Psyc 317 001: Cognitive Psychology

1. Psyc 317 001: Cognitive Psychology James Thompson, PhD Assistant Professor Dept of Psychology

2. 2 Today�s agenda Introductions Syllabus What is cognitive psychology?

3. 3 About Me BA (Hons) in Psychology PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship in MRI Dept of Radiology, WVU

4. 4 About Me

5. 5 How to Contact Me Call me JIM Office: DK 2056 Email: jthompsz@gmu.edu Telephone: 703-993-9356

6. 6 How to Annoy Me

7. 7 About Me: My Research Cognitive Neuroscience The neural basis of cognition Visual Recognition of Human Movement How you do recognize and interpret the actions of other people

8. 8 About Me: My Research

9. 9 About Me: My Research Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)

10. 10 Functional MRI (fMRI)

11. 11 Functional MRI (fMRI)

12. 12 Teaching: A two-way street My responsibilities Encourage discussion, hold in-class activities and demonstrations Research questions I don't know Teach and speak at a comfortable pace Your responsibilities Participate in class, ask questions Give me constructive criticism and let me know if I speak too fast, mumble, etc. Connect in-class concepts with the outside world

13. 13 About You Name Major/year in college What is the best/worst place you have been for a holiday? What you hope to gain from this course OK to say that you�re taking it because it�s required

14. 14 Syllabus Office Hours: Tues 10:30-11:30 or by appointment Website: http://hfac.gmu.edu/people/jthompsz/

15. 15 Syllabus: Check your GMU e-mail! I will often be communicating with you via your GMU e-mail - check it! Also be sure to empty your mailbox If you miss an announcement because you missed an e-mail, it�s not my problem

16. 16 Syllabus: Textbook Goldstein, E. B. (2008). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research and Everyday Experience (2nd Edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

17. 17 Syllabus: Grading Standard scale: A (100-90) B (89-80) C (79-70) D (69-60) F (below 59) There will be a curve on the final grade

18. 18 Syllabus: Grading BEST 3 out of 4 non-cumulative exams Each exam is worth 20% Multiple choice & short essay 1 article review & lit search Worth 30% Class discussion/participation Worth 10% Ask questions, make comments!

19. 19 Syllabus: Make-Up Exams Make-ups exams will be given after the date of the scheduled exam Need excuse written by doctor, lawyer, judge, etc.

20. 20 Article Summary Summarize a cognitive psychology research article Must clear article with me first! 3 pages Research question Independent & dependent variables Results Conclusions

21. 21 Article Summary 2 pages Relate the research question & findings to a �real world� example You Friend Someone from a book, TV, or movie

22. 22 Article Summary Literature Search Keywords PsychINFO PubMed 5 relevant articles Print list from PsychINFO or PubMed Attach to summary

23. 23 Article Summary

24. 24 Article Summary

25. 25 Article Summary

26. 26 Syllabus: Extra Credit Use Sona Systems to sign up for experiments http://gmu.sona-systems.com/ Can earn up to 3% on your final grade Each Sona credit is worth 0.5% Want 3% extra credit? Get 6 credits. You only got 3 credits? You get 1.5%.

27. 27 Syllabus: Honor code Refer to University Catalog for complete explanation Just don�t cheat

28. 28 Tricks of the trade The first exam is the hardest Hardest material Don�t know what to expect I like being in communication I am constantly checking my e-mail ASK QUESTIONS

29. 29 One last piece of advice From student feedback: �I read the book and came to class. I did fine.� That�s my goal: read the book, come to class, and you�ll do well!

30. Lecture 1: Introduction & History

31. 31 Outline Introductions Syllabus What is cognitive psychology?

