PYC1501 Distinction Notes
COGNITION
Description
Thinking:
WHAT IS COGNITION? Involves manipulating
Cognition refers broadly to the information mentally
mental processes involved inn
acquiring, organising, interpreting, Reasoning:
storing, using and Involves drawing conclusions from
communicating information. information or evidence.
THIS INCLUDES:
Problem-Solving:
Thinking
Involves identifying a problem and
Reasoning finding a way to achieve a desired
Problem-solving goal or solution
decision-making Decision-Making:
Forming concepts
Involves selecting among
Using mental representations
alternatives
Aspects of language
Why is cognition
Thinking helps us with everyday important?
problems and involves Thinking helps people
manipulating information when understand their environment
we form concepts, solve and guide their behaviour
problems, reason, think critically
and make decisions
Imagine your phone suddenly
refuses to charge. Your brain
doesn’t simply shout, PANIC! It
starts processing information:
“Is the charger plugged in?”
“Is the plug working?” This is cognotion in action!
“Is the cable damaged?”
, Mental Representations:
A crucual idea in cognition is that we do not necessarily need the
physical object in front of us to be able to think about it.
Mental representations is an
The mind can represent internal representation of
information internally. something that allows us to think
about it even when the thing
Real-world object itself is not physically present
Example:
Information received You are studying PYC1501. You
close your book.
You can still picture the page
Mental representation you were reading.
That internal representation
allows you to continue thinking
Thinking/Reasoning
about the material
Action
Images Exam Trap
Images are mental Do not automatically assume that
“mental representation means
representations with picture-like
“visual picture”!
qualities.
They may be visual, but mental Mental representation can involve
imagery also involve other different forms of information
sensory information.
Example:
Think about a family member’s
voice. You are not necessarily
hearing them physically. Yet you
may be able to construct an
auditory representation of their
voice
COGNITION
Description
Thinking:
WHAT IS COGNITION? Involves manipulating
Cognition refers broadly to the information mentally
mental processes involved inn
acquiring, organising, interpreting, Reasoning:
storing, using and Involves drawing conclusions from
communicating information. information or evidence.
THIS INCLUDES:
Problem-Solving:
Thinking
Involves identifying a problem and
Reasoning finding a way to achieve a desired
Problem-solving goal or solution
decision-making Decision-Making:
Forming concepts
Involves selecting among
Using mental representations
alternatives
Aspects of language
Why is cognition
Thinking helps us with everyday important?
problems and involves Thinking helps people
manipulating information when understand their environment
we form concepts, solve and guide their behaviour
problems, reason, think critically
and make decisions
Imagine your phone suddenly
refuses to charge. Your brain
doesn’t simply shout, PANIC! It
starts processing information:
“Is the charger plugged in?”
“Is the plug working?” This is cognotion in action!
“Is the cable damaged?”
, Mental Representations:
A crucual idea in cognition is that we do not necessarily need the
physical object in front of us to be able to think about it.
Mental representations is an
The mind can represent internal representation of
information internally. something that allows us to think
about it even when the thing
Real-world object itself is not physically present
Example:
Information received You are studying PYC1501. You
close your book.
You can still picture the page
Mental representation you were reading.
That internal representation
allows you to continue thinking
Thinking/Reasoning
about the material
Action
Images Exam Trap
Images are mental Do not automatically assume that
“mental representation means
representations with picture-like
“visual picture”!
qualities.
They may be visual, but mental Mental representation can involve
imagery also involve other different forms of information
sensory information.
Example:
Think about a family member’s
voice. You are not necessarily
hearing them physically. Yet you
may be able to construct an
auditory representation of their
voice
