Psych 2316 Exam 1 study guide set UPDATED ACTUAL
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, storing, and
using information -- including perception, memory, language, and reasoning
Cognitive Psychology the scientific investigation of mental processes such as attention, memory,
perception, problem-solving, reasoning, and language. It focuses in how
people acquire, apply and organize knowledge.
Wundt's Lab & Introspection - established the first experimental lab in psychology and used introspection
to study conscious experience
- introspection involved trained observers reporting their experiences of
stimuli
- considered important historically but is now seen as unreliable and not
rigorous for scientific inference
Functionalist Perspective - focused on why mental processes exist
the functions they serve in adapting organisms to their environments.
- it emphasized the purpose of the mind rather than its structure
Behaviorism - emphasized observable behavior and rejected internal mental states as
objects of scientific study
Modern Cognitive Psychology: Contributing Factors - dissatisfaction with behaviorism's inability to explain internal mental processes
contributed to the cognitive revolution in the 1950s-60s
- Influences included research in linguistics (e.g. Noam Chomsky), AI, and
information theory
Informed-Processing Approach mind processes info like a computer
Central Nervous System (CNS) brain and spinal cord
peripheral nervous system (PNS) all nerves outside CNS
Somatic nervous system voluntary movement
autonomic nervous system involuntary functions
Neurons communicate using what two signals? electrical (within neurons) and chemical (between neurons)
Hindbrain function basic functions (breathing, heart rate)
Midbrain function sensory and motor integration
Forebrain function higher cognition (cognition, perception, memory)
Behavioral Method reaction time, accuracy, and error measures are core behavioral methods to
infer cognitive processes
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, storing, and
using information -- including perception, memory, language, and reasoning
Cognitive Psychology the scientific investigation of mental processes such as attention, memory,
perception, problem-solving, reasoning, and language. It focuses in how
people acquire, apply and organize knowledge.
Wundt's Lab & Introspection - established the first experimental lab in psychology and used introspection
to study conscious experience
- introspection involved trained observers reporting their experiences of
stimuli
- considered important historically but is now seen as unreliable and not
rigorous for scientific inference
Functionalist Perspective - focused on why mental processes exist
the functions they serve in adapting organisms to their environments.
- it emphasized the purpose of the mind rather than its structure
Behaviorism - emphasized observable behavior and rejected internal mental states as
objects of scientific study
Modern Cognitive Psychology: Contributing Factors - dissatisfaction with behaviorism's inability to explain internal mental processes
contributed to the cognitive revolution in the 1950s-60s
- Influences included research in linguistics (e.g. Noam Chomsky), AI, and
information theory
Informed-Processing Approach mind processes info like a computer
Central Nervous System (CNS) brain and spinal cord
peripheral nervous system (PNS) all nerves outside CNS
Somatic nervous system voluntary movement
autonomic nervous system involuntary functions
Neurons communicate using what two signals? electrical (within neurons) and chemical (between neurons)
Hindbrain function basic functions (breathing, heart rate)
Midbrain function sensory and motor integration
Forebrain function higher cognition (cognition, perception, memory)
Behavioral Method reaction time, accuracy, and error measures are core behavioral methods to
infer cognitive processes
