Chapter 1: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
Chapter Outline
1. COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY: STUDYING THE MIND
1. What Is the Mind?
2. Studying the Mind: Early Work in Cognitive Psychology
1. Donders’s Pioneering Experiment: How Long Does It Take to Make a Decision?
2. Wundt’s Psychology Laboratory: Structuralism and Analytic Introspection
3. Ebbinghaus’s Memory Experiment: What Is the Time-Course of Forgetting?William
James’s Principles of Psychology
2. ABANDONING THE STUDY OF THE MIND
1. Watson Founds Behaviorism
2. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning
3. Setting the Stage for the Reemergence of the Mind in Psychology
3. THE REBIRTH OF THE STUDY OF THE MIND
1. Introduction of the Digital Computer
1. Flow Diagrams for Computers
2. Flow Diagrams for the Mind
2. Conferences on Artificial Intelligence and Information Theory
3. The Cognitive "Revolution" Took a While
4. Looking Ahead
4. MODERN RESEARCH IN COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
1. Following a Trail: How Research Progresses From One Question to Another
2. The Role of Models in Cognitive Psychology
1. Structural Models
2. Process Models
5. SOMETHING TO CONSIDER: LEARNING FROM THIS BOOK
TEST YOURSELF 1.1
CogLabs: Simple Detection
,Web Links
The History of Cognitive Psychology
Chronological history of cognitive psychology organized around schools of thought and famous
psychologists.
http://muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/cognitiv.htm
Today in the History of Psychology
Searchable historical database organized by date or keywords.
http://www.cwu.edu/~warren/today.html
History of Psychology Calendar
Students can click on any day of the year to learn about historical facts related to psychology.
http://www.cwu.edu/~warren/calendar/datepick.html
Encyclopedia of Psychology
Interactive encyclopedia of topics related to the history of psychology.
http://www.psychology.org/links/People_and_History/
Classics in the History of Psychology
Resource for students interested in the history of psychology.
http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/
The History of Psychology by Dr. C. George Boeree
E-text about the historical and philosophical background of psychology.
http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/historyofpsych.html
,Cognitive Science Dictionary
A site available for those who may be unfamiliar with the many unique terms found in the related
fields of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, and cognitive neuroscience.
http://www.bcp.psych.ualberta.ca/~mike/Pearl_Street/Dictionary/dictionary.html
Cognitive Science Celebrities
Links to numerous discussions about cognitive science as well as writings by and about leading
thinkers in cognitive science.
http://carbon.ucdenver.edu/~mryder/itc/cogsci.html
A roster and pictures of some of the most famous Cognitive Psychology contributors.
http://www.bcp.psych.ualberta.ca/~mike/Pearl_Street/Gallery/index.html
Videos
History of Cognitive Psychology (via Google Search Story) (Time: 0:35)
A quick snapshot video (35 seconds) over the history of cognitive psychology from the Greeks
(Plato) to the recent past (Donders, Skinner, and the first computers) to the present (Pinker and
brain scanning technology) to the future (wherever that may be). The video could be used as a very
quick introduction to chapter 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PYrem2LpL0
Structuralism v. Functionalism (Time: 5:11)
An exploration of Wundt’s Structuralism and Introspection as contrasted to James’s Functionalism
(with a little Evolutionary Psychology at the end). Also included are a quiz over the video as well as
a transcript of the video.
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/two-early-approaches-functionalism-and-
structuralism.html#lesson
Early Reaction Time Research in Psychology (Time: 5:48)
, Exploring the history of reaction time experiments and different methods and instruments used to
measure time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UhQoYBPfpQ
Noam Chomsky v. B. F. Skinner (Time: 58:04)
A compilation of short video segments of Chomsky and Skinner and their thoughts on psychology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlyU_M20hMk
Reaction Time Experiment (Time: 2:24)
This video shows a possible method to compute reaction times using playing cards (stimuli) and
phones (reaction time measuring devices).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ufrEAJDsNs&feature=youtu.be
Apps and/or Software
Reaction Test Pro (Free)
A simple reaction time App with timing to the millionths of a second.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reaction-test-pro/id493360516?mt=8%20reaction%20time
Dual Music ($0.99)
Though a little different than the experiment of Cherry (1953) cited in the text, the following app
allows for simultaneous playing of non-DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected files which can
give the listener some insights into the difficulty of processing simultaneous signals from different
sources.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dual-music-listening-background/id658408034?mt=8
PsychGuide (Free)
An app designed for psychology students to easily access information about their discipline from
history, to jobs, to classic studies.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/psychguide/id440790994?mt=8
