COGNITIVE APPROACH TO BEHAVIOR

• Multi-store Memory Model


  A hypothesized representation of memory with a number of separate locations in which information is stored
• The concept of memory refers to the process by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved
• In psychology, a model of memory is a hypothesized representation of memory
• Multi-store Model (MSM) of memory

  • Proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)
  • Memory consists of a number of separate locations in which information is stored
  • Memory processes are sequential
  • Each memory store operates in a single, uniform way
• Multi-store Model of memory- stores

  1. Sensory memory

  2. Short-term memory (STM)

  3. Long-term memory (LTM)
• Short-term memory (STM)

  • Capacity limited to around 7 items
  • Duration normally 6-18 seconds
  • Information quickly lost if not rehearsed
  • Can be displaced by new information
• Long-term memory (LTM)

  Information transferred from STM through rehearsal
• HM

  • Hit by a cyclist at age 7, sustained head injury
  • Developed epilepsy at age 10
  • At age 27, had surgery to remove tissue from medial temporal lobe, including hippocampus
  • After surgery, could not recall 12 years before operation
  • Suffered from anterograde amnesia - could not transfer new information to LTM
• Methods used to study HM


  1. Psychometric testing

  2. Direct observation

  3. Interviews

  4. Cognitive testing
• Schema theory

  • Assumes humans are active processors of information, not passive responders
  • If information is missing, brain fills in blanks based on existing schemas
• Components of thinking

  • Problem-solving
  • Creativity
  • Reasoning
  • Decision-making
• Problem-solving

  Thinking that is directed toward solving specific problems by means of a set of mental strategies
• Dual Processing Model

  Postulates that there are two basic modes of thinking - "System 1" and "System 2"
• We often use both System 1 and System 2 when addressing a problem, but System 1 is activated before System 2 can do its work, often interfering with the effectiveness of System 2.
• Anchoring Bias

  The tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information offered (the "anchor") when making decisions
• Ethical considerations


  Factors that should be obtained in every study for it to remain ethical, including informed consent, anonymity/confidentiality, protection from harm, right to withdrawal, deception, and debriefing
• There are cases where ethical considerations are hard to preserve or overlooked by researchers.
• Humans try to find meaning in what they experience and if something seems unfamiliar they will try to fit the experience into existing schemas
• Loftus & Palmer study


  Demonstrated that people's memory can be manipulated by post-event information and the wording of a question
• Loftus has demonstrated that it is possible to plant a false memory in participants and that they will claim that they have actually experienced the event
• Loftus' research has drawn attention to the problems of eyewitness testimony where people may give false evidence because of leading questions in the courtroom
• Independent Variablein the Loftus and Palmer study


  The intensity of the verb used in the critical question
• Dependent Variable

  The estimation of speed
• 45 students participated in the experiment, divided into 5 groups
• The study was an independent sample design; each participant watched all 7 films
• Procedure


  1. Participants watched films, gave account of accident, answered questionnaire with critical question about speed estimate

  2. Critical word (hit, collided, bumped, smashed, contacted) varied between groups
• Case studies offer in-depth insights into individual cognitive processes, while experiments allow for controlled manipulation of variables to establish causal relationships
• Case studies provide rich qualitative data but may lack generalizability, while experiments offer replicable results and quantitative analysis
• Integrating both case study and experimental approaches can provide a more comprehensive understanding of cognition
• Working memory model


  A development of the multi-store model of memory
• Short-term memory in the original model is changed to a more sophisticated version in the working memory model
• This is an example of how theories and models develop over time as science produces new findings
• Baddeley and Hitch (1974)


  Among the first to challenge the view that STM is a single store
• Working memory model


  • STM is not a single store but rather consists of a number of different stores
• Dual-task technique


  Participants carry out two tasks at once
• If participants perform two tasks simultaneously that both involve listening


  They perform them less well than if they did them separately
• Central executive


  • An attention control system that monitors and coordinates the operations of the sub-systems of processing and storage
  • Has the capacity to focus attention, divide attention between two or more sources, and switch attention from one task to another
  • Has limited capacity
• Episodic buffer


  Temporarily holds several sources of information active at the same time, including auditory, visual, and information from LTM
• Landry and Bartling (2011) conducted an experiment using articulatory suppression to test the Working Memory Model
• Experiment


  • Used independent designs with two groups: a control group that performed no concurrent task, and an experimental group that performed articulatory suppression