Psychology ch,7 pg 3- (Cognition: Concepts, Prototypes, and Schemas)

Is There a Difference Between Implicit and Explicit Cognition?

yes

How are Schemas are slightly different from concepts in a few ways?

1. While concepts mainly contain cognitive information (e.g., ideas; elements), schemas contain many different types of information and can be used to develop expectations about the future. 2. every concept is a form of a schema. Concepts are mental organization we use to categorize. Concepts, however, exist within larger schemas. These larger schemas form webs that connect several concepts. 3. By using schemas to organize behavior, you continuously regulate your expectations and goals. You are not blindly following steps. Instead, you adjust your behavior based on incoming information and your activated goals.

Which of the following IS FALSE? A We have concept for things, but we can't form concepts for abstract ideas. B Prototypes and exemplars can influence how rapidly we match something to a concept. C Language influences how we form concepts. D Culture influences concepts.

A

Betty is from southern California. When she thins of "the beach," images of the ocean and sand come to mind. Holden is from West Michigan. When he thinks of "the beach," he imagines sand and the great lakes. Though both imagine similar images (e.g., sand) they also think of different specific ideas when they think of "the beach." This demonstrates that... A ...schemas can be abstract. B ...people within similar cultures have schemas that are similar in many ways and unique in others. C ...that schemas involve the activation of mental content. D ....schemas are heavily influenced by language.

B

If you had to guess with what you know now, where do you think cognitive scientists would say most "explicit cognition" occurs in the mind? A Long-Term Memory B Working Memory C Sensory Memory D The Limbic System

B

Concepts

Concepts refer to mentally organizing and condensing things (e.g., people; ideas; actions, or objects) into smaller, more general units.

Which of the following would be LEAST likely to serve as a prototype for a bird for people in the U.S.? A A robin. B A sparrow. C An Eagle. D An Ostrich.

D

Based on what you know today, where do you think implicit cognition occurs? A Mainly in the frontal lobe. B Mainly in the parietal lobe. C Mainly in the temporal lobe. D Mainly in the limbic system. E All over the brain.

E

What is an Expectancy

Expectancy is an internal cognitive representation of what one believes will occur in the future. Expectancies often take the form of "If X then Y."

What are Schemas

Schema refers to a set of interconnected pieces of mental information that are organized and serve to organize incoming information and help humans generate expectations. Schemas are associative in nature and they link mental content. Schemas include more than just conceptual information. Schemas can link many types of mental content, mental processes, and even behavior.

Are Schemas Cultural or is Everyone's Schemas Unique?

Schemas are very much influenced by one's culture. What one expects in a given situation is largely based on culture.Similarly, what one expects from someone in a given role is also culturally constrained. This means that they are heavily determined by one's cultural experiences. Still, schemas combine cultural information with individual experience.

Explicit Cognition

When you have thoughts you are aware of and when you are engaging in intentional problem solving, some of your ideas, thoughts, goals, and so on, will be active in your conscious mind. You will be aware of them and consciously working with the cognitive content.

What is an exemplar?

one of several primary examples used to hierarchically arrange concept elements into those that are more central and those that are less central. Exemplars are also used for matching and comparison (i.e., the idea of exemplar matching). We organize exemplars within a category in terms of typicality (Smith & Mendon, 1999). Imagine a circle. Exemplars that share many qualities are grouped near the middle. These qualities become more central to the category. Exemplars that share very few elements with others then are located near the outskirts of the circle.

Elements

refer to the various things that are grouped within a concept. All concepts condense many elements into a singular concept.

Prototype Matching

refers to the process of comparing external input or internal information to concept prototypes to rapidly categorize, activate mental content, and make decisions. Prototype matching does not involve matching different prototypes. It's all about matching "things" to conceptual categories. In other words, recognizing that an apple goes in the conceptual category of a fruit.

Implicit Cognition

refers to thoughts, memories, problem solving, or associations, that are active outside of your awareness.

Prototype

something that fits a concept and exemplifies that core elements of the concept. The latter part of the definition is more important than the first part. A prototype is sometimes referred to as a categories "best example" (Rosch, 1978). We use concept prototypes to organize and make sense of our world.

Cognition

the mental processes involved in thought, judgment, reasoning, memory, and problem solving.