Cognitive Psychology
•Wundt (1897)
Cognition Involves: –First psychology laboratory
–Perception –University of Leipzig, Germany
–Attention –RT experiments
–Memory –Approach
–Representation of knowledge Structuralism: experience is determined by
–Language combining elements of experience called
–Problem-solving sensations
–Reasoning and decision-making –Method
Analytic introspection: participants trained to
describe experiences and thought processes in
First Cognitive Psychologists response to stimuli
•Donders (1868)
Rise of Behaviorism
–Mental chronometry
: Measuring how long a cognitive process takes •John Watson noted two problems with this:
–Reaction-time (RT) experiment –Extremely variable results from person to
: Measures interval between stimulus person
presentation and person’s response to stimulus --Results difficult to verify
–Simple RT task •Invisible inner mental processes
: participant pushes a button quickly after a light •John Watson proposed a new approach called
appears behaviorism
–Choice RT task –Eliminate the mind as a topic of study
: participant pushes one button if light is on right –Instead, study directly observable behavior
side, another if light is on left side •Watson (1920) – “Little Albert” experiment
- Choice RT – Simple RT = Time to make a decision –Classical conditioning of fear
: Choice RT = 1/10th sec longer than Simple RT –9-month-old became frightened by a rat after a
: 1/10th sec to make decision loud noise was paired with every presentation of
the rat
•Helmholtz (~1860s) –Behavior can be analyzed without any reference
–Unconscious inference to the mind
: Some of our perceptions are the result of –Examined how pairing one stimulus with another
unconscious assumptions we make about the affected behavior
environment
: We infer much of what we know about the world •Skinner (1950s)
–Interested in determining the relationship
•Ebbinghaus (1885) between stimuli and response
– Read list of nonsense syllables aloud many –Operant conditioning
times to determine number of repetitions •Shape behavior by rewards or punishments
necessary to repeat list without errors •Behavior that is rewarded is more likely to be
–After some time, he relearned the list repeated
- Short intervals = fewer repetitions to relearn •Behavior that is punished is less likely to be
–Learned many different lists at many different repeated
retention intervals
Classical Conditioning
- Savings = [(initial repetitions) – (relearning
repetitions)] / (initial repetitions) •Pair a neutral event with an event that naturally
–Forgetting curve shows savings as a function of produces some outcome
retention interval •After many pairings, the “neutral” event now also
produces the outcome
•Wundt (1897)
Cognition Involves: –First psychology laboratory
–Perception –University of Leipzig, Germany
–Attention –RT experiments
–Memory –Approach
–Representation of knowledge Structuralism: experience is determined by
–Language combining elements of experience called
–Problem-solving sensations
–Reasoning and decision-making –Method
Analytic introspection: participants trained to
describe experiences and thought processes in
First Cognitive Psychologists response to stimuli
•Donders (1868)
Rise of Behaviorism
–Mental chronometry
: Measuring how long a cognitive process takes •John Watson noted two problems with this:
–Reaction-time (RT) experiment –Extremely variable results from person to
: Measures interval between stimulus person
presentation and person’s response to stimulus --Results difficult to verify
–Simple RT task •Invisible inner mental processes
: participant pushes a button quickly after a light •John Watson proposed a new approach called
appears behaviorism
–Choice RT task –Eliminate the mind as a topic of study
: participant pushes one button if light is on right –Instead, study directly observable behavior
side, another if light is on left side •Watson (1920) – “Little Albert” experiment
- Choice RT – Simple RT = Time to make a decision –Classical conditioning of fear
: Choice RT = 1/10th sec longer than Simple RT –9-month-old became frightened by a rat after a
: 1/10th sec to make decision loud noise was paired with every presentation of
the rat
•Helmholtz (~1860s) –Behavior can be analyzed without any reference
–Unconscious inference to the mind
: Some of our perceptions are the result of –Examined how pairing one stimulus with another
unconscious assumptions we make about the affected behavior
environment
: We infer much of what we know about the world •Skinner (1950s)
–Interested in determining the relationship
•Ebbinghaus (1885) between stimuli and response
– Read list of nonsense syllables aloud many –Operant conditioning
times to determine number of repetitions •Shape behavior by rewards or punishments
necessary to repeat list without errors •Behavior that is rewarded is more likely to be
–After some time, he relearned the list repeated
- Short intervals = fewer repetitions to relearn •Behavior that is punished is less likely to be
–Learned many different lists at many different repeated
retention intervals
Classical Conditioning
- Savings = [(initial repetitions) – (relearning
repetitions)] / (initial repetitions) •Pair a neutral event with an event that naturally
–Forgetting curve shows savings as a function of produces some outcome
retention interval •After many pairings, the “neutral” event now also
produces the outcome
