PSY 305 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Hypothalamus, Smooth Muscle Tissue
29 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Psychology 305
September 28
Week 1 Class 2
Week 1 Friendly Reminders
● You should have a study group for discussion
○ Check out SGR #1 on Canvas
● Class notes on canvas
○ Additional readings, videos, etc
● Oct 3rd class: someone flipped
○ Watch online lecture video: neural function
○ Discussion/activities in class followed by new topics
Cognitive Psychology
● Basic assumptions
○ Mental processes exist
○ Humans are active (rather than passive) information processors
○ Mental processes can be identified through the use of behavioral measures (like
reaction times, and patterns of correct or incorrect responses)
● Approach to understanding cognitive processes
● Neural basis of cognition
● Example for memory span (span test): 4 letters, then 6 letters, then 8 letters etc
○ Strategies to remember: rehearsal, chunking
Research in Cognitive Psychology: working memory
● The span test is used to determine the holding capacity of working memory
● We used performance on the span test (a behavior that can be measured) to make
inferences about the underlying working-memory system (mental events)
● This is an example of the indirect study of mental events
● Working memory: a case in point!
○ When we begin to understand a cognitive mechanism (like working memory) in
simpler experimental contexts (like the span task), we begin to understand all of
the broader contexts in which the mechanisms play a role
● Working memory is the storage system in which information is held while it is currently
being worked on
● Evidence for the working-memory model
○ During span tasks, confusions
are often made between letters that sound alike,
not letters that look alike (auditory instead of visual)
○ This suggests that the working-memory system makes use of mechanisms that
are used during hearing and speaking
○ Ex: K and J are more frequently confused than K and R
● Concurrent articulation reduces memory span dramatically
○ This suggests that the model needs to incorporate speech mechanisms
Document Summary
You should have a study group for discussion. Discussion/activities in class followed by new topics. Humans are active (rather than passive) information processors. Mental processes can be identified through the use of behavioral measures (like reaction times, and patterns of correct or incorrect responses) Example for memory span (span test): 4 letters, then 6 letters, then 8 letters etc. The span test is used to determine the holding capacity of working memory. We used performance on the span test ( a behavior that can be measured ) to make. This is an example of the indirect study of mental events. Working memory: a case in point! inferences about the underlying working-memory system ( mental events ) When we begin to understand a cognitive mechanism (like working memory) in simpler experimental contexts (like the span task), we begin to understand all of the broader contexts in which the mechanisms play a role.
