10. Introduction
• Cognitive Psychology
• „The study of mental processes (functions)“
• mental functions
• Things one can do with one’s mind, e.g.
• Attention
• Learning
• Memory
• Language
• Emotions
• …
11. Introduction
• Cognitive Psychology
• Cognition is the process by which the sensory input is
transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered,
and used (Neisser, 1967)
12. Introduction
• Cognitive Psychology
• Cognition is the process by which the sensory input is
transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered,
and used (Neisser, 1967)
K K k
13. Introduction
• Cognitive Psychology
• Cognition is the process by which the sensory input is
transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered,
and used (Neisser, 1967)
14. Introduction
• Cognitive Psychology
• Cognition is the process by which the sensory input is
transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered,
and used (Neisser, 1967) “K”
This is hand-
writing
15. Introduction
• Cognitive Psychology
• is the study of internal mental processes such as attention,
memory, language,…
• is it just “science stuff” or is there any real world application
to it?*
16. Introduction
• Examples of real world applications
• Research into Attention: Phoning while driving (Divided
Attention)
17. Introduction
• Examples of real world applications
• Research into Long term memory & Learning: New
instruction and learning techniques; Improving quality of
eyewitness testimonies
18. Introduction
• Examples of real world applications
• Research into Language: How to write texts which are easy to
understand
19. Introduction
• Examples of real world applications
• Research into Perception & Short term memory:
Improvements in human-computer interaction
20. Introduction - Summary
Lecture Topic Chapters
1 Introduction & History 1, 2
2 Perception 4
3 Attention 5
4 Short Term Memory 6
5 Long Term Memory and Learning 7
6 Language (Part 1) 9
7 Language (Part 2) 9
8 Problem solving & Expertise 11, 12
9 Creativity & Emotions 13, 14
10 Decision making & social cognition 10, 18
Chapters refer to Gobet et al., Foundations of Cognitive Psychology.
31. Frameworks
• Frameworks for explaining cognition
– Information processing approach
– Computer analogy
– Flowcharts
– Production systems
– Semantic Networks
– Connectionism
32. Frameworks
• Information processing approach
Perception
perception and
analysis of external
stimuli
Response
Selection
decision process:
which response is
required by the
stimulus
Motor
Execution
respond by
moving finger
(press key)
Example: speeded
2-choice response
task
Lor R
Cognitive processing Stages:
34. Frameworks
• Information processing approach
Example taken from: Pashler (1994). Dual-task interference in simple tasks: Data and
Theory. Psychological Bulletin, 116 (2), p.220ff
35. Frameworks
• Frameworks for explaining cognition
– Information processing approach
– Production systems
– Semantic Networks
– Connectionism
36. Frameworks
• Productions
• A production has two parts
• Condition
• Action
• Whenever the condition is satisfied, the action is
executed
IF the traffic light is red, THEN stop the car
• Conditions are tests on the contents of working
memory (short-term memory)
37. Frameworks
• Productions
Example taken from: Meyer & Kieras (1997). A computational theory of executive
cognitive processes and multiple-task performance: Part1. Basic Mechanisms.
Psychological Review, 104 (1), p. 3ff.
38. Frameworks
• Productions
• Used to simulate
• rule-like behavior, e.g.
• simulation of children’s subtraction errors
• performance in choice-response tasks
• procedural memory
• learning
39. Frameworks
• Frameworks for explaining cognition
– Information processing approach
– Production systems
– Semantic Networks
– Connectionism
40. Frameworks
• Semantic Networks
• Contain nodes and links
• Nodes stand for concepts
• Links stand for relationships between concepts
• Links are labelled
41. Frameworks
• Semantic Networks: Priming Experiment
+
animal
fish
chair
dog
Task: Is the
target (e.g. ‘fish’)
a word or a non-
word (e.g. ‘xbyp’)
Finding: If the prime is
related (animal – fish),
response times are faster
than when the prime is
unrelated (chair – dog).
= “priming effect”
42. Frameworks
• Semantic Networks: Spreading of Activation
time
Explanation of priming effect: The prime
(animal) already activates the target
(fish), so that the target can be identified
more quickly on its occurrence.
(shaded in very
light blue)
43. Frameworks
• Semantic Networks
• Capture associative property of memory
• Can use spreading activation
• e.g. priming experiments
• Memory can be searched following links
• c.f. tip of the tongue phenomenon
Tip of the tongue: Activation
not strong enough for recall,
but strong enough to feel that
it “is there”.
44. Frameworks
• Frameworks for explaining cognition
– Information processing approach
– Production systems
– Semantic Networks
– Connectionism
45. Frameworks
• Connectionism
• Artificial neural networks, consisting of
• nodes (units, “neurons”)
• links (connections between nodes, “axons”)
nodes nodes
links Nodes and links have activation
- typically between -1 and +1
- links can be excitatory (activation > 0)
- links can be inhibitory (activation < 0)
- activations are updated in parallel
- activation of links also called ‘weight’
48. Frameworks: Summary
• Information processing approach
• computer analogy; symbolic approach
• Production systems
• if-then rules
• Semantic Networks
• spreading activation in networks, priming
• Connectionism
• complex learning, perception
49. Frameworks: Summary
• purpose of these frameworks
• efficiently describe (i.e. summarize) data
• allow generalizations
• predict
• understand the underlying principles of how the mind works
• not necessarily biological plausibility
• Today, all frameworks co-exist
• each has its advantages and disadvantages
