EXP3604C All Exam Notes Exam 1 8 28 Cognition involves perception attention memory imagery Also problem solving categorization judgment and language skills The human mind has been studied in many ways Physiology used techniques such as the fMRI PET scan ERP BOLD response fMRI measures blood blow to different areas of the brain during a mental task The level of analysis required to look at everything involved in them is huge 10 bil brain cells Lateral occipital brain area deals with objects Fusiform face area deals with face recognition Most complex tasks use many different brain areas Cognitive psychologists take the cognitive approach What s happening in what What has to happen to get things done Figuring out processes and steps involved in mental tasks Making models of how tasks are accomplished Example looking at how people respond to simple questions 8 30 Object recognition is one of the brain s most complex tasks Occipital lobe deals with visual features lines curves and is in the back of the brain Temporal lobe deals with recognizing and telling different objects apart Hubel Wiesel experimented on a cat and discovered that individual neurons respond to specific things Some respond to only straight lines that are in a certain place in field of vision Allows recognition of lines and angles Feature analysis model features are recognized and then represented step by step Pandemonium model features are recognized all at once in many areas of brain then decide what it is Top down processing have assumptions expectations that guide perception of an object Bottom up processing examine with no assumptions then recognize features and decide what it is Connectionist model recognize words letters and lines curves features all at once Word superiority effect can recognize individual letters better when placed in a recognizable word Some stroke victims can recognize object but can t locate it or pick it up Others can locate object but can t recognize it The circle size illusion shows that object recognition and object location are processed differently People were confused about visual size but could reach for and pick up the circle correctly Conscious recognition identifying objects Unconscious recognition locating objects 9 4 Mental attention is limited like a spotlight or fuel source Attention improves target detection Posner s spatial cueing task told to look in direction of arrow for target to pop up Involved valid arrow correct invalid arrow incorrect and neutral two arrows trials Visual search task have to pick out object based on certain characteristics Easy if it has an addition that the rest of the objects don t 9 4 cnt d Hard if it is missing something that all of the other objects have Distractor visual task object that meets some search qualifications but not all Feature integration theory people use feature maps keywords when looking for objects Example color shape size Loaded without attention Disjunctive search have to find object with only 1 difference involves using feature map Conjunctive search have to find object with 2 differences Binding object has 2 differences the features are combined into one object Finding an object with binding requires more attention effort and time Posner and Boies 1967 Secondary RT test Tell subject to do a main task match capital letters with lowercase letters See if they can detect a tone while they are busy Gave a warning tone before each sequence of letters began If there was a warning subject could match letters much faster They completed the task right after the tone fast then the next one after much slower Conclusion attention capacity was in short supply after the first task Change blindness not noticing a change Example the gorilla experiment Only happens if the change isn t too obvious is subtle enough 9 6 Becoming more skilled at a task can do task automatically Also allows someone use attention or planning better or add more complexity Automatic uses no attention unconscious continues by itself after first starting Formed through practice and repetition of the same thing over and over Consistency breeds automacy Consistent uses parallel processing not attention demanding out of control goes on by itself Parallel processing can process many tasks at once because one of them is on auto pilot Inconsistent uses serial processing attention demanding Serial processing must process tasks individually can only focus on one task at a time Instance theory of automaticity Consistent mapping is required which may show the importance of memory Automaticity retrieves old info rather than working it out from scratch uses memory shortcut Theory says that once memory has enough instances of a task it becomes automatic Skilled performance performing 2 tasks at once multitasking Selective attention choosing to pay attention to some things and ignore others Ignored material is not remembered even after multiple repetitions In audio experiments changes in language or playing tape backwards weren t noticed Changes in tone pitch and gender of speaker were noticed Broadbent theory attention filtering happens at the physical level physical f meaning awareness Mind analyzes sounds first then decides to accept ignore them If distinct enough sounds may be noticed anyway Example hearing your name However people were filtering sounds out based on meaning Put one audio in one ear and another in the other then swap follow one message Attentuation theory filter is at meaning physical meaning f awareness Moveable theory filter doesn t stay in one place physical f meaning f awareness 9 6 cnt d Stroop test ink color and color name mixed up told to name one or the other Measures controlled and automatic processes Word reading is automatic fast and involuntary Color naming is slower and requires attention Clinical attention problems are found with depression ADHD older people Anxiety makes people pay more attention OCD makes people pay very specific attention too focused to ignore things Schizophrenics are easily distracted and lose focus Alertness being ready or prepared tied to right frontal parietal lobes Orientation locating objects in space tied to parietal lobe frontal eye fields Executive control conscious effort choice conflict resolution tied to frontal lobe anterior singulate Requires dopamine Template matching theory compare perceived object with a model in memory recognize object Feature analysis theory break down perceived features into parts
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