Cognitive Psychology Spring 2005 Discussion Section Cognitive functions

Ψ Cognitive Psychology Spring 2005 -Discussion Section-

Cognitive functions • • Perception Emotion Attention Motivation Memory Categorization Action Imagery Decision-making Reasoning, problem-solving Language

Full plate • • Finishing up memory issues Memory for General knowledge Intro to Categories 7 sins Rosch & Mervis Nickerson & Adams Exam Review

Repressed memories • A hot issue since the mid 90 s. Number of Cases exloded. Into the thousands. • People have been sued and convicted Of ghastly crimes (often involving relatives) • Usually based on concept of repression (Introduced by Freud).

Repressed memories • While it is impossible to tell in an invididual case, some things are very troubling. . . • Scientific concept of Repression is extremely shaky. No evidence that it can happen. In fact, the opposite seems to be true (PTSD) • It has been shown that very vivid memory can be implanted into the minds of both adults and children. The subjects can´t discriminate real vs. implanted memories. • The process of recovery (recovery therapy) is very similar to the process used for artificial implantation. • Evidently wrong „recovered“ memories seem to be progressive, the reports of the abuse get more and more severe over time. • People who solidly claim that they were abducted by space aliens and similarly outrageous stories usually have bad source memory.

Memory for general knowledge • Basic distinction: Episodic vs. Semantic. • Many differences Endel Tulving • Intuitively clear: State, Chicago ; ) ? Knowing Facts, „Knowledge“ Ate, Breakfast? Recall of Personal experiences Repetition with invariant core

Memory for general knowledge • Semantic memory models: • Hierarchical model • Feature comparison model • ACT model • Schemata • Scripts • Connectionist models, neural networks • Episodic memory models: ? Networks, Feature lists, etc. Very 70´s and 80´s style. Inspired by Computer science 90 s, Neuroscience inspired

Memory for general knowledge • Hierarchical model -Spread of activation -Nodes -Semantic priming -RT based studies -Typicality Semantic network Hierarchical • Feature comparison model • Memory as a linked feature list • Every concept consists of a set of elements (features) • There are defining and characteristic features • The more defining features, the easier. Explains category size effect (abstractness)

Memory for general knowledge • ACT theory • A central psychological theory • Combines working memory, declarative and procedural memory. • Nodes, Production rules • Conditions, actions • Activated production rules create nodes John Anderson

Memory for general knowledge • Schemata • Organized information • Contain fixed slots and variable content • Questionnaire (template) model of memory • Default values • Scripts • Schema for routine events • Restaurant example • Allows inferences, leaving things unsaid. Problem: Intrusions.

Memory for general knowledge • Connectionist models • Parallel processing • Learning (unobserved) • Layers (Input, Processing, Output) • Nodes and Links • Weights • Increasingly popular, powerful • Hard do damage, robust plausible James Mc. Clelland

Life without categories?

Categories have tremendous utility for organisms. Categories make cognition efficient, language possible. Mistakes in Categorization have serious consequences.

The concept of a category

More realistically. . .

The seven sins of memory by Dan Schacter

What are the seven sins? • Pride • Transience • Envy • Absentmindedness • Gluttony • Blocking • Lust • Misattribution • Anger • Suggestibility • Greed • Bias • Sloth • Persistence

Take home from seven sins: • Transience • Absentmindedness • Blocking • Misattribution • Suggestibility • Bias • Persistence A central paper. You should be able to: • Name them • Explain what they are • Know empirical evidence of their reality • Explain the adaptive system they derive from.

Nickerson & Adams

Nickerson & Adams 1 c

Nickerson & Adams 1$?

Nickerson & Adams • Basic points: • Familiarity does not guarantee retention. • Even if there were literally thousands of presentations of the information. • Crucial are importance, which generally leads to the deployment of attention. • In the absence of these, memory is poor. • People are not necessarily aware of this. Introspection is a bad measure of memory for everyday objects.

Nickerson & Adams Study tip: Try to think that the course material is important and pay attention. Try to care. That way, memory will naturally be much better than if you just read/hear the stuff.

Rosch & Mervis • Then: Typicality effects in categorization Rosch Berkeley Now: Mervis Louisville -Psychology of Meditation -Williams Syndrome -Buddhist Psychology -Genetic Neuropsychology -Eastern Religions, Embodiment

Review for midterm: • 2 nd midterm is on next Monday, as scheduled • Topics are basically Memory and Categorization • Try to study on the weekend. Email me for questions • Material from Lecture, Book, Discussion section and papers. Look online for my slides. • Don´t panic, it could be worse.

Concepts to know • Interference: Proactive 1 vs. 2 Retroactive 1 • Explicitness: Explicit vs. Bla Implicit 2

Concepts to know • Modal model of memory: Sensory memory Short term memory Storage Long term memory Retrieval Information Response • Encoding specificity -Context effect -State dependent learning -Cues!

Concepts to know • Working memory = structured STM Central executive Visuospatial sketchpad • Memory structure Phonological loop LTM Knowing how to. . . Knowing that. . . Declarative Procedural Implicit Episodic Vivid Recall Semantic Knowing Explicit

Concepts to know • Basic memory processes Encoding Storage Retrieval • Sins of memory 7

Topics to know

Short term memory Coding, Capacity, Retention duration, etc. Serial position effects (primacy, recency, use). Mnemonic strategies: Chunking, rehearsal. Working memory Inferference (Proactive, retroactive) Memory search (serial, exhaustive)

Long term memory Coding, Capacity, Retention duration, etc. Levels of processing theory Forgetting: Decay, Interference, Overwriting Encoding specificity: State-dependent learning, Context effects, spacing, cues, mood dependent learning.

Autobiographical memory -Flashbulb memory (Vivid, yet not more accurate) -Eyewitness testimony (Constructive, Post hoc) -Repressed memories (Controversial, doubtful) -Amnesia (Symptoms)

Memory for general knowledge • Dichotomies: Implicit vs. Explicit memory Declarative vs. Procedural memory Semantic vs. Episodic memory • Models: Hierarchical model ACT model Network models Connectionist model Feature comparison model Scripts Schemata Highly inspired by Computer Science, Linguistics

Problematic concepts Implicit memory vs. explicit memory • Main difference: Explicit memory is verbal, can be verbalized. Implicit memory is nonverbal, cannot be verbalized • To note: Strictly speaking, „implicit“ or „explicit“ are ways to probe memory, not necessarily properties of the system itself! Even if, the systems are not symmetric. Semantic memory is NOT implicit.

Problematic concepts Serial position effects = Primacy and Recency effect in recalling lists Usage: Evidence for difference between STM and LTM Primacy: LTM Recency: STM

Problematic concepts Declarative memory NOT a memory for specific events. Conceptually, it´s everything in memory that can be verbalized. A super-category including both episodic and semantic memory. It is EXPLICIT.

Problematic concepts Procedural memory NOT memory for routine activities like restaurant visits. Confusion with Scripts. Procedural memory cannot be verbalized! It contains information about actions and their sequences. „Know how (to)“

Good luck!