...What is Cognitive Psychology? Donyelle Best PSY/360 Cognitive Psychology Luvenia Jackson September 4, 2014 What is Cognitive Psychology? The word cognitive refers to the mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and comprehension. These mental processes include the acts of thinking, knowing, remembering, reasoning, judging, learning, perceiving, speaking, believing, speaking, decision making and problem solving. These are more complex functions of the brain and include language, imagination, perception and planning. It uses scientific research methods in studying the mental processes. In other words, cognitive psychology is a scientific approach to studying the mind. The main focus of cognitive psychology is on how an individual acquires, processes, and stores information, and it studies how individuals view and comprehend the world around him or her. Cognitive psychology also focuses on trying to identify behavior through characteristics other than its obvious properties (Willingham, 2007). Cognitive psychology rose to the top due to top in response to the flaws in other methods of studying the mind. Key Milestones in the Development of Cognitive Psychology Cognitive psychology developed primarily from the inability of the behaviorist approach to fully explain every form of behavior. While there were many things that drove its development, there were four...
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...A2 Psychology: G543 Options Paper Exam Technique and Tips General Exam Information You will be assessed for this unit in a 1.5 hour examination. You will need to answer four questions; two questions from the topic of Forensic Psychology and two questions from the topic of Health and Clinical Psychology. This means you will have about 20 minutes of writing time per question, plus a little bit of thinking time. This is not a long time to maximise your marks, so there are some simple exam techniques to follow below. Each question will be worth 25 marks and be divided into two parts; part (a) and part (b). Part (a) asks you to demonstrate descriptive skills and is worth 10 marks, whilst part (b) asks you to display evaluative skills and is worth 15 marks. General Exam Technique/Advice * Choose the right questions A mistake made by some students is answering questions on a topic they haven’t studied! So ensure you firstly locate the two sections of the paper that you can answer questions on; Forensic and Health/Clinical. In each of these two sections, there will be a choice of four questions. You will only choose two questions per section, so pick which questions you are going to answer and cross out the others. Choosing which questions to answer may be difficult than it first appears because some questions may sound similar. You need to become familiar with the layout and wording of questions prior to your exam. * Know your timings For each question you...
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...A2 Psychology: G543 Options Paper Exam Technique and Tips General Exam Information You will be assessed for this unit in a 1.5 hour examination. You will need to answer four questions; two questions from the topic of Forensic Psychology and two questions from the topic of Health and Clinical Psychology. This means you will have about 20 minutes of writing time per question, plus a little bit of thinking time. This is not a long time to maximise your marks, so there are some simple exam techniques to follow below. Each question will be worth 25 marks and be divided into two parts; part (a) and part (b). Part (a) asks you to demonstrate descriptive skills and is worth 10 marks, whilst part (b) asks you to display evaluative skills and is worth 15 marks. General Exam Information You will be assessed for this unit in a 1.5 hour examination. You will need to answer four questions; two questions from the topic of Forensic Psychology and two questions from the topic of Health and Clinical Psychology. This means you will have about 20 minutes of writing time per question, plus a little bit of thinking time. This is not a long time to maximise your marks, so there are some simple exam techniques to follow below. Each question will be worth 25 marks and be divided into two parts; part (a) and part (b). Part (a) asks you to demonstrate descriptive skills and is worth 10 marks, whilst part (b) asks you to display evaluative skills and is worth 15 marks. General Exam Technique/Advice ...
