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Foundations of Cognitive Psychology

Manual: General · Subject: Psychology

Explore the foundational mechanisms of human memory, attention, and cognitive architecture.

1. Introduction to Cognitive Architecture

Information Processing

Cognitive psychology investigates internal mental processes, viewing the human mind as a complex information processing system. Early models posited a serial processing architecture, but contemporary theories emphasize parallel distributed processing. Central to this domain is the study of how sensory inputs are transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered, and used.

Atkinson-Shiffrin Model Components

Sensory Memory
Brief storage of sensory information (iconic and echoic) lasting milliseconds to seconds.
Short-Term Memory (STM)
Limited capacity store (Miller's 7±27 \pm 2) lasting roughly 20-30 seconds without rehearsal.
Long-Term Memory (LTM)
Theoretically limitless capacity repository of declarative and non-declarative knowledge.
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Baddeley's Working Memory Model

Unlike the unitary STM concept, Baddeley and Hitch proposed a multi-component working memory system comprising the Central Executive, Phonological Loop, Visuospatial Sketchpad, and the later-added Episodic Buffer.

The Memory Process

  1. 1

    Encoding: Transforming sensory data into a mental representation.

  2. 2

    Consolidation: Stabilizing a memory trace after initial acquisition.

  3. 3

    Storage: Maintaining information over time.

  4. 4

    Retrieval: Accessing stored information for use in active cognition.

Which component of Baddeley's working memory model acts as a supervisory system that controls the flow of information and allocates attentional resources?

Attention Mechanisms

Attention operates as a cognitive filter. Treisman's Attenuation Theory suggests that unattended signals are not completely blocked (as in Broadbent's model) but are attenuated or weakened. If a weakened signal has a low threshold for activation (like one's own name), it can still breach conscious awareness.

What psychological phenomenon demonstrates interference in the reaction time of a task, typically involving naming the color of a printed word when the word itself is a different color name?