NBSS: (behaviour) Human cognition

Question 1

what is the difference between sensation and perception?

Answer 1

SENSATION = information we receive by our sensory receptors: BIOLOGICAL PROCESS

PERCEPTION = interpretation of information - a process that our brain selects, organises and interprets sensations: COGNITIVE

Question 2

what influences our perception of internal or external stimuli?

Answer 2

• attention - the degree to which we perceive stimuli is dependent on the degree of attention we pay to it
• information processing systems : recognition and knowledge
• emotions - affect what we attend to and perceive

Question 3

do we have pre-existing information processing systems? what is this known as?

Answer 3

yes, allow us to interpret sensory inputs as we receive - assign and recognise meaning to sensory information

known as TOP DOWN PROCESSING

Question 4

what are the three stages of skill acquisition?

Answer 4

1. cognitive = initial learners, focused on understanding task, slower, conscious thinking
2. associative = have better grasp
3. autonomous = learners are highly skilled, minimal conscious effort

Question 5

how can pain be ‘bottom up’ and ‘top down’?

Answer 5

• bottom up: new, novel, intense or threatening pain - vague pain can be ignored :example of ignored pain = epigastric
• top down: attention to painful events - e.g: if person is expecting pain or particularly fearful and catastrophic about pain experience

Question 6

what are the different types of memory stores (schemas)?

Answer 6

• declarative knowledge/stores
• procedural knowledge/stores

Question 7

The phenomenon of perception…..

A: results in a perfectly accurate representation of the world

B: Is an interpretation of sensory input, organising the input, and assigning meaning

C: Is the functioning of our sensory system (e.g. the process of stimulating our sensory receptors)

D: has evolved only recently

Answer 7

B: Is an interpretation of sensory input, organising the input, and assigning meaning

NOT C - that’s sensation definition

Question 8

Let’s say you are at a loud party leaning in to listen to your friend talk to you. What kind of attention are you using?

A: Executive attention
B: Selective attention
C: Sustained attention
D: Divided attention

Answer 8

B: Selective attention

Question 9

During a medical consultation the patient relies on their short-term/ working memory to retain information given by the health care professional. However, research shows that 50% of information given during a medical consultation is forgotten within 5 mins. Why is this the case?

A Limited processing capacity

B Recency effect in short-term memory

C Lack of schema in short-term memory

D Lack of visual cues to aid processing

Answer 9

A Limited processing capacity

Question 10

What is declarative knowledge?

Answer 10

• “Knowing that”
• Episodic memory
• Personal experiences
• & Semantic memory
• Facts, ideas, concepts
• Explicit memory (conscious retrieval)

Question 11

What is procedural knowledge?

Answer 11

• “Knowing how”
• Cognitive/Problem
• solving skills
• Perceptual skills
• Motor skills
• Repetition
• Classical conditioning
• Implicit memory (unconscious retrieval)