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...PSYCHOLOGY and your life chapter 1 introduction to ps ychology 2 chapter outline A Gift of Life It was every subway rider’s nightmare, times two. Who has ridden along New York’s 656 miles of subway lines and not wondered: “What if I fell to the tracks as a train came in? What would I do?” And who has not thought: “What if someone else fell? Would I jump to the rescue?” Wesley Autrey, a 50-year-old construction worker and navy veteran, faced both those questions in a flashing instant yesterday and got his answers almost as quickly. Mr. Autrey was waiting for the downtown local at 137th Street and Broadway in Manhattan around 12:45 p.m. He was taking his two daughters, Syshe, 4, and Shuqui, 6, home before work. Nearby, a man collapsed, his body convulsing. Mr. Autrey and two women rushed to help, he said. The man, Cameron Hollopeter, 20, managed to get up, but then stumbled to the platform edge and fell to the tracks, between the two rails. The headlights of the No. 1 train appeared. “I had to make a split decision,” Mr. Autrey said. So he made one, and leapt. Mr. Autrey lay on Mr. Hollopeter, his heart pounding, pressing him down in a space roughly a foot deep. The train’s brakes screeched, but it could not stop in time. Five cars rolled overhead before the train stopped, the cars passing inches from his head, smudging his blue knit cap with grease. Mr. Autrey heard onlookers’ screams. “We’re O.K. down here,” he yelled, “but I’ve got two daughters up there...
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...* Psychology is a relatively new scientific discipline * Was once known as an experimental philosophy * Descartes introduced idea that the brain is not the same as the mind, mind and body are separate entities * John Locke’s concept of empiricism shows that knowledge is derived from sensory experience (senses) * Can be studied using the scientific method Wundt and Introspection: Evaluation: Key behaviourist psychologists: Pavlov & Watson * Unreliable method of investigation * Different participants provide different introspective reports about same stimulus. * Trained in introspection not very useful * Pavlov got reliable, reproducible results in experiments on animals and can be generalised to humans * Can’t study on children and animals due to limited vocab and can’t express feelings properly. * Animal thoughts can’t be studied * Learning, development, mental disorders & personality can’t investigate through introspection – questions validity of using introspection as a method for investigating human behaviour because it’s subjective (only his/her can report mental processes * For Watson, only way to make psychology a science is to emulate natural science and adopt its own objective methods * Psychologists often use it alongside other scientific methods to investigate. Key behaviourist psychologists: Pavlov & Watson * Unreliable method of investigation ...
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...Chapter 1—What Is Psychology? Learning Goals 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Explain what psychology is and how it developed. Describe six contemporary approaches to psychology. Describe two movements that reflect a positive approach to psychology. Evaluate careers and areas of specialization in psychology. Apply some strategies that will help you succeed in psychology. After studying Chapter 1, you will be able to: Define psychology. Describe the influence that philosophy, biology, and physiology had on the beginnings of psychology as a science. Compare the two early scientific approaches in psychology: structuralism and functionalism. Describe the focus of each of the six contemporary approaches to psychology. Describe the positive psychology movement, and discuss why this movement recently emerged in psychology. Discuss career opportunities in psychology. Profile the main areas of specialization in psychology. Say how studying habits may be optimized. Understand how to be a critical thinker. CHAPTER 1: OUTLINE Psychology is a science dedicated to the study of behavior and mental processes. In this chapter you are introduced to the history of this science, a variety of contemporary perspectives in psychology, the positive psychology movement, and an overview of psychology-related careers. At the end of the chapter, the reader learns about the most effective methods of studying and learning. There are three concepts important to the definition of psychology: science, behavior, and mental...
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...1—What Is Psychology? Learning Goals 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Explain what psychology is and how it developed. Describe six contemporary approaches to psychology. Describe two movements that reflect a positive approach to psychology. Evaluate careers and areas of specialization in psychology. Apply some strategies that will help you succeed in psychology. After studying Chapter 1, you will be able to: Define psychology. Describe the influence that philosophy, biology, and physiology had on the beginnings of psychology as a science. Compare the two early scientific approaches in psychology: structuralism and functionalism. Describe the focus of each of the six contemporary approaches to psychology. Describe the positive psychology movement, and discuss why this movement recently emerged in psychology. Discuss career opportunities in psychology. Profile the main areas of specialization in psychology. Say how studying habits may be optimized. Understand how to be a critical thinker. CHAPTER 1: OUTLINE Psychology is a science dedicated to the study of behavior and mental processes. In this chapter you are introduced to the history of this science, a variety of contemporary perspectives in psychology, the positive psychology movement, and an overview of psychology-related careers. At the end of the chapter, the reader learns about the most effective methods of studying and learning. There are three concepts important to the definition of psychology: science...
