognitive psychology?
It integrates insights from biology, computer science, and philosophy to better understand cognition.
What is behaviourism?
A school of psychology that focuses on observable behaviour rather than internal mental processes.
Who are two key figures in behaviourism?
John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner.
What did Watson believe about psychology?
That it should focus only on observable behaviour and discard introspection.
What did Skinner contribute to behaviourism?
He developed operant conditioning, emphasising reinforcement and punishment in shaping behaviour.
What are the core assumptions of behaviourism?
Behaviour is learned from the environment, psychology should study observable behaviour, and mental states are irrelevant.
Why did cognitive psychology emerge as a response to behaviourism?
Because behaviourism ignored internal mental processes, which are crucial for understanding cognition.
How did behaviourism contribute to cognitive psychology?
It provided rigorous methods and experimental control that influenced cognitive research design.
