Chapter 1 - Introduction

Question 1

What is cognition?

Answer 1

The sum of all mental activities.
The acquisition and processing of sensory information about the world in order to make behavioural decisions.

Question 2

What are two types of research?

Answer 2

Basic research, referring to scientific research whose goal is to try to understand the world without regard to a specific end-use of knowledge.

Applied research, referring to research concerned with the end goal of developing an application or solution to a problem.

Question 3

What are human factors/ergonomics?

Answer 3

The study of human capabilities and limitations to streamline characteristics (in designing systems, such as cockpits or keyboards) that may make an operating system more suitable for human use and performance (highest study in ergonomics).

Question 4

What is neuroscience?

Answer 4

The study of the PHYSICAL brain and related systems, a major arm of cognition. While scientific study of the brain was once geared towards those of brain-damaged individuals and dissected brains postmortem, modern tools have allowed us to study the intact brain.

Question 5

What is cognitive psychology?

Answer 5

Concerned with studying intelligence using behavioural experiments.

Question 6

What is naturalistic observation?

Answer 6

The observation of people and their behaviour or other organisms in their natural habitat without experimental intervention.