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...Support Material GCE Psychology OCR Advanced GCE in Psychology: H568 Unit: G544 This Support Material booklet is designed to accompany the OCR Advanced GCE specification in Psychology for teaching from September 2008. Contents Contents 2 Introduction 3 Scheme of Work - Psychology : H568 : G544 5 Lesson Plans - Psychology : H568 : G544 27 Other forms of Support 35 Introduction Background A new structure of assessment for A Level has been introduced, for first teaching from September 2008. Some of the changes include: • The introduction of stretch and challenge (including the new A* grade at A2) – to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to reach their full potential • The reduction or removal of coursework components for many qualifications – to lessen the volume of marking for teachers • A reduction in the number of units for many qualifications – to lessen the amount of assessment for learners • Amendments to the content of specifications – to ensure that content is up-to-date and relevant. OCR has produced an overview document, which summarises the changes to Psychology. This can be found at www.ocr.org.uk, along with the new specification. In order to help you plan effectively for the implementation of the new specification...
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...stable family environment. • As he was growing up, Skinner was greatly interested in building all sorts of things, an interest that followed him throughout his professional life. • He received his PhD in psychology from Harvard University in 1931 and eventually returned to Harvard after teaching in several universities. • He had two daughters, one of whom is an educational psychologist and the other an artist. • Skinner was a prominent spokesperson for behaviorism and can be considered the FATHER OF THE BEHAVIORAL APPROACH TO PSYCHOLOGY. • Skinner championed radical behaviorism, which places primary emphasis on the effects of environment on behavior. • Skinner was also a determinist; he did not believe that humans had free choice. He acknowledged that feelings and thoughts exist, but he denied that they caused our actions. Instead, he stressed the cause-and-effect links between objective, observable environmental conditions and behavior. • Most of Skinner’s work was of an experimental nature in the laboratory, but others have applied his ideas to teaching, managing human problems, and social planning. Science and Human Behavior best illustrates how Skinner thought behavioral concepts could be applied to every domain of human behavior. • In Walden II (1948) Skinner describes a utopian community in which his ideas, derived from the laboratory, are applied to social issues. • His 1971 book, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, addressed the need for drastic changes if our society was...
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...Critical Evaluation in Psychology: A Guide for Students Author: Julie Hulme 1. Introduction This guide has been written by Dr. Julie Hulme (j.a.hulme@staffs.ac.uk; tel 4674). A modified version of this document can be found as follows: Hulme J.A. (2004) Critical Evaluation: A Student Guide. Psychology Review, 10:6-8. 1.1 What will this handout help me with? In Psychology, students are often asked to show evidence of “critical evaluation” in their work. Many students find this difficult, and even those who are told they do it well, often do not understand what it is they are doing! This article is designed to teach you a little about how to evaluate critically, and what it really means! It is only an introduction––with practice, you will learn to develop this important skill for yourself, and you should find that your ability to evaluate critically improves throughout your undergraduate years. 1.2 What is critical evaluation? Critical evaluation is a process of assessing the relative merit of a piece of work, which may have been presented as a journal article, in a text book, on the internet, in a radio or television article, or in just about any other format (for academic purposes, this will usually be written, but could include seminar presentations). You are being asked to decide and discuss what is good, and what is bad, about the arguments being presented to you. Critical evaluation is not about picking fault, it is about deciding how useful and worthwhile the work, methodology...
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...Central Texas College Psychology 2301 – General Psychology Semester: June 1, 2015 – July 25, 2015 Tuesday & Thursday: 5:30pm – 7:30pm Building: 7656, Room #12 Instructor: Lesly R. Krome, M. S. lrkrome@ksu.edu I. Introduction A. General Psychology is a survey of the major psychological topics, theories, and approaches to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. B. This course satisfies three semester hours of the Social/Behavioral Science for the Associate of Science and Associate of Arts degrees. Please check your degree plan to determine the status of this course in your program of study. C. Through this course, students will prepare for contemporary challenges by developing and demonstrating critical thinking skills, communication skills, social responsibility, and empirical and quantitative skills. D. Prerequisites(s): None II. Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: A. Identify various research methods and their characteristics used in the scientific study of psychology. B. Describe the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped the field of psychology. C. Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of psychology. D. Use terminology unique to the study of psychology. E. Describe accepted approaches and standards in psychological assessment and evaluation. F. Identify factors in physiological and psychological processes involved in human...
