3.1 Cognitive processes

Cognitive psychology Includes: perception, thinking, problem solving, memory, language, and attention. Cognition refers to such processes. And cognition is based on one’s mental representation A mental representation is every individual’s unique view of the world – due to one’s experiences. For example: what is right and wrong, gender roles, prejudice, view on education…

Cognitive principles 1. Mental processes guide behaviour 2. The mind can be studied scientifically 3. Cognitive processes are influenced by social and cultural factors

Mental processes guide behaviour The mind as a complex machine 1. Bottom-up processing (from the sensory system) 2. Processed in the mind by top-down processing (pre-stored information) 3. Finally – output (behaviour) A link between what we think – and how we act For example stereotyping (remember the stereotype threat?) Our memory can be false due to the nature of reconstructing our memory Our perception can deceive us – what we think is objectively experienced may just be our brain’s interpretation (context, frequency or recency influence) Example, the Ames room Visual illusion + be a thinker on p. 69

Ames room (Philip Zimbardo)

The mind can be studied scientifically Experiments are commonly used – however now both in labs and in our daily lives Today cognitive psychologists use case studies, brain scans, verbal protocols…

Cognitive processes are influenced by social and cultural factors Schema theory (Bartlett)memory is subject to distortions Schema is a mental representation of knowledge See overhead sheet for schema theory

Cognitive processes Self-representation – an idea of who you are and how you look The same you have for others, objects, animals, the world… Mental representations are organized in categories stored in our memory We are able to manipulate mental representations to think of other situations and about the future – what might happen… (books, films, make plans, calculate risks) What we expect to happen are pre-stored mental representations!

Schema theory and memory processes Encoding: transforming sensory information into a meaningful memory Storage: encoded information in memory – lost or consolidated Retrieval: use the stored information Schema processing can affect memory at all stages! Read the research by Anderson & Pichert (1978) on p. 72 and explain how that research shows how schema affect all stages.

Evaluation of schema theory A lot of research support the schema theory, that it affect cognitive processes such as memory Has contributed to an understanding of memory distortions as well as social cognitions Limitations: not clear on how schemas are acquired in the first place and how they actually influence cognitive processes Too vague according to some (for example Cohen 1993)

Group work Make a short but GOOD oral presentation on: The working memory model (4) p Memory and the brain (2) p Clive Wearing – how brain damage affects memory processing (2) p Cultural factors in cognition and cross-cultural research – the role of schooling on remembering (2) p Reliability of one cognitive process: memory (p ) (3-4)

Group work 1. Start by reading your pages! 2. Don’t read from your paper or computer!!! Use key words only! 3. Use the board, Power point, videos, activities to get your message across – 4. Remember who is in your audience 5. Max 15 minutes per group (let me know if you think you are going to need more time) 6. Present…after Christmas?