Chapter Outline
1. COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY: STUDYING THE MIND
1. What Is the Mind?
2. Studying the Mind: Early Work in Cognitive Psychology
1. Donders’s Pioneering Experiment: How Long Does It Take to Make a Decision?
2. Wundt’s Psychology Laboratory: Structuralism and Analytic Introspection
3. Ebbinghaus’s Memory Experiment: What Is the Time-Course of Forgetting?William
James’s Principles of Psychology
2. ABANDONING THE STUDY OF THE MIND
1. Watson Founds Behaviorism
2. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning
3. Setting the Stage for the Reemergence of the Mind in Psychology
3. THE REBIRTH OF THE STUDY OF THE MIND
1. Introduction of the Digital Computer
1. Flow Diagrams for Computers
2. Flow Diagrams for the Mind
2. Conferences on Artificial Intelligence and Information Theory
3. The Cognitive "Revolution" Took a While
4. Looking Ahead
4. MODERN RESEARCH IN COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
1. Following a Trail: How Research Progresses From One Question to Another
2. The Role of Models in Cognitive Psychology
1. Structural Models
2. Process Models
5. SOMETHING TO CONSIDER: LEARNING FROM THIS BOOK
TEST YOURSELF 1.1
CogLabs: Simple Detection
,Web Links
The History of Cognitive Psychology
Chronological history of cognitive psychology organized around schools of thought and famous
psychologists.
http://muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/cognitiv.htm
Today in the History of Psychology
Searchable historical database organized by date or keywords.
http://www.cwu.edu/~warren/today.html
History of Psychology Calendar
Students can click on any day of the year to learn about historical facts related to psychology.
http://www.cwu.edu/~warren/calendar/datepick.html
Encyclopedia of Psychology
Interactive encyclopedia of topics related to the history of psychology.
http://www.psychology.org/links/People_and_History/
Classics in the History of Psychology
Resource for students interested in the history of psychology.
http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/
The History of Psychology by Dr. C. George Boeree
E-text about the historical and philosophical background of psychology.
http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/historyofpsych.html
,Cognitive Science Dictionary
A site available for those who may be unfamiliar with the many unique terms found in the related
fields of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, and cognitive neuroscience.
http://www.bcp.psych.ualberta.ca/~mike/Pearl_Street/Dictionary/dictionary.html
Cognitive Science Celebrities
Links to numerous discussions about cognitive science as well as writings by and about leading
thinkers in cognitive science.
http://carbon.ucdenver.edu/~mryder/itc/cogsci.html
A roster and pictures of some of the most famous Cognitive Psychology contributors.
http://www.bcp.psych.ualberta.ca/~mike/Pearl_Street/Gallery/index.html
Videos
History of Cognitive Psychology (via Google Search Story) (Time: 0:35)
A quick snapshot video (35 seconds) over the history of cognitive psychology from the Greeks
(Plato) to the recent past (Donders, Skinner, and the first computers) to the present (Pinker and
brain scanning technology) to the future (wherever that may be). The video could be used as a very
quick introduction to chapter 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PYrem2LpL0
Structuralism v. Functionalism (Time: 5:11)
An exploration of Wundt’s Structuralism and Introspection as contrasted to James’s Functionalism
(with a little Evolutionary Psychology at the end). Also included are a quiz over the video as well as
a transcript of the video.
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/two-early-approaches-functionalism-and-
structuralism.html#lesson
Early Reaction Time Research in Psychology (Time: 5:48)
, Exploring the history of reaction time experiments and different methods and instruments used to
measure time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UhQoYBPfpQ
Noam Chomsky v. B. F. Skinner (Time: 58:04)
A compilation of short video segments of Chomsky and Skinner and their thoughts on psychology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlyU_M20hMk
Reaction Time Experiment (Time: 2:24)
This video shows a possible method to compute reaction times using playing cards (stimuli) and
phones (reaction time measuring devices).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ufrEAJDsNs&feature=youtu.be
Apps and/or Software
Reaction Test Pro (Free)
A simple reaction time App with timing to the millionths of a second.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reaction-test-pro/id493360516?mt=8%20reaction%20time
Dual Music ($0.99)
Though a little different than the experiment of Cherry (1953) cited in the text, the following app
allows for simultaneous playing of non-DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected files which can
give the listener some insights into the difficulty of processing simultaneous signals from different
sources.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dual-music-listening-background/id658408034?mt=8
PsychGuide (Free)
An app designed for psychology students to easily access information about their discipline from
history, to jobs, to classic studies.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/psychguide/id440790994?mt=8
