THE HUMAN MIND IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
MSC COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SCIENCE – BLOCK 1 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Course Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Lecture 1 .................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Information Processing...................................................................................................................................................... 3
Lecture 1 & 2 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Perception....................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Lecture 3 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Individual differences in perception ................................................................................................................................ 20
Lecture 3 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 20
Attention......................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Lecture 4 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 27
Cognitive control ............................................................................................................................................................. 34
Lecture 4 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 34
Learning .......................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Lecture 5 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 39
Memory .......................................................................................................................................................................... 45
Lecture 5 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 45
Motivation ...................................................................................................................................................................... 52
Lecture 6 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 52
Emotion .......................................................................................................................................................................... 60
Lecture 6 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 60
1
,COURSE INTRODUCTION
LECTURE 1
THE HUMAN MIND IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
How does new media use impact cognitive function? Does sustained ‘use’ change the way we think?
COGNITION NEW MEDIA
How can we use principles from cognitive science to inform new media design? What cognitive functions determine new
media use?
RECURRING THEMES
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
People think, feel, and react differently, so technology affects everyone in unique ways.
PREDICTIVE CODING
Predictive coding is the idea that the brain constantly makes guesses about what it’s going to see, hear, or feel, and then
corrects itself when reality doesn’t match. The brain is like a prediction machine, it guesses what will happen next and updates
itself when it’s wrong.
REINFORCEMENT LEARNING
Reinforcement learning is related to conditioning. Just like training a pet, our brains repeat behaviors that get rewards and
avoid those that bring negative results.
ENGAGEMENT
Engagement means how much focus, effort, and emotional involvement someone gives to an activity or experience. In the
digital world it’s about how much attention we give to apps, games, or social media, measured by things like time spent,
clicks, or interactions.
2
,INFORMATION PROCESSING
LECTURE 1 & 2
INFORMATION PROCESSING
What are the first things and terms that come to your mind when thinking about cognition? à Cognition involves mental
processes like perception, attention, memory, and decision-making. It’s how we take in, interpret, and use information.
How does our brain process information? à The brain processes information by receiving sensory input, filtering it through
attention, holding it in working memory, and connecting it to long-term memory for meaning and action.
What happens when we perform a task or interact with devices? à When we engage with tasks or devices, our brain allocates
attention, processes feedback, and uses cognitive resources to make decisions, which can shape habits and influence how we
think.
A VERY BRIEF HISTORY
BEHAVIORISM
Classical conditioning (Pavlov) = learning by association. A neutral stimulus (like a bell) gets linked to something meaningful
(like food), so it automatically triggers a response (salivation). The learner is passive, the response just happens (the learner
had no part in any of the stimuli or response).
Operant / instrumental conditioning = learning through consequences. à When an action is rewarded, it’s repeated more
often, and when punished, it’s done less. The learner actively does something (presses a lever, completes a task), and
depending on whether it’s rewarded or punished, that behavior becomes more or less likely.
• Reinforcement learning – behaviors increase with rewards.
• Skinner Box – experiment tool where animals learned to press levers for food.
• Environmental variables control behavior – rewards/punishments in the environment shape behavior.
• Stimulus-response learning – actions are linked to outcomes through experience.
Anti-mentalistic: measuring only observable behaviors and events, disregarding what is going on in the brain itself (black box).
However: nowadays, we want to understand the mind & brain and we regard the brain as actively processing and predicting
information (i.e., active interaction with environment).
INFORMATION PROCESSING MODEL
Cognitive psychology has often compared the human mind to a computer. Just like a computer takes in data, processes
it, stores it, and produces an output, the brain can be understood in a similar way.
In this model, input comes from our senses:
1. what we see, hear, touch, taste, or smell. These sensory signals are then converted into electrical activity in the brain.
