Cognitive Psychology Flashcards

The 'misinformation effect' demonstrated by Loftus refers to:

Answer: Post-event information altering one's memory of an original event

Loftus showed that exposure to misleading post-event information (e.g., in leading questions) can alter people's memories of the original event.

What is the 'representativeness heuristic'?

Answer: Judging probability by how closely something matches a prototype or stereotype

The representativeness heuristic leads people to judge the probability of an event by how similar it is to a typical case, ignoring base rates.

Which phenomenon occurs when information learned prior to an event disrupts memory for that event?

Answer: Proactive interference

Proactive interference occurs when older, previously learned information interferes with the retention of newer information.

What is 'functional fixedness' in problem solving?

Answer: A mental set that prevents seeing objects as having uses beyond their typical function

Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that limits a person to using objects only in the way they are traditionally used, blocking creative problem-solving.

Which brain structure is most critically associated with the consolidation of explicit long-term memories?

Answer: Hippocampus

The hippocampus is essential for consolidating new explicit (declarative) memories; damage to it (as in patient H.M.) causes profound anterograde amnesia.

Spreading activation in semantic memory models explains why reading 'nurse' makes it easier to subsequently recognize:

Answer: Related concepts like 'doctor' or 'hospital'

Spreading activation models propose that activating a concept (e.g., 'nurse') automatically spreads activation to semantically related nodes, making them more accessible.