PNB 2XA3- Final Exam Guide - Comprehensive Notes for the exam ( 25 pages long!)

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour
• Course: PNB 2XA3
• Professor: David I Shore

Document Summary

We are crucially dependent on processes and knowledge of which we often are unaware. Psychology explores these processes and knowledge even when they operate unconsciously. We use our knowledge and expectations to interpret new information. 13s example: the world is an ambiguous place. Conclusion: we are expert perceivers and pattern recognisers: no effort required. Conclusion: we are only aware of a small part of the world at a time, that to which we attend. Bartlett, 1932: when participants are shown the images below they are more likely to remember and draw the first image as a typical picture frame, memory is distorted by expectations. Fundamental cognitive error: people tend to underestimate the contribution of their beliefs, theories and knowledge to observation, memory and judgment: our interpretations of events are biased to our experiences and expectations. Native realism: the belief that, except for a few tricks or illusions, things are as they appear.