Unit 6: Cognition

« home / courses / general studies / mptuo1a / syllabus / unit 6: cognition

MPTUO1a: Introduction to Psychology
Weeks 9, 10 and 11 / Unit 6: Cognition

Cognition. “Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of mental processes such as “attention, language use, memory, perception, problem solving, creativity, and thinking.” ^[1]

---

 Required Reading

• Chapter 5: Conditioning, Part One: Classical Conditioning in Psychology: An Introduction by Russell A. Dewey, PhD^[3]
  • Classical Conditioning
  • The Conditional Response
  • Generalization and Discrimination
  • Summary: Classical Conditioning
• Chapter 5: Conditioning, Part Two: Applications of Classical Conditioning in Psychology: An Introduction by Russell A. Dewey, PhD^[3]
  • Unconscious Classical Conditioning
  • Conditional Emotional Responses
  • Taste Aversion
  • Summary: Applications of Classical Conditioning
• Chapter 5: Conditioning, Part Three: Operant Conditioning in Psychology: An Introduction by Russell A. Dewey, PhD^[3]
  • Operant Conditioning
  • Reinforcement
  • Punishment
  • Stimulus Control
  • Backward Chaining
  • Extinction of an Operant
  • Summary: Operant Conditioning
• Chapter 5: Conditioning, Part Four: Applied Behavior Analysis in Psychology: An Introduction by Russell A. Dewey, PhD^[3]
  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Using Reinforcement
  • More Reinforcement Techniques
  • Using Negative Reinforcement
  • Using Punishment
  • Punishing Little Children and Bunnies
  • Summary: Applied Behavior Analysis
• Chapter 6: Memory, Intelligence and States of Mind, Introduction and Parts One, Two, Three, Four in Psychology 101 by Dr. Christopher L. Heffner ^[2]
  • Chapter 6: Memory, Intelligence, and States of Mind
  • Chapter 6.2: Memory and Forgetting
  • Chapter 6.3: Intelligence
  • Chapter 6.4: Relaxation and Hypnosis
• Chapter 7: Cognition, Part One: Visual Information Processing in Psychology: An Introduction by Russell A. Dewey, PhD ^[3]
  • Visual Scene Analysis
  • Mental Imagery
  • Summary: Visual Information Processing
• Chapter 7: Cognition, Part Two: Language in Psychology: An Introduction by Russell A. Dewey, PhD ^[3]
  • Language
  • Comprehension
  • Reading
  • Fallacies of Speedreading
  • Writing
  • Summary: Language
• Chapter 7: Cognition, Part Three: Motor Activity in Psychology: An Introduction by Russell A. Dewey, PhD ^[3]
  • Motor Activity
  • Motor Activity as a Cognitive Process
  • Automaticity
  • Summary: Motor Activity
• Chapter 7: Cognition, Part Four: Thinking and Problem Solving in Psychology: An Introduction by Russell A. Dewey, PhD ^[3]
  • Thinking
  • Attention
  • Metacognition
  • Problem Solving
  • Expertise
  • Summary: Thinking and Problem Solving
• Chapter 8: Animal Behavior and Cognition, Part One: Early Comparative Psychology in Psychology: An Introduction by Russell A. Dewey, PhD ^[3]
  • Early Comparative Psychology
  • The Search for Laws of Learning
  • Summary: Early Comparative Psychology
• Chapter 8: Animal Behavior and Cognition, Part Two: Classic Ethology in Psychology: An Introduction by Russell A. Dewey, PhD ^[3]
  • Classic Ethology
  • Konrad Lorenz
  • The Decline of Old Assumptions
  • Summary: Classic Ethology
• Chapter 8: Animal Behavior and Cognition, Part Three: Social Ethology in Psychology: An Introduction by Russell A. Dewey, PhD ^[3]
  • Social Ethology
  • Prosocial (Friendly) Interactions
  • Predator-Prey Competition
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Cautions about Evolutionary Thinking
  • Summary: Social Ethology
• Chapter 8: Animal Behavior and Cognition, Part Four: Animal Cognition in Psychology: An Introduction by Russell A. Dewey, PhD ^[3]
  • Are Animals Conscious?
  • Animal Information Processing
  • Chimp Cognition
  • Summary: Animal Cognition

---

Homework

Intelligence

Perspectives on intelligence

• • 1.1 Discuss intelligence as a general factor.
  • 1.2 Discuss alternative conceptualizations of intelligence.
  • 1.3 Describe the extremes of intelligence.

Assessment of intelligence

• • 2.1 Discuss the history of intelligence testing, including historical use and misuse in the context of fairness.
  • 2.2 Identify current methods of assessing human abilities.
  • 2.3 Identify measures of and data on reliability and validity for intelligence test scores.

Issues in Intelligence

• • 3.1 Discuss issues related to the consequences of intelligence testing.
  • 3.2 Discuss the influences of biological, cultural, and environmental factors on intelligence

Memory Study Guide

Encoding of memory

• • 1.1 Identify factors that influence encoding.
  • 1.2 Characterize the difference between shallow (surface) and deep (elaborate) processing.
  • 1.3 Discuss strategies for improving the encoding of memory.

Storage of memory

• • 2.1 Describe the differences between working memory and long-term memory.
  • 2.2 Identify and explain biological processes related to how memory is stored.
  • 2.3 Discuss types of memory and memory disorders (e.g., amnesias, dementias).
  • 2.4 Discuss strategies for improving the storage of memories.

Retrieval of memory

• • 3.1 Analyze the importance of retrieval cues in memory.
  • 3.2 Explain the role that interference plays in retrieval.
  • 3.3 Discuss the factors influencing how memories are retrieved.
  • 3.4. Explain how memories can be malleable.
  • 3.5 Discuss strategies for improving the retrieval of memories

Thinking Study Guide

Basic elements comprising thought

• • 1.1 Define cognitive processes involved in understanding information.
  • 1.2 Define processes involved in problem-solving and decision making.
  • 1.3 Discuss non-human problem-solving abilities.

Obstacles related to thought

• • 2.1 Describe obstacles to problem-solving.
  • 2.2 Describe obstacles to decision making.
  • 2.3 Describe obstacles to making good judgments

---

Major Assignments and Deadlines

• Participate. Make a minimum of 2 original comments or discussion posts and 2 responses to someone else.
• Watch the Unit 6 Videos.
• Study the Unit 6 Slides.
• Review the Unit 6 Resources.
• Review the Unit 6 Study Guide.
• Take three quizzes.
  • Quiz 10: Conditioning
  • Quiz 11: Memory and Intelligence
  • Quiz 12: Animal Behavior and Cognition

---

Sources

1. Cognition. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 3, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_psychology
2. Heffner, Dr. Christopher L. (2001, April 1). Psychology 101. All Psych. https://allpsych.com/psychology101/
3. Dewey, Dr. Russell A. (2017). Psychology: An Introduction. Psych Web. https://www.psywww.com/intropsych/
4. The American Psychological Association’s Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (APA TOPSS) course template.

---

« home / courses / general studies / mptuo1a / syllabus / unit 6: cognition

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence. Contact My Psych Teacher for more information.