Cognitive Psychology: Exam 1
(Chapters 1-4)
What is cognitive psychology? - ✔✔ correct answer -the scientific study of mental processing (what the
mind does)
Speech perception - ✔✔ correct answer -understood a request (ex. asked to answer a question on
board; how many hands did Aristotle have?)
Object recognition - ✔✔ correct answer Recognized board
Attention - ✔✔ correct answer Shifted attention toward screen
Reading - ✔✔ correct answer Read and comprehended words
Memory retrieval - ✔✔ correct answer -searched memory for info on Aristotle
-general knowledge (semantic memory)
-specific instances (episodic memory)
Judgement - ✔✔ correct answer "this seems so silly, do I have to answer this?"
Reasoning - ✔✔ correct answer Never learned that he had two, so made an inference
Speech production - ✔✔ correct answer Verbalize response
Types of "data examined" - ✔✔ correct answer -Cognitive psychology
-Cognitive neuroscience
-Cognitive neuropsychology
Cognitive psychology - ✔✔ correct answer -behavioral measures used because we cannot directly
observe mental processes
,Cognitive Psychology: Exam 1
(Chapters 1-4)
Cognitive neuroscience - ✔✔ correct answer -the attempt to use info about behavior AND the brain to
understand human cognition
Cognitive neuropsychology - ✔✔ correct answer
Behavioral Data and Cognitive Psychology - ✔✔ correct answer -Reaction Time (RT)
Reaction Time - ✔✔ correct answer -how quickly a task is performed
-provides a measure of:
-difficulty
-harder tasks take longer
-number of mental steps involved
-more steps take longer
-interference in processing
-conflicting information causes you to take longer
-Accuracy (ACC)
-how many errors someone makes when performing task
Behavioral Data and Inferences - ✔✔ correct answer Problem:
-can't observe mental events directly
-can look at speed/accuracy with which people perform tasks (ex. remembering what you wore
yesterday, last week, etc.)
-manipulate characteristics
Types of Data: Reaction Time example - ✔✔ correct answer -Flanker Task: Exploring attention
-identify center item (target), ex. X or N
-respond with key press
, Cognitive Psychology: Exam 1
(Chapters 1-4)
-ignore flanking items
-manipulate:
-flankers compatible with target
-flankers closer or farther away
Possible model of attention - ✔✔ correct answer -attention selects a region of space (like a spotlight)
-info in selected region influences response selection
lower limit to spatial resolution of attentional focus
-this attentional focus can only get so small
-flankers inside or outside of the spotlight
Types of Data: Accuracy example - ✔✔ correct answer -plate, leaf, shoe, cabin, bed, ice, barn, fence
-primacy and recency effect
Neurons - ✔✔ correct answer -cells specialized to create, receive, and transmit information in nervous
system
-dendrites
-cell body
-axon
Dendrites - ✔✔ correct answer -expands cell body, can receive more synapses
Action Potential - ✔✔ correct answer -neuron receives a signal
-information travels down the axon of that neuron to the dendrites of another neuron
Measuring action potentials - ✔✔ correct answer -micro electrodes pick up electric signal
-comparing charge inside and outside of neuron
-potential typically -70mv at resting state
(Chapters 1-4)
What is cognitive psychology? - ✔✔ correct answer -the scientific study of mental processing (what the
mind does)
Speech perception - ✔✔ correct answer -understood a request (ex. asked to answer a question on
board; how many hands did Aristotle have?)
Object recognition - ✔✔ correct answer Recognized board
Attention - ✔✔ correct answer Shifted attention toward screen
Reading - ✔✔ correct answer Read and comprehended words
Memory retrieval - ✔✔ correct answer -searched memory for info on Aristotle
-general knowledge (semantic memory)
-specific instances (episodic memory)
Judgement - ✔✔ correct answer "this seems so silly, do I have to answer this?"
Reasoning - ✔✔ correct answer Never learned that he had two, so made an inference
Speech production - ✔✔ correct answer Verbalize response
Types of "data examined" - ✔✔ correct answer -Cognitive psychology
-Cognitive neuroscience
-Cognitive neuropsychology
Cognitive psychology - ✔✔ correct answer -behavioral measures used because we cannot directly
observe mental processes
,Cognitive Psychology: Exam 1
(Chapters 1-4)
Cognitive neuroscience - ✔✔ correct answer -the attempt to use info about behavior AND the brain to
understand human cognition
Cognitive neuropsychology - ✔✔ correct answer
Behavioral Data and Cognitive Psychology - ✔✔ correct answer -Reaction Time (RT)
Reaction Time - ✔✔ correct answer -how quickly a task is performed
-provides a measure of:
-difficulty
-harder tasks take longer
-number of mental steps involved
-more steps take longer
-interference in processing
-conflicting information causes you to take longer
-Accuracy (ACC)
-how many errors someone makes when performing task
Behavioral Data and Inferences - ✔✔ correct answer Problem:
-can't observe mental events directly
-can look at speed/accuracy with which people perform tasks (ex. remembering what you wore
yesterday, last week, etc.)
-manipulate characteristics
Types of Data: Reaction Time example - ✔✔ correct answer -Flanker Task: Exploring attention
-identify center item (target), ex. X or N
-respond with key press
, Cognitive Psychology: Exam 1
(Chapters 1-4)
-ignore flanking items
-manipulate:
-flankers compatible with target
-flankers closer or farther away
Possible model of attention - ✔✔ correct answer -attention selects a region of space (like a spotlight)
-info in selected region influences response selection
lower limit to spatial resolution of attentional focus
-this attentional focus can only get so small
-flankers inside or outside of the spotlight
Types of Data: Accuracy example - ✔✔ correct answer -plate, leaf, shoe, cabin, bed, ice, barn, fence
-primacy and recency effect
Neurons - ✔✔ correct answer -cells specialized to create, receive, and transmit information in nervous
system
-dendrites
-cell body
-axon
Dendrites - ✔✔ correct answer -expands cell body, can receive more synapses
Action Potential - ✔✔ correct answer -neuron receives a signal
-information travels down the axon of that neuron to the dendrites of another neuron
Measuring action potentials - ✔✔ correct answer -micro electrodes pick up electric signal
-comparing charge inside and outside of neuron
-potential typically -70mv at resting state
