Semantic Memory Semantic Memory general knowledge about the world language knowledge conceptual knowledge very organized we have many different strategies we use to organize information allows us to organize objects according to concepts make inferences decide which objects are similar Prototype theory how we categorize things according to a prototype prototype the item that is most typical and representative of the category Prototype approach decide whether an item belongs to a category by comparing that item with a prototype members of a category differ in prototypicality can be applied to social relationships inanimate objects nonsocial categories Schemas generalized knowledge expectation about a situation event or person especially helpful when psychologists try to explain how people process complex situations and events summary schemas top down processing unique features of each stimulus bottom up both influence memory often influence our cognitive processes in the initial selection of material in remembering visual scenes in abstraction in the final process of integration Network models of Semantic Memory propose a netlike organization of concepts in memory many interconnections meaning of a concept depends on the concepts to which it is connected The Parallel Distrubuted Processing Approach cognitive processes can be represented by a model in which activation flows through networks that link together a large number of simple neuron like units there are networks rather than specific locations in the brain Constructivist approach Constructivism we take all the parts and we reconstruct information by integrating what we know so that our understanding of an event is coherent and makes sense can lead to errors in recognition tasks false memories Basic level categories basic level names are used to identify objects ex dog super ordinate level categories mammal subordinate level categories collie Embodied Cognition What are amodal theories of cognition we can get computers to understand cognition through abstract symbols but they don t account for how information is learned or the relationship between cognition and perception when interacting with a person amodal symbols redescribe the experienced perceptions actions and introspections to establish a conceptual representation of the interaction in long term memory as our knowledge of such interactions grows the underlying amodal systems become organized into structures that represents concepts schemas extracted from experience amodal redescriptions of social experience constitute social knowledge What is the Chinese room argument further illustrates the problem with processing symbols alone gives no meaning Searle describes a system that produces intelligent meaningful out put in the absence of true understanding What is embodied cognition EC theory that came out to describe where does meaning come from How does meaning explain how embodied cognition works Meaning comes from having a body in the environment that has needs and a motor sensation system these are the things that create meaning for us states arise in sensory motor systems during contact with the physical world these sensory motor states are stored in memory to some extent stored perceptual states later support higher cognitive processes during memory language thought may establish reference back into the physical world What role does the body play in EC embodied cognition theories focus on the body as being central to shaping the mind sensory motor simulation cognitive processes are presumed to depend on the sensory motor system in the brain that reactivates earlier experiences people can problem solve better when they can move their body the body influences cognition What role does the environment play in EC cognition is grounded in simulation our bodies and their perceptully guided motions through the world do much of the work required to achieve our goals replacing the need for complex internal mental representations if something has an affordance to you it has meaning to you that is where meaning What are affordances important comes from What is the action compatibility effect people are mentally simulating the action in the sentence in order to comprehend the sentence language understanding is grounded in bodily action closing bottle say turn up faster jokes are funnier when smiling What does EC say about language comprehension we experience senses through action What do metaphors have to do with language comprehension according to Lakoff and Johnson we use metaphors to link abstract concepts to concrete ideas we link abstract ideas in everyday conversation to metaphors Lakoff Johnson s Metaphors we live by we are going around in circles lack of movement we are in love containment he s way ahead of us journey I m on top of it position he needs some direction journey What role does metaphor play in understanding abstract concepts such as freedom a direct mapping of an abstract concept such as democracy with a sensory motor domain is problematic if abstract concepts without a direct representation in the physical world cannot be physically interacted with how can they ever be represented through simulation many times humans need to simulate through metaphors in order to understand language there are concrete experiences that relate to abstract concepts Language What is Chomsky s theory of language language he proposed we were born with an innate understanding of the abstract principles of language acquistion device in the mind which knows what kinds of rules human languages can have we have innate knowledge of universal grammar language abilities can be explained in terms of a complex system of rules and principles represented in the minds of language users language learning involves the more superficial characteristics of a particular language language is modular not processed the same as other cognitive tasks surface structure actual words related to syntax deals with word order deep structure meaning we derive from words related to semantics deals with transformational rules convert deep structure to surface structure to meaning communicate ambiguous sentences different deep structure for surface structure What is the good enough approach to language comprehension people frequently process only part of a sentence people usually do not work hard to create the most accurate detailed interpretation of every sentence they read or hear people read quickly and then
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