Cogsci C100 Midterm 1-Questions with Correct Answers/Verified
Introduction - ✔✔
What is Cognitive Science? - ✔✔study of mind and cognition that integrates other academic
disciplines
What are the disciplines of cog sci and what tools do they use? - ✔✔1. Neuroscience: case
studies, lesioning, and brain imaging
2. Philosophy: rigorous argument and analysis/deductive reasoning
3. Psychology: experimental techniques and paradigms
4. Anthropology:
5. Computer science/AI: computer stimulations and models
6. Linguistics
Why was anthropology included? - ✔✔To reduce WEIRD: Western, educated, industrialized,
rich, and democratic focused research
What is cognition? - ✔✔Mental activity involved in the
1) acquisition,
2) storage,
3) transformation, and
4) use of information
History of cog sci - ✔✔1. Began as a province of philosophy - Ancient Greeks described
human thinking as the mechanical manipulation of symbols - and remained that way until
the 19th century
2. 1879: Wundt established the first psych laboratory and introduced introspection
3. 1900s = behaviorism: only studied the relation between observable stimuli and behavioral
responses (denied the existence of the mind)
,4. 1950s: the emergence of cognitive psychology and view that mental processes can be
understood as the flow of information through a series of stages much like a computer
5. 1990s: shift to parallel processing and neural networks rather than serial processing
(arose from face recognition studies)
6. 2000s: Emergence of AI and machine learning
Describe first computer/turing machine and what it revealed? - ✔✔1. Developed during
WWII to break enigma code
2. Revealed that cognition involves an algorithmic process of information processing
Artificial Intelligence - ✔✔computer models that accomplish the same cognitive tasks that
humans do
Machine learning - ✔✔allows computers to "learn" by creating new algorithms to produce a
desired output based on data that is provided
Deep learning/neural networks - ✔✔involves numerous layers of algorithms
What transformed cognitive science in the late 1980s and 1990s? - ✔✔Emergence of
neuroimaging techniques, which helped establish correlations between certain cognitive
processes and specific brain areas
- single cell recordings helped study brain activity at the level of a single neuron
Behaviors determined by brain function debate - ✔✔Penfield studies show that stimulating
parts of the brain induce specific cognitive and motor responses. However, this does not
mean that brain states CAUSE mental states.
Controversy of cognitive neuroscience - ✔✔- expensive
- doesn't provide direct practical benefits
- has not helped develop psychological theories
, Limitations of the experimental method - ✔✔1. lack of ecological validity when performed
in highly controlled environments
2. some things cannot be quantified (e.g. love, beauty, etc.)
3. Belief as a confounding variable
Pollack (supplemental reading) - ✔✔affective experiences such as child abuse can influence
perceptual categories and identification of basic emotions
- abused kids overidentified anger
Perception 1: Vision - ✔✔
sensation - ✔✔transformation of stimuli to neural impulses
perception - ✔✔process of interpreting and organizing sensory information through the
integration of previous knowledge
Early models of object recognition - ✔✔1. template matching model
2. feature analysis model
3. recognition-by-components model
4. prototype model
5. Alternative modes like mindfulness which allow us to see without conceptual filters
template matching model - ✔✔involves comparing stimulus to set of templates stored in
memory
Problem: doesn't account for complexity of object recognition (e.g. handwriting)
Feature analysis model - ✔✔We recognize objects by noticing the presence or absence of
important features
Problem: cannot account for movement or distortion
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller MikeHarris. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $11.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.