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...Critical Evaluation in Psychology: Critical Evaluation: 1. Introduction 1.1 What will this handout help me with? In Psychology, students are often asked to show evidence of “critical evaluation” in their work. Many students find this difficult, and even those who are told they do it well, often do not understand what it is they are doing! This handout is designed to teach you a little about how to evaluate critically, and what it really means! It is only an introduction – with practice, you will learn to develop this important skill for yourself, and you should find that your ability to evaluate critically improves throughout your undergraduate years. 1.2 What is critical evaluation? Critical evaluation is a process of assessing the relative merit of a piece of work, which may have been presented as a journal article, in a text book, on the internet, in a radio or television article, or in just about any other format (for academic purposes, this will usually be written, but could include seminar presentations). You are being asked to decide and discuss what is good, and what is bad, about the arguments being presented to you. Critical evaluation is not about picking fault, it is about deciding how useful and worthwhile the work, methodology and the arguments presented are; deciding how much the work has contributed to your understanding, or the world’s understanding, of a topic. The crucial word is “evaluate” – to measure the value of something. You will...
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...psychology Course Description Effective Fall 2013 AP Course Descriptions are updated regularly. Please visit AP Central ® (apcentral.collegeboard.org) to determine whether a more recent Course Description PDF is available. The College Board The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of more than 5,900 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success — including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement Program®. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators, and schools. For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org. AP Equity and Access Policy The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underserved. Schools should ...
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...INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY Definition Psychology is an academic and applied discipline that involves the scientific study of mental functions and behaviors. Psychology has the immediate goal of understanding individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases, and by many accounts it ultimately aims to benefit society. In this field, a professional practitioner or researcher is called a psychologist and can be classified as a social, behavioral, or cognitive scientist. Psychologists attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual and social behavior, while also exploring the physiological and neurobiological processes that underlie certain cognitive functions and behaviors. Psychologists explore concepts such as perception, cognition, attention, emotion, phenomenology, motivation, brain functioning, personality, behavior, and interpersonal relationships. While psychological knowledge is often applied to the assessment and treatment of mental health problems, it is also directed towards understanding and solving problems in many different spheres of human activity. The majority of psychologists are involved in some kind of therapeutic role, practicing in clinical, counseling, or school settings. Many do scientific research on a wide range of topics related to mental processes and behavior, and typically work in university psychology departments or teach in other academic settings (e.g., medical schools, hospitals)....
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...Chapel Hill acrystal@email.unc.edu Beth Ellington School of Information and Library Science University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill elliv@email.unc.edu ABSTRACT In this paper we critically review task analysis models and techniques. These approaches to task analysis are discussed in order to develop a richer picture of human activity, while analyzing their limitations, general weaknesses, and possibilities for improvement. We consider their ability to determine the appropriate set of atomic actions in a task, their effect on workers’ motivational needs, their support of users’ cognitive and sociocultural processes, and their effectiveness in supporting interface design. We note that the major approaches have focused on very different levels of analysis, and call for greater integration of these different levels in task analysis theory. Keywords Task analysis, cognitive modeling, activity theory. INTRODUCTION Practitioners and researchers routinely advocate building user-centered systems which enable people to reach their goals, take account of natural human limitations, and generally are intuitive, efficient and pleasurable to use (Preece, Rogers and Sharp, 2002). Central to the design of such systems is a clear understanding of what users actually want to do: What are their tasks? What is the nature of those tasks? Many techniques have been proposed to help answer these questions. Task analysis techniques are particularly important because they...
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