32. 32 What is cognition? (book definition) Cognition comprises the mental processes that are involved in: Perception Attention Memory Problem solving Reasoning Decision making

33. 33 Why should you care? Many of you may be interested in clinical, school, or social psychology Many of these fields study personality What is personality at the lowest level? How we perceive things How/what we remember How we make decisions etc. These are all based in our cognition

34. 34 Why else should you care? Billions of neurons to create the smartest animals on the planet But we don�t know how it works! �The three-pound enigma.�

35. 35 The complexity of cognition Walking to class today Memory - Remembering what building class is in Perception & attention - Looking at a campus map to find the building Language - Asking someone for directions Reasoning - Finding the best route to get to the room It all seems so automatic!

36. 36 Automaticity can get in the way Example: Stroop effect Instructions: Read the words on the next slide out loud Example: WATER APPLE

37. 37 Stroop

38. 38 Stroop effect

39. 39 Stroop

40. 40 Deconstructing the Stroop effect Reading is highly automatic We generally learn color naming first Cannot stop reading even after lots of practice! So cognition is pretty automatic Right? INSERT: But how automatic is it? SHOW: Change blindness - Harborside VideoINSERT: But how automatic is it? SHOW: Change blindness - Harborside Video

41. 41 Sometimes your eyes can lie�

42. 42 The Flash-Lag effect An object is flashed at the same instant that a moving object arrives at same position Perceived to spatially lag the moving object Moving objects processed more slowly than static objects? Or, do we make predictions of where a moving object will be? INSERT: But how automatic is it? SHOW: Change blindness - Harborside VideoINSERT: But how automatic is it? SHOW: Change blindness - Harborside Video

43. 43 What is cognition? (simple definition) The behind the scenes functioning of the mind How the mind creates behaviors that are similar to all people How the mind creates behaviors that are not similar to all people (individual differences)

44. 44 Cognitive Science: The big picture Cognitive science: The study of the mind, approached from many disciplines

45. 45 Disciplines of cognitive science Psychology: Scientific study of behavior produced by the mind Neuroscience: Studies the anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry of the brain Philosophy: How our mind constructs reality, questions of consciousness Linguistics: Scientific study of origins and development of language

46. 46 Applications: Human factors Human factors: Designing systems within the limits of human cognition Don�t overload memory Don�t make words hard to see Real-world examples Medical technology Three Mile island Early fighter planes

47. 47 Applications: Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence: The development of technology that performs functions similar to human thought Relates to philosophy What is consciousness? How does our brain create consciousness?

48. 48 Outline Introductions Syllabus What cognitive psychology is

49. 49 History: Back in the day� Aristotle 384-322 BC Tabula rasa (�blank slate�) Structure of the mind already in place?

50. 50 Fast forward to the 1860s Franciscus Donders - measured the speed of thought 1868 Reaction time experiments

51. 51 What is reaction time? The time elapsed between some stimulus and the person�s response Typically measured in milliseconds Considered a measure of difficulty

52. 52 Donders� Subtraction Figure 1.3 (p. 6)A modern version of Donders� (1868) reaction time experiment. (a) the simple reaction-time task; and (b) the choice reaction-time task. For the simple time reaction text, the participant pushes the J key when the light goes on. For the choice reaction time test the participant pushes the J key if the left light goes on, and the K key if the right light goes on. The purpose of the Donders experiment was to determine the time it took to decide which key to press for the choice reaction time test.Figure 1.3 (p. 6)A modern version of Donders� (1868) reaction time experiment. (a) the simple reaction-time task; and (b) the choice reaction-time task. For the simple time reaction text, the participant pushes the J key when the light goes on. For the choice reaction time test the participant pushes the J key if the left light goes on, and the K key if the right light goes on. The purpose of the Donders experiment was to determine the time it took to decide which key to press for the choice reaction time test.

