1. Cognitive psychology
= the psychology
of knowledge
Questions raised:
What do people know?
What kinds of knowledge are there?
How is knowledge represented in the mind?
How is knowledge acquired?
2. Cognitive psychology
= the psychology of
mental processes
Questions raised:
What kind of system is a mind?
What are the components of the mind?
What are the processes carried out by those components?
3. Cognitive psychology
= the psychology of
task performance
Questions raised by this view:
What kinds of tasks are there?
How do people perform them?
What makes a task difficult?
Not Contradictory
Example: Driving a Car
Knowledge-oriented view
What do people know about the lay-out of the city (rush hours, one-way streets, construction, traffic signals, ...)?
Process-oriented view
How do you make a decision to change lane? How do you recall locations and routes while you drive?
Task-oriented view
What are the subtasks of driving? Start-up, lane change, parallell, parking, turning, ...
How to Gather Information?
* Interviews
* Videotape task solutions
* Think-aloud
* Eye-movements
* Solution time
* Type and frequency of error
* Diary studies
* Brain and brain damage
* Cross-cultural comparisons
The Goal of the Enterprise
Cognitive psychologists strive for
* explanations
* clarity, precision
* completeness
* generality
Summary of Points
* Three perspectives:
--> knowledge perspective
--> process perspective
--> task perspective
* Not mutually exclusive.
* A multiplicity of empirical methods.
* Goal is to understand
how the mind works
Grading System
Examinations:
1. First ‘midterm’
15 questions = 30 pts
2. Second ‘midterm’
15 questions = 30 pts
3. Final exam (May 5-9)
3 parts, 30 pts each = 90 pts
Grading Scale
The whole course equals 100 pts.
Score Grade
91 - 100 A
81 - 90 B
71 - 80 C
51 - 70 D
0 - 50 E*
* E = failure
Activity Points
Hand in questions 10
Group discussion 10
Write book review 10
Keep a cognitive diary 10
Note:
Activities are not mandatory.
Activities are due on the last day of classes.
The Cramming Strategy
Student 1
1 activity 5 pts
final:
35 questions right 70
-------
sum 75
grade C
The Activity Only Strategy
Student 2
4 activities 40 pts
ignore ‘midterms’
guessing on final 24
--------
sum 64
grade D
The Winning Strategy
Student 3
4 activities 35 pts
midterm 1: 10 right 20
midterm 2: 8 right 16 (= 71)
final:
skips part 1
12 right on part 2 +8
8 right on part 3 16
-------
sum 95
grade A