2. Once inside, the information is further processed, organized, and stored in memory.
3. Finally, the brain produces an output, which is our behavior.
3
, For example, when you read a printed page, your eyes take in the letters, your brain processes the shapes as words, and the
output might be speaking the words out loud or understanding their meaning.
This model is a bit simplistic, because it suggests information flows in straight steps from input to output. In reality, many
processes happen at the same time and influence each other. Still, it’s a useful way to start thinking about how humans
process information.
SENSORY PRECESSING & PERCEPTION
The information processing model should not be seen as strictly linear, because the brain is more dynamic. Processes such as
attention, perception, thought, and decision-making are constantly interacting with one another, influencing what we notice,
how we interpret it, and how we respond.
Sensory Processing = the very first stage. It means detecting signals from the environment through our sensory organs, such
as the eyes or ears. These signals are then converted into electrical impulses that the brain can understand.
From there, the information is passed on to different parts of the brain, starting in the primary sensory areas (like the visual
cortex for sight or auditory cortex for hearing) and then moving on to higher levels of processing.
PERCEPTION
Perception is not just about receiving sensory input, it also involves making sense of it. Psychologists distinguish between two
main processes that shape perception: bottom-up and top-down.
In reality, both always work together: bottom-up provides the raw input, while top-down helps interpret and make sense of
it quickly.
BOTTUM-UP & TOP-DOWM: PERCEPTION SHAPED BY PRIOR EXPERIENCE
BOTTOM-UP PERCEPTION
Bottom-up perception means starting with the raw data from the senses. The process begins with what enters your eyes,
ears, skin, etc., and then the brain gradually builds meaning from these pieces.
• Sensory organs detect signals (light, sound, touch, etc.).
• These are coded into electrical signals and sent to the brain.
• The brain processes simple features first (lines, colors, sounds, edges).
• Step by step, the brain combines these simple features into more complex patterns (letters → words → sentences).
Because the brain can’t process everything at once, attention acts as a filter — selecting which sensory inputs get processed
further (e.g., focusing on one person’s voice in a noisy room).
4
MSC COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SCIENCE – BLOCK 1 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Course Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Lecture 1 .................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Information Processing...................................................................................................................................................... 3
Lecture 1 & 2 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Perception....................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Lecture 3 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Individual differences in perception ................................................................................................................................ 20
Lecture 3 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 20
Attention......................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Lecture 4 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 27
Cognitive control ............................................................................................................................................................. 34
Lecture 4 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 34
Learning .......................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Lecture 5 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 39
Memory .......................................................................................................................................................................... 45
Lecture 5 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 45
Motivation ...................................................................................................................................................................... 52
Lecture 6 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 52
Emotion .......................................................................................................................................................................... 60
Lecture 6 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 60
1
,COURSE INTRODUCTION
LECTURE 1
THE HUMAN MIND IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
How does new media use impact cognitive function? Does sustained ‘use’ change the way we think?
COGNITION NEW MEDIA
How can we use principles from cognitive science to inform new media design? What cognitive functions determine new
media use?
RECURRING THEMES
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
People think, feel, and react differently, so technology affects everyone in unique ways.
PREDICTIVE CODING
Predictive coding is the idea that the brain constantly makes guesses about what it’s going to see, hear, or feel, and then
corrects itself when reality doesn’t match. The brain is like a prediction machine, it guesses what will happen next and updates
itself when it’s wrong.
REINFORCEMENT LEARNING
Reinforcement learning is related to conditioning. Just like training a pet, our brains repeat behaviors that get rewards and
avoid those that bring negative results.
ENGAGEMENT
Engagement means how much focus, effort, and emotional involvement someone gives to an activity or experience. In the
digital world it’s about how much attention we give to apps, games, or social media, measured by things like time spent,
clicks, or interactions.
2
,INFORMATION PROCESSING
LECTURE 1 & 2
INFORMATION PROCESSING
What are the first things and terms that come to your mind when thinking about cognition? à Cognition involves mental
processes like perception, attention, memory, and decision-making. It’s how we take in, interpret, and use information.