53. 53 Measuring the speed of thought

54. 54 Measuring the speed of thought DISCUSSION: Why might this not work? ANSWER: Pure insertionDISCUSSION: Why might this not work? ANSWER: Pure insertion

55. 55 What does this tell us? Specifically: How long it takes for the mind to choose a response

56. 56 What does this tell us? Generally: Mental responses cannot be measured directly Must infer mental processing through behavior Behavioral measures Reaction times Accuracy/error rates What�s wrong with this? The assumption of pure insertionWhat�s wrong with this? The assumption of pure insertion

57. 57 Discussion time! Has anyone thought of a potential flaw in this logic? Clue: Imagine cooking something and inserting a new step. What happens to the final recipe? The assumption of pure insertion

58. 58 Hemholtz�s UnconsciousInference (1860s) Figure 1.5 (p. 8)The display in (a) looks like (b) a gray rectangle in front of a light triangle; but it could be (c) a gray rectangle and a six-sided figure that are lined up appropriately.Figure 1.5 (p. 8)The display in (a) looks like (b) a gray rectangle in front of a light triangle; but it could be (c) a gray rectangle and a six-sided figure that are lined up appropriately.

59. 59 What does this tell us? Specifically: How does our mind recognize objects that are occluded by other objects? Some kind of automatic filling-in process Object recognition: we�ll talk about this in a few weeks

60. 60 What does this tell us? Generally: Some of our perceptions are the result of automatic processes beyond our control Like reading the Stroop task Cognitive psychology can help to unmask the automatic processes

61. 61 Foundations of cognition These early researchers developed some basic principles: Donders: Mental processes must be inferred from behavior Hemholtz: Mental processes are automatic and often unseen

62. 62 Willhelm Wundt 1832-1920 First experimental psychology laboratory (Europe) Leipzig, Germany ~1879 Controversy regarding whether Wundt or James established first psychological lab http://www3.niu.edu/acad/psych/Millis/wundtslab/history.htmControversy regarding whether Wundt or James established first psychological lab http://www3.niu.edu/acad/psych/Millis/wundtslab/history.htm

63. 63 Edward Titchener 1867-1927 Born in England Studied in Germany under Wundt Stories Stories

64. 64 Structuralism (Wundt and Titchener) The study of the structure of the conscious mind Focus on the sensations, images, and feelings that are elements of consciousness

65. 65 Conscious �structure� of an apple Red Cold Crisp Sweet

66. 66 Wundt�s Introspection How to study the mind? Introspection: �Self-observation� Subjects looks carefully inward and report on inner situations and experiences Example: Describe the experience of hearing a 5-note chord on the piano Hear one sound or individual notes?

67. 67 Wundt�s introspection criteria The subject must know when the experience begins and ends Subject is master of situation The subject must maintain "strained attention� Mind does not wander Scientific method: observation, measurment, hypothesis testing, replication, inductive/ deductive reasoning Criterion important for �methodical� aspect of Introspection. Compare to methods of chemistry physics Required specially trained observers to perform. Concrete example� 1. Contrast with stream of consciousness approach http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/Scientific method: observation, measurment, hypothesis testing, replication, inductive/ deductive reasoning Criterion important for �methodical� aspect of Introspection. Compare to methods of chemistry physics Required specially trained observers to perform. Concrete example� 1. Contrast with stream of consciousness approach http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/

68. 68 Problems with structuralism Observers were highly trained, but self-reports were not consistent across people How can psychologists draw clear conclusions when introspection produces such varied data?

69. 69 Outline Introductions Syllabus What cognitive psychology is History The first cognitive psychologists The rise (and fall) of behaviorism The rise of the new cognitive psychology

70. 70 Behaviorism A response to Wundt�s introspection The scientific study of observable behavior only Behaviorism is �antimentalistic� Since mental processes can�t be seen, they have no place in psychology Explanations like classical conditioning

