COG QUIZ 1

• Memory is the ability to retain and recall information
• Knowledge can be acquired through conjectures or hypotheses and refutations
• According to Karl Popper, the key components to distinguish between science and pseudo-science are conjectures (hypotheses) and refutations
• Popper's criterion for the scientific status of a theory is its falsifiability, refutability, or testability
• Every good scientific theory is a prohibition; it forbids certain things to happen
• Subjective percept (what we see and experience) is a combination of physical properties and assumptions
• Reproducibility in psychology is essential, and hypotheses must be falsifiable
• Psi (extra sensory perception) refers to unexplained information or energy transfer processes
• Replication studies in psychology evaluate the reproducibility of findings
• Factors affecting replicability in scientific studies include theoretical maturity, features of original studies, and features of replication studies
• Theoretical maturity influences replicability, and well-established theories with clear predictions are more likely to be replicable
• Features of original studies like false positives, weak statistical evidence, and lack of transparency can hinder replicability
• Features of replication studies such as small sample sizes and errors by researchers can impact replicability
• Surveys, structured protocols, and prediction markets can predict replication outcomes
• Improving replicability involves conducting more severe tests, reducing errors, and enhancing validity
• Meehl argued for a theory crisis in psychology and the need for more investment in theory building
• Incentivizing error identification and correction fosters a culture of getting research right
• Structural solutions like Registered Reports and adversarial collaboration can enhance replicability
• Psychology faces challenges due to lack of robust phenomena, questionable validity of constructs, and difficulties in establishing causal relationships
• Key figures in psychology include Wilhelm Wundt, William James, John B. Watson, B.F. Skinner, and Donald Broadbent
• Information processing approach in psychology involves understanding mental phenomena through stages of processing
• Information processing models describe the sequence of steps from representations to decisions
• Information is driven by external stimulation or internal processing and influences choices
• The IP approach offers a way to understand complex behaviors and reduce confirmation bias in scientific inquiry
• Psychology has its roots in philosophical inquiries, and the information processing approach is commonly used by cognitive psychologists
• Social cognition focuses on cognitive processing of information about other people and social situations
• Cognitive psychology involves internal processes like attention, perception, learning, memory, language, problem solving, reasoning, and thinking
• Cognitive psychology was preceded by behaviorism and follows the information processing approach, comparing the mind to a computer
• Different processing methods include bottom-up, top-down, serial, parallel, and cascade processing
• The task impurity problem arises from cognitive tasks requiring multiple processes, making interpretation challenging
• Evaluation of Cognitive Psychology:

  • Foundational field in understanding human cognition
  • Influences other fields exploring cognition
  • Largely based on lab research, lacks ecological validity
  • Theories are often only expressed verbally, leading to a lack of clarity and difficulty in falsification
  • Proliferation of different theories on any given topic
  • Paradigm specificity leads to narrow scope and applicability of findings
  • Measures are usually indirect, involving speed/accuracy
• • Tasks involve several processes, making it difficult to identify the number and nature of processes involved
• Cognitive Neuropsychology:

  • Focuses on cognitive performance of patients with brain damage
  • Not about the brain itself, but about information-processing models of cognition
  • Key theoretical assumptions: Modularity, Anatomical modularity, Universality assumption, Subtractivity, Transparency
  • Allows drawing causal inferences between brain areas and cognitive processes and behaviors with moderate confidence
  • Provides evidence for falsifying cognitive theories
  • Produces large magnitude phenomena which can be initially theoretically counterintuitive
  • Assumptions are considered extreme
• • Flawed assumption that brain damage patients' behavior is a direct result of damage rather than compensatory strategies
• Cognitive Neuroscience:

  • Intensive study of brain activity and behavior
  • Connectome: a wiring diagram providing a complete map of the brain's neural connections
  • Organization determined by cost control and efficiency principles
  • Techniques for studying the brain: Single unit recording, Event-related potentials, Positron Emission Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Transcranial magnetic stimulation
  • Richness of neuroimaging data allows accurate theoretical modeling
  • Many studies conducted, allowing for meta-analyses
• • Neuroimaging data can be reanalyzed based on theoretical developments
  • Shows the assumption of functional specialization
  • Overinterpretation of findings, undue reliance on reverse inference
  • Difficulty in replicating findings, common false positive results
  • Most brain imaging techniques reveal only associations
  • Problem with ecological validity
• Computational Cognitive Science:

  • Computational modeling involves programming computers to mimic human cognitive functioning
  • Artificial intelligence constructs computer systems providing intelligent outcomes
  • Focus on specific aspects of cognition or cognitive architectures
  • Connectionist models consist of interconnected networks of simple units that exhibit learning
  • More research using multiple approaches
  • Each approach makes distinct contributions with strengths and limitations
• Replication Crisis:

  • Replication is the ability to repeat findings of previous research
  • Only 50% of findings replicated in cognitive psychology
  • Factors influencing replication: uncontrollable factors, questionable research practices, exaggeration of statistical significance
  • Meta-analysis can combat replication issues but faces challenges in study selection
  • Importance of clear inclusion criteria
• Phantom Vibration Syndrome:

  • Over 50% of respondents experience PVS
  • Sensing a vibration without sensory input
  • Signal detection theory can explain PVS
• Gustav Fechner:

  • Discrimination between barely noticeable stimuli
  • Sensations change based on physical attributes of stimuli
  • Psychophysics studies how sensations change with physical attributes