The History and Methods of Cognitive

Psychology

Cognitive PsychologyPSY307

Sorenson

What is Cognitive Psychology?

The branch of psychology that studies how we perceive, attend, recognize, remember…

what happens in our minds

Cognitive activities

Perception Attention Memory Language Reasoning Decision making

What is the “mind” ?

How can we study the inner workings of the mind when we can’t “see” the mind?

Nativism

The history of studying cognitions

Greeks – 19th century

Empiricism

Schools of psychology

Gestalt psychology It is the relationship between elements that

matters

Method: Experimentation with perception, problem solving

Figure 1-1 (p. 11)Examples of Gestalt figures.

Gestalt psychology

Schools of psychology

Cognitive psychologyProposed that mental states could be studied

(reaction to behaviorists) Some results…

Human factors engineeringLimited-capacity processors

The magical number seven, plus or minus two

Linguistics

Figure 1-4 (p. 29)A typical information-processing model.

Paradigms of Cognitive Psychology

Figure 1-5 (p. 31)A typical connectionist model.

Paradigms of Cognitive Psychology

Paradigms of Cognitive Psychology

Evolution Our minds are biological systems which evolve and

adapt to our environment, and is subject to the laws of natural selection

For each type of problem, we therefore have special-purpose programs to solve them

Ecology Cognition occurs in the context of culture, not in a

vacuum

So how do we study cognition?

Methods

Naturalistic observation

Ecological validity

Experimenter control Observer bias Observation causing changes in subjects’

behaviors

http://www.pocketcashatms.com/attachments/Image/ATM_use.jpg

Methods

Introspection

Insight Ecological validity

Experimenter control Observer biasCan you really observe something while doing

it?

http://paulbuckley14059.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/introspection.jpg

Methods

Controlled observation / Clinical interviews

Ecological validity

Only some experimenter control

Observer bias

http://www.westportal.com/images2/interview1.jpg

Methods

Experiments/Quasi-experiments

Experimenter control Isolate causal factors

May not be ecologically valid

http://www.lightalongthejourney.com/Images/labrat.jpg

Methods of Experimentation

Introspection Naturalistic observation Controlled observation Clinical interviews Experiments (and quasi-experiments)

Brain ImagingComputerized Tomography (CT)

CT scanners use x-ray technology to view brain structure

© Ribotsky/Custom Medical Stock Photo

Normal Twin Twin w/ Schizophrenia

detects strong magnetic fields from hydrogen atoms

Courtesy Todd A. Gould

Brain ImagingMagnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

http://lcni.uoregon.edu/images/gallery/Machine1500x375.png

http://www.sandybeardsley.com/images/mri2.jpg

Measures brain activity based on the utilization of radioactive glucose or oxygen.

Courtesy Dept. of Energy Office of Public Affairs

Brain ImagingPositron Emission Tomography (PET)

uses a series of images taken in a short period of time to analyze brain activity.

Brain ImagingFunctional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Issues with Brain Imaging

Subtraction method

Location of blood/nutrients

Interactivity

Scalp electrodes provide information about the activity of large populations of neurons.

Used to study states of consciousness (sleep/wake) and seizures.

Copyright © 2004 Allyn and Bacon

Other Recording TechniquesElectroencephalogram (EEG)

Series of EEG responses to environmental stimuli

Useful in studying perception

Other Recording Techniques Evoked Potentials (ERP)

Divisions of the Brain

http://www.stanford.edu/group/hopes/basics/braintut/f_ab07formdhnd.gif

Divisions of the Forebrain

http://www.stanford.edu/group/hopes/basics/braintut/f_ab20dienceph.gif

Lobes: Frontal

Parietal

Occipital

Temporal

Divisions of the Forebrain

Motor Cortex

Two important concepts:

Localization of Function

http://retina.umh.es/Webvision/imageswv/Visual-Cortex1.jpg

Two important concepts: Lateralization of Function – Sensory/Motor Abilities

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~design/ART/NAB/laterality7.gif

L R

L R

Two important concepts: Lateralization of Function – Cognitive Abilities

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_btjBcGAkFz4/RpPfgT2jcvI/AAAAAAAADF4/VMzMhj1lHP4/lateralfunctions.jpg