The Cognitive Level of Analysis

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The Cognitive Level of Analysis
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Objective 1.2Explain how principles that define
the cognitive level of analysis
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Principles that define the cognitive level of
analysis

• 1. Our physiological processes (such as the
  physical brain, neurotransmission, etc.) give
  rise to cognitive processes (such as language,
  memory, decision making, perception, learning,
  etc.)
• 2. Models of mental processes can be proposed and
  investigated scientifically
• 3. Cognitive processes are influenced by social
  and cultural factors

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1. Our physiological processes give rise to
cognitive processes.
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1. Our physiological processes give rise to
cognitive processes.

• In other words, specific parts of the brain can
  directly correlate to cognitive processes.
• Damage to the frontal lobe can directly affect
  the cognitive process of decision making

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1. Our physiological processes give rise to
cognitive processes.

• Damage to the hippocampus can directly affect the
  cognitive process of short term memory

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1. Our physiological processes give rise to
cognitive processes.

• Damage to Brocas area can directly affect the
  cognitive process of language production

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1. Our physiological processes give rise to
cognitive processes.

• All of our mental processes are physiologically
  based. Thus, we can better understand cognitive
  processes by understanding the physiological
  processes that give rise to cognitive processes.
• Thus, this principle may be demonstrated in
  research by observing how deficits in cognitive
  processes correlate to specific physiological
  processes.

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2. Models of mental processes can be proposed and
investigated scientifically

• Cognitive processes are difficult to study. They
  often occur rapidly, and inside the mind so they
  cannot be observed directly.
• It is only the responses that participants make
  when given some cognitive task to perform that
  can tell us about cognitive processes.
• These tasks usually take place under tightly
  controlled lab experiments where the main aim is
  to isolate a particular component of the
  cognitive process for the study. (This can be
  used to assist you with objective 1.2)

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1. Our physiological processes give rise to
cognitive processes.

• Ethically, since we cannot create these lesions
  in humans, we must either create lesions with
  animal models or study cases of the specific
  lesion.
• One specific case example is the case of Clive
  Wearing
• Watch for yourself!
• http//www.milkandcookies.com/link/63520/detail/

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1. How the study demonstrates the principle

• By studying the physiological origins of
  cognitive processes, we are able to conclude that
  specific processes (in this example The
  Hippocampus) directly effect the cognitive
  process of memory.

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2. Models of mental processes can be proposed
(through theory) and investigated scientifically
(through lab experiments)

• By creating models of cognitive processes, we are
  able to isolate theses processes (through
  laboratory experiments) to see how various
  environmental factors influence them.
• In summation, models of cognitive theories allow
  us to empirically investigate the cognitive
  products of our physiological processes.

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2. Models of mental processes can be proposed
(through theory) and investigated scientifically
(through lab experiments)

• Thus, this principle may be demonstrated in
  research by empirically studying cognitive models
  in order examine their causes and influences.
• One example is the research experiment conducted
  by John Ridley Stroop

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2. Models of mental processes can be proposed
(through theory) and investigated scientifically
(through lab experiments)

• The Stroop Effect is an effect found in the 1930s
  by John Ridley Stroop.
• This effect is a model for how our brain
  processes information. This effect demonstrates
  how interference can slow down how the brain
  processes information because it is trying to
  sort various things at the same time.

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2. Models of mental processes can be proposed
(through theory) and investigated scientifically
(through lab experiments)

• The Stroop Test is considered to measure
  selective attention, cognitive flexibility and
  processing speed, and it is used as a tool in the
  evaluation of executive functions (activities
  such as planning, organizing, strategizing,
  paying attention to and remembering details, and
  managing time and space).

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Lets try it!
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The Stroop Effect
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Lets try it again!
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2. Models of mental processes can be proposed
(through theory) and investigated scientifically
(through lab experiments)

• You may find that you hesitate or stumble,
  because the brain is trying to pay attention to
  more than one thing, reading and the visualizing
  the colors.
• The brain tries to process two types of
  information a color, and a word naming a color.
  This is why it is much more difficult to read the
  second set of words.
• This study demonstrates that cognitive models
  (such as attention processing) can be
  investigated through scientific methods (such as
  with an experiment)

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Principle 3Cognitive processes are influenced
by social and cultural factors

• That is, our memories, learning, language,
  perception, decisions, etc. can be influenced by
  our culture and by environmental factors.
• This principle may b e demonstrated in research
  that looks at social and cultural influences on
  cognitive processes.

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Principle 3Cognitive processes are influenced
by social and cultural factors

• Frederic Bartletts study demonstrates how memory
  can be distorted by cultural schemas.
• Schemas are representations of knowledge based on
  experience. In his study in which British
  participants were asked to recall a native
  American folktale.

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Principle 3Cognitive processes are influenced
by social and cultural factors

• He found that the story of The War of the
  Ghosts was difficult for Western people to
  reproduce exactly because of its cultural content
  which was unfamiliar to them.
• The participants ended up encoding the meaning of
  the story adapted to their existing cultural
  schemas.

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Principle 3Cognitive processes are influenced
by social and cultural factors

• As a result, Bartlett concluded that cultural
  interpretation plays a large role in remembering
  events or stories.
• By showing the cultural context of our schemas
  (organized memories), Bartlett was able to show
  the cultural influence on our cognitions.