How does our brain process information? à The brain processes information by receiving sensory input, filtering it through
attention, holding it in working memory, and connecting it to long-term memory for meaning and action.
What happens when we perform a task or interact with devices? à When we engage with tasks or devices, our brain allocates
attention, processes feedback, and uses cognitive resources to make decisions, which can shape habits and influence how we
think.
A VERY BRIEF HISTORY
BEHAVIORISM
Classical conditioning (Pavlov) = learning by association. A neutral stimulus (like a bell) gets linked to something meaningful
(like food), so it automatically triggers a response (salivation). The learner is passive, the response just happens (the learner
had no part in any of the stimuli or response).
Operant / instrumental conditioning = learning through consequences. à When an action is rewarded, it’s repeated more
often, and when punished, it’s done less. The learner actively does something (presses a lever, completes a task), and
depending on whether it’s rewarded or punished, that behavior becomes more or less likely.
• Reinforcement learning – behaviors increase with rewards.
• Skinner Box – experiment tool where animals learned to press levers for food.
• Environmental variables control behavior – rewards/punishments in the environment shape behavior.
• Stimulus-response learning – actions are linked to outcomes through experience.
Anti-mentalistic: measuring only observable behaviors and events, disregarding what is going on in the brain itself (black box).
However: nowadays, we want to understand the mind & brain and we regard the brain as actively processing and predicting
information (i.e., active interaction with environment).
INFORMATION PROCESSING MODEL
Cognitive psychology has often compared the human mind to a computer. Just like a computer takes in data, processes
it, stores it, and produces an output, the brain can be understood in a similar way.
In this model, input comes from our senses:
1. what we see, hear, touch, taste, or smell. These sensory signals are then converted into electrical activity in the brain.
2. Once inside, the information is further processed, organized, and stored in memory.
3. Finally, the brain produces an output, which is our behavior.
3
, For example, when you read a printed page, your eyes take in the letters, your brain processes the shapes as words, and the
output might be speaking the words out loud or understanding their meaning.
This model is a bit simplistic, because it suggests information flows in straight steps from input to output. In reality, many
processes happen at the same time and influence each other. Still, it’s a useful way to start thinking about how humans
process information.
SENSORY PRECESSING & PERCEPTION
The information processing model should not be seen as strictly linear, because the brain is more dynamic. Processes such as
attention, perception, thought, and decision-making are constantly interacting with one another, influencing what we notice,
how we interpret it, and how we respond.
Sensory Processing = the very first stage. It means detecting signals from the environment through our sensory organs, such
as the eyes or ears. These signals are then converted into electrical impulses that the brain can understand.
From there, the information is passed on to different parts of the brain, starting in the primary sensory areas (like the visual
cortex for sight or auditory cortex for hearing) and then moving on to higher levels of processing.
PERCEPTION
Perception is not just about receiving sensory input, it also involves making sense of it. Psychologists distinguish between two
main processes that shape perception: bottom-up and top-down.
In reality, both always work together: bottom-up provides the raw input, while top-down helps interpret and make sense of
it quickly.
BOTTUM-UP & TOP-DOWM: PERCEPTION SHAPED BY PRIOR EXPERIENCE
BOTTOM-UP PERCEPTION
Bottom-up perception means starting with the raw data from the senses. The process begins with what enters your eyes,
ears, skin, etc., and then the brain gradually builds meaning from these pieces.
• Sensory organs detect signals (light, sound, touch, etc.).
• These are coded into electrical signals and sent to the brain.
• The brain processes simple features first (lines, colors, sounds, edges).
• Step by step, the brain combines these simple features into more complex patterns (letters → words → sentences).
Because the brain can’t process everything at once, attention acts as a filter — selecting which sensory inputs get processed
further (e.g., focusing on one person’s voice in a noisy room).
4
