PSYC2215 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY EXAM NOTES
PSYC2215 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY EXAM NOTES
TABLE OF CONTENTS Topic 1 – Attention Topic 2 – Working memory Topic 3 – Principles of Memory Topic 4 – Dissociations of Memory Topic 5 – Forensic Topic 6 – Memory Updating Topic 7 – Expertise Topic 8 – Skill Acquisition Topic 9 – Judgement & Decision-Making Topic 10 – Problem-Solving & Human Error
TOPIC 1 – Attention Understand distinction between focused and divided attention •
Focused attention: choosing to attend to certain stimuli over others o
May be a particular modality (e.g. auditory, visual) or characteristic (e.g. sex of speaker, voice intensity, speaker location, ‘cocktail party phenomenon’ = attention is directed towards one conversation at a noisy party)
o
Still processes unattended information to a certain extent (e.g. ‘own-name phenomenon’ = attention is drawn towards a source when hearing one’s name)
•
Divided attention: sharing attention between multiple stimuli
Describe main filter theories of attention •
Early filter theories: o
o
Characteristics: ▪
Filter located early in the processing stream
▪
Only physical stimulus characteristics are processed
▪
Filter then determines which stimuli receive further processing
Evidence: ▪
Cherry dichotic listening task: attended ear and unattended ear receive different messages participants must shadow one message •
Difficult to focus on one ear if both messages were in the same
voice proves we use physical characteristics to focus attention •
Participants did not notice if the message in the unattended ear was in another language or played backwards only physical changes were noticed (e.g. gender) proves the unattended ear is analysed for physical characteristics and not at a semantic level
▪
Moray: presented the same word list in the unattended ear 35 times participants did not realise what the word was
o
Example: ▪
Broadbent: there is parallel access to a very short-term sensory register early attentional filter single channel of information is selected based on physical characteristics to pass through the filter into short-term memory for further (e.g. semantic) processing
o
Limitations: ▪
Highly salient information is often detected (e.g. ‘own-name phenomenon’)
▪
Semantic content of unattended information can cause attention to be directed towards it therefore must be processed to some extent •
Treisman dichotic listening task: o
Participants were simultaneously presented with two messages and asked to focus on one message: ▪
“To make a cake, you need pianos, clarinets and
drums” ▪ o
“The instruments included butter, sugar and eggs”
Participants automatically switched to follow the meaning therefore the filter must be sensitive to content
•
Corteen & Wood: participants listened to a list of words and an electric shock was given when city names were presented shadowed the message in the attended ear and presented with irrelevant words (including city names) in the unattended ear o
Participants were unable to report information presented in the unattended ear, but there was increased galvanic
skin response to city names, suggesting we unconsciously analyse words for meanings •
Late filter theories: o
o
Characteristics: ▪
Filter located late in the processing stream
▪
Physical and semantic characteristics (everything) are processed
▪
Filter then determines which stimuli will be attended to
Example: ▪
Deutsch & Deutsch: all stimuli is fully analysed most important stimulus determines response or further processing •
**Little support for this theory**
TABLE OF CONTENTS Topic 1 – Attention Topic 2 – Working memory Topic 3 – Principles of Memory Topic 4 – Dissociations of Memory Topic 5 – Forensic Topic 6 – Memory Updating Topic 7 – Expertise Topic 8 – Skill Acquisition Topic 9 – Judgement & Decision-Making Topic 10 – Problem-Solving & Human Error
TOPIC 1 – Attention Understand distinction between focused and divided attention •
Focused attention: choosing to attend to certain stimuli over others o
May be a particular modality (e.g. auditory, visual) or characteristic (e.g. sex of speaker, voice intensity, speaker location, ‘cocktail party phenomenon’ = attention is directed towards one conversation at a noisy party)
o
Still processes unattended information to a certain extent (e.g. ‘own-name phenomenon’ = attention is drawn towards a source when hearing one’s name)
•
Divided attention: sharing attention between multiple stimuli
Describe main filter theories of attention •
Early filter theories: o
o
Characteristics: ▪
Filter located early in the processing stream
▪
Only physical stimulus characteristics are processed
▪
Filter then determines which stimuli receive further processing
Evidence: ▪
Cherry dichotic listening task: attended ear and unattended ear receive different messages participants must shadow one message •
Difficult to focus on one ear if both messages were in the same
voice proves we use physical characteristics to focus attention •
Participants did not notice if the message in the unattended ear was in another language or played backwards only physical changes were noticed (e.g. gender) proves the unattended ear is analysed for physical characteristics and not at a semantic level
▪
Moray: presented the same word list in the unattended ear 35 times participants did not realise what the word was
o
Example: ▪
Broadbent: there is parallel access to a very short-term sensory register early attentional filter single channel of information is selected based on physical characteristics to pass through the filter into short-term memory for further (e.g. semantic) processing
o
Limitations: ▪
Highly salient information is often detected (e.g. ‘own-name phenomenon’)
▪
Semantic content of unattended information can cause attention to be directed towards it therefore must be processed to some extent •
Treisman dichotic listening task: o
Participants were simultaneously presented with two messages and asked to focus on one message: ▪
“To make a cake, you need pianos, clarinets and
drums” ▪ o
“The instruments included butter, sugar and eggs”
Participants automatically switched to follow the meaning therefore the filter must be sensitive to content
•
Corteen & Wood: participants listened to a list of words and an electric shock was given when city names were presented shadowed the message in the attended ear and presented with irrelevant words (including city names) in the unattended ear o
Participants were unable to report information presented in the unattended ear, but there was increased galvanic
skin response to city names, suggesting we unconsciously analyse words for meanings •
Late filter theories: o
o
Characteristics: ▪
Filter located late in the processing stream
▪
Physical and semantic characteristics (everything) are processed
▪
Filter then determines which stimuli will be attended to
Example: ▪
Deutsch & Deutsch: all stimuli is fully analysed most important stimulus determines response or further processing •
**Little support for this theory**
