Cognitive Level of Analysis: Cognitive Processes Part I

Cognitive Level of Analysis Cognitive psychology concerns itself with the structure and functions of the mind. Cognitive psychologists are concerned with finding put how the mind comes to know things about the world and how it uses this knowledge. Cognitive neuroscience combines knowledge about the brain with the knowledge about cognitive processes.

Cognitive Level of Analysis Cognition refers to processes such as perception, thinking, problem solving, memory, language, and attention. Cognition is based on one’s mental representations of the world, such as images, words, and concepts. People have different experiences and there for they have different mental representations. Example: what is right or wrong is different for everyone.

Principles that Define the Cognitive Level of Analysis Human beings are information processors and mental processes guide behavior. Discover the possible principles underlying cognitive processes. Mind is seen as a complex machine – rather like an intelligent, information-processing machine using hardware (the brain) and software (mental images or representations. )

Principles that Define the Cognitive Level of Analysis Principle #1 Continued… According to this like of thinking, information input to the mind comes via bottom-up processing – that is from the sensory system. The information is processes on the mind by top-down processing via pre-stored information in the memory. Cognition is important in understanding, there is a subtle relationship between how people think about themselves and how they behave – for example how they deal with challenges. Stereotyping - people who have fixed ideas about other people. These people are more prone to discriminate.

Principles that Define the Cognitive Level of Analysis Principle #1 Continued… People’s memory are not as infallible as they think, this is because of the reconstructive nature of memory. Researchers have discovered that people do not store exact copies of their experiences, but rather an outline which is filled out with information when it is recalled. People often have false memories, because they cannot distinguish between what they have experienced and what they have heard after the event. The brain is able to fabricate illusions so realistic, we think they are real.

Principles that Define the Cognitive Level of Analysis The mind can be studied scientifically by developing theories and using a number of scientific methods. Theories and models of cognition are discussed and continuously tested. New finding result in new amendments to original models, or a model or theory is rejected because evidence no longer supports it. Cognition is studied in the laboratory as well as in a daily context.

Principles that Define the Cognitive Level of Analysis Cognitive processes are influenced by social and cultural factors Frederic Bartlett, coined the term schema, which is a mental representation of knowledge. Bartlett was interested in how cultural schemas influence remembering. He found that people have trouble remembering a story from another culture, and that they constructed the story to fit into their own culture schema.

Principles that Define the Cognitive Level of Analysis Principle #3 Continued… Bartlett’s research showed memory is not like a tape recorder. People remember in terms of meaning and what makes sense to them. This is why memory is subject to distortion (mistake), Bartlett showed this principle could be tested scientifically.