PSYCH 375 EXAM 1 BYU COGNITION QUESTIONS
Describe Donders's reaction time experiment and results - Answer -Donders wanted to
know how long it took someone to make a decision. He did this by asking a patient to
click one button repeatedly after they see a light (simple reaction time) and clicking the
left button when they see the light on the left & vice versa (choice reaction time). The
results seem to say that it takes 1/10 of a second to react
Who founded the first laboratory of scientific psychology? Describe the method of
analytic introspection that was used in this laboratory - Answer -William Wundt founded
the first lab of scientific psychology. Analytic introspection was asking people to
describe the things that they felt during a stress event; he trained people to describe
their thoughts and experiences while responding to stimuli in terms of basic mental
elements
Describe Ebbinghaus's memory experiments and results - Answer -Ebbinghaus was
interested in memory so he tested something he liked to call "savings." He tested this by
using the equation he created (original time to learn list-time to learn after the delay [a
preset, given amount of time]=savings). He found that less savings meant less
information was retained. He found that the ability to remember what was learned drops
rapidly for the first two days and then levels off after that
What method did William James use to study the mind? - Answer -Himself. He
observed his own mind and made conclusions based on what he observed about
himself
What kind of psychologist was watson? - Answer -behaviorist
Why did Watson disprove of introspection? - Answer -problems with studying
consciousness, inconsistencies
What was Tolman's contribution to cognitive psych? - Answer -rate in the maze study;
evidence for cognitive maps
What was Chomsky's contribution to cognitive psych? - Answer -children can produce
novel statements & use rules of language in the wrong way
What was Lashley's contribution to cognitive psych? - Answer -speech erorrs imply
planning sentences out in whole, not sequentially
What is the Information Processing Approach to Cognition, analogy between computers
and themind - Answer -If computers can behave in limited ways like humans (e.g.,
Newell & Simon: Artificial Intelligence), does the human mind work like the structure and
processes of the computer (e.g., Broadbent: Flow Diagrams and Models)?
, What was Miller's contribution to cognitive psych? - Answer -Magic Number Seven (+/-
2)
What was Neisser's contribution to cognitive psych? - Answer -First cognitive
psychology textbook-Heavy focus on lower-level processes: perception, attention,
memory, not as much focus on higher-level processes: problem solving, reasoning or
physiology (these emphases, and methods to study them, were not yet developed)
How do Donder & Ebbinghaus relate to Modern Cognitive Psychology? - Answer -We
develop theories, measure observable behavior/physiology, make inferences about how
the mind works, repeat
What does the Behavioral Approach aim to study? - Answer -Reaction Time, Accuracy
What does the Physiological Approach aim to study? - Answer -Neuropsychology,
Electrophysiology, Brain Imaging
What is bottom-up processing? - Answer -stimulus driven
What is top-down processing? - Answer -knowledge driven
How is neural representation for memory different from neural representation for
perception? How is it similar? - Answer -When neurons get activated, they find brain
storage, which leads to the storage activating, which leads to memories popping up.
When neurons get activated, they activate brain structures, which leads to specific
group brain structures being activated, which leads to perception in our environment.
Both begin with chemical processes and the activation of neurons but differ after that.
Memory is associated with past information that is found stored in the brain, whereas
perception happens in the moment, while the perception is occurring
What is a neural network? - Answer -interconnected networks of neurons that
communicate with each other
What does it mean to say that the operation of brain networks is dynamic? - Answer -
constantly changing. Cognition itself is dynamic in nature, so it makes sense that brain
networks would follow the same pattern. Brain networks are very interconnected, so it
makes sense that they change with our growth.
What is the default mode network? How is it different than other networks? - Answer -
the part of the brain that decreases in activity when engaging in activities and increases
in activity when going back down to resting levels. The DMN responds when a person is
not involved in specific tasks
What is cognitive neuroscience? - Answer -the study of the physiological basis of
cognition
Describe Donders's reaction time experiment and results - Answer -Donders wanted to
know how long it took someone to make a decision. He did this by asking a patient to
click one button repeatedly after they see a light (simple reaction time) and clicking the
left button when they see the light on the left & vice versa (choice reaction time). The
results seem to say that it takes 1/10 of a second to react
Who founded the first laboratory of scientific psychology? Describe the method of
analytic introspection that was used in this laboratory - Answer -William Wundt founded
the first lab of scientific psychology. Analytic introspection was asking people to
describe the things that they felt during a stress event; he trained people to describe
their thoughts and experiences while responding to stimuli in terms of basic mental
elements
Describe Ebbinghaus's memory experiments and results - Answer -Ebbinghaus was
interested in memory so he tested something he liked to call "savings." He tested this by
using the equation he created (original time to learn list-time to learn after the delay [a
preset, given amount of time]=savings). He found that less savings meant less
information was retained. He found that the ability to remember what was learned drops
rapidly for the first two days and then levels off after that
What method did William James use to study the mind? - Answer -Himself. He
observed his own mind and made conclusions based on what he observed about
himself
What kind of psychologist was watson? - Answer -behaviorist
Why did Watson disprove of introspection? - Answer -problems with studying
consciousness, inconsistencies
What was Tolman's contribution to cognitive psych? - Answer -rate in the maze study;
evidence for cognitive maps
What was Chomsky's contribution to cognitive psych? - Answer -children can produce
novel statements & use rules of language in the wrong way
What was Lashley's contribution to cognitive psych? - Answer -speech erorrs imply
planning sentences out in whole, not sequentially
What is the Information Processing Approach to Cognition, analogy between computers
and themind - Answer -If computers can behave in limited ways like humans (e.g.,
Newell & Simon: Artificial Intelligence), does the human mind work like the structure and
processes of the computer (e.g., Broadbent: Flow Diagrams and Models)?
, What was Miller's contribution to cognitive psych? - Answer -Magic Number Seven (+/-
2)
What was Neisser's contribution to cognitive psych? - Answer -First cognitive
psychology textbook-Heavy focus on lower-level processes: perception, attention,
memory, not as much focus on higher-level processes: problem solving, reasoning or
physiology (these emphases, and methods to study them, were not yet developed)
How do Donder & Ebbinghaus relate to Modern Cognitive Psychology? - Answer -We
develop theories, measure observable behavior/physiology, make inferences about how
the mind works, repeat
What does the Behavioral Approach aim to study? - Answer -Reaction Time, Accuracy
What does the Physiological Approach aim to study? - Answer -Neuropsychology,
Electrophysiology, Brain Imaging
What is bottom-up processing? - Answer -stimulus driven
What is top-down processing? - Answer -knowledge driven
How is neural representation for memory different from neural representation for
perception? How is it similar? - Answer -When neurons get activated, they find brain
storage, which leads to the storage activating, which leads to memories popping up.
When neurons get activated, they activate brain structures, which leads to specific
group brain structures being activated, which leads to perception in our environment.
Both begin with chemical processes and the activation of neurons but differ after that.
Memory is associated with past information that is found stored in the brain, whereas
perception happens in the moment, while the perception is occurring
What is a neural network? - Answer -interconnected networks of neurons that
communicate with each other
What does it mean to say that the operation of brain networks is dynamic? - Answer -
constantly changing. Cognition itself is dynamic in nature, so it makes sense that brain
networks would follow the same pattern. Brain networks are very interconnected, so it
makes sense that they change with our growth.
What is the default mode network? How is it different than other networks? - Answer -
the part of the brain that decreases in activity when engaging in activities and increases
in activity when going back down to resting levels. The DMN responds when a person is
not involved in specific tasks
What is cognitive neuroscience? - Answer -the study of the physiological basis of
cognition