71. 71 John B. Watson 1878-1958 Professor of psychology Founder of behaviorism Bonus points for guessing middle name: Broadus Raised in South Carolina Mom wanted him to become preacher Grad school at University of Chicago; studied psychology, neurology and philosophy Academic job at John�s Hopkins for 14 years. Kicked out of academia for relationship with grad student. Finished career in advertising. �Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed and my own specified world to bring them up in and I�ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become the type of specialist I might select- doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant, chief, and yes even beggarman and thief regardless of the talnets, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.�Bonus points for guessing middle name: Broadus Raised in South Carolina Mom wanted him to become preacher Grad school at University of Chicago; studied psychology, neurology and philosophy Academic job at John�s Hopkins for 14 years. Kicked out of academia for relationship with grad student. Finished career in advertising. �Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed and my own specified world to bring them up in and I�ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become the type of specialist I might select- doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant, chief, and yes even beggarman and thief regardless of the talnets, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.�

72. 72 B.F. Skinner 1904-1990 Professor of psychology Behaviorism Operant conditioning Positive and negative reinforcements Burrhus Fredric Skinner Raised in Pennsylvania Graduate school at Harvard in psychology Eventually taught at Harvard Burrhus Fredric Skinner Raised in Pennsylvania Graduate school at Harvard in psychology Eventually taught at Harvard

73. 73 Classical conditioning

74. 74 Operant conditioning

75. 75 Cracks in the behaviorist framework

76. 76 Problems with behaviorism: Critical periods Critical period: A time when an animal is able to learn particular information rapidly and with little exposure If the time window is missed, the animal learns with greater effort or not at all

77. 77 Critical periods example Some birds follow the first large thing that they see when they are hatched - usually first large thing is mom The tendency to follow the first large thing has a critical period What happens if the first large thing is not mom?

78. 78 Critical periods: Lorenz as mom

79. 79 Problems with behaviorism: Language The behaviorist account of language (Skinner, 1957): Children learn language through imitation and reinforcement. Appropriate speech is rewarded.

80. 80 Criticism of behaviorist account of language The response (Chomsky, 1959): Behaviorist accounts ignore that language is generative. This means that virtually everything you say and hear is novel. It can�t be the case that you understand it because of reinforcement in the past, because you�ve never heard it before.

81. 81 Evidence that for non-behaviorist view of language Generativity of language (production of novel sentences) Overextension of grammar �I hitted the ball.� This is never spoken by adults

82. 82 Problems with behaviorism: Instinct/Fixed Actions The Misbehavior of Organisms (Breland & Breland, 1961): Try to train raccoon to put two coins in a piggy bank Raccoon would instinctively rub coins together, like they would with shellfish No amount of reward would cause extinction of the rubbing response

83. 83 Outline Introductions Syllabus What cognitive psychology is History The first cognitive psychologists The rise (and fall) of behaviorism The rise of the new cognitive psychology

84. 84 The rise of something new� Information processing approach The mind processes information as it comes into the brain Rebirth of cognitive psychology parallels development of computers

85. 85 Cognition and Computation COGNITION Perception Attention Memory Problem solving Reasoning Decision making

86. 86 Allen Newell and Herbert Simon 1927-1992 Computer science & artificial Intelligence

87. 87 The mind as computer? Figure 1.7 (p. 13)(a) flow diagram for an early computer; (b) flow diagram for an early computer program.Figure 1.7 (p. 13)(a) flow diagram for an early computer; (b) flow diagram for an early computer program.

88. 88 Early IP experiment: attention Example: Cherry�s (1953) attention experiments String of words presented to each ear Subjects attend to one ear only Unattended stream is not remembered

89. 89 The mind as computer? Figure 1.8 (p. 13)Broadbent�s diagram depicting mental processes that occur as a person pays attention to one stimulus in the environment. This diagram shows that many messages enter a �filter� that selects the message to which the person is attending for further processing by a detector and then storage in memory.Figure 1.8 (p. 13)Broadbent�s diagram depicting mental processes that occur as a person pays attention to one stimulus in the environment. This diagram shows that many messages enter a �filter� that selects the message to which the person is attending for further processing by a detector and then storage in memory.

90. 90 The End. Next class: Methods of cognitive psychology! How do we measure behavior? How do we measure the brain? Is artificial intelligence going to take over the world?