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Cognitive information processing Slide 2 Slide 3 Cognitive information processing studies the internal mental processes involved in the capture and manipulation of information, the use of information to solve problems, and the processes and structures involved in these actions. Slide 4 Development of CIP Research on memory Development of networking concepts Development of computers Development of information theory By the 1960s, a significant number of researchers were studying cognitive phenomena By the 1970s and early 80s the cognitive revolution had changed psychology as a discipline Slide 5 Issues How is information in the environment scanned? What leads to further processing? How is information included in memory? How is information recalled from memory? How is information used in later thinking/action? Slide 6 Some general rules Environmental input is massive and continual Cognitive capacity is limited Much cognitive functioning can be automated Satisficing rules are applied to deal with the flow of information and to generate effective actions and knowledge Selectivity Slide 7 Some general rules A form of control is necessary to make decisions on what to attend to, how to process important information, what decision rules to apply in Working Memory, etc. Control of both automatic and willful types Automatic control resides in lower brain Control functions the individual can decide to use reside in the more advanced parts of the brain Slide 8 General principles Control mechanism Allocates processing capacity Prioritizes activities Coordinates actions Slide 9 Slide 10 To begin Sense organs are excited by environmental stimuli The stimuli are transduced into signals (electrical) that can be carried in the neural pathways Slide 11 Sensory activation Environmental cues generate changes within specialized organs Eyes Ears Skin Tongue Only a portion of environmental phenomena generate sensual changes Infrared light X-rays Slide 12 http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://gapyx.com/cmt/2007/02/anatomy3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://cha mbermusictoday.blogspot.com/2007/02/stapedius-spasms-mixed-boon- bane.html&usg=__HXPFgrFEKd7WK9OYWJ7Ypdj_oDk=&h=317&w=540&sz=21&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbn id=52soRblU1DGjSM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=190&ei=o15ITaqBJo_vcMKX1JwD&prev=/images%3Fq%3Daudible% 2Bsound%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1268%26bih%3D598%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx= 125&vpy=101&dur=481&hovh=160&hovw=273&tx=160&ty=94&oei=ll1ITef_M8fKgQe0- JTsBQ&esq=14&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0 Slide 13 Limitations There are very significant limits as to what stimuli can be perceived via human sense organs Visible spectrum of light Audible sounds Haptic limitations Slide 14 http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch6/graphics/spectrum.gif&imgrefurl=http://chemed.chem.p urdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch6/index.php&usg=__RNcgHrE5jv51jmg9nst-d- Gsvj8=&h=319&w=599&sz=23&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=cyEKfiTapbz5OM:&tbnh=108&tbnw=202&ei=CF1ITcXQMMf1gAfJ28zoBQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dv isible%2Bspectrum%2Bof%2Blight%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1268%26bih%3D598%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=337&vpy=285&dur=1149&ho vh=108&hovw=202&tx=159&ty=75&oei=CF1ITcXQMMf1gAfJ28zoBQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0 Slide 15 Slide 16 Transduction of sensual reaction Sensory organs create patterns of electrical impulses as a response to environmental stimuli (Transduction) Qualitatively different patterns are produced for visual, sound, touch (haptic), and language (semantic) memory systems Slide 17 Slide 18 Buffering and filtering Sensual buffers are thought to exist that retain the electrical impulses for a short period of time The most important content is passed along while the less important content is filtered out Cannot handle the vast amount of information that senses generate Filtering is based on pattern recognition Slide 19 Slide 20 Slide 21 Slide 22 Attention Recognition of content of various types leads to the allocation of processing capacitythe physical component of attention Limited resource Influenced by a number of factors, some content- based, some feature based Much attention is allocated automatically and not under the control of the individual Slide 23 http://assets.families.com/Encyclopedias/eoa_01_img0077.jpg Slide 24 Determinants of attention Most content is disposed of quickly recognized as routine and then ignored Habituation of repetitive tasks, experiences leads to monitoring Attention allocated to divergence from the norm, expectations Slide 25 Determinants of attention Hard-wired to attend to cues that had survival value (those that didnt left the gene pool) Orienting response due to Movement Loud noises Bright colors/contrasts Slide 26 Formal features All media content has certain formal features that impact the experience the audience has when watching, reading, listening to the content Formal features are not specific to a story line, genre, etc. Brightness, pacing, color intensity, cuts, camera angles, and so on Slide 27 Overuse of volume change, sudden movement, etc. can impede encoding Processing capacity tied up interpreting formal features overloading can lead to confusion, inadequate time for building memory trace or schematization What topics did you just see? What animals? Overuse may be annoying so that the audience member may quit attending or switch channel, etc. Slide 28 Learned automaticity Some kinds of content are overlearned to the point where the viewer processes them without thinking about itso well-known that they do not command precious processing capacity Driving well-known routes Listening to favorite CDs Walking across campus Greetings for good friends Your nameCocktail party phenomenon Slide 29 Personal relevance/Involvement Impact on you or those you care about News Relationship to your values/morals Note: the way something is presented may determine whether it is interpreted as relevant or not Slide 30 Determinants of attention Internally-generated needs draw attention to content perceived to relate to those needs Hunger Pain Fear Sexual desire Slide 31 Controlled attention Intentional focus on particular content Recognized as interesting or important Emotionally compelling (relatively automatic) Cognitively challenging (relatively intentional) Personally impactful/Involving Based on existing schema developed over time by the audience member Slide 32 Individual interest Experience with place/time depicted Mystery stories set in your home town Fargo Feelings toward actors, spokespeople, etc. Trust Parasocial interaction Experience with various types of content Background makes it possible to limit attention necessary to process the content Genre knowledge and preference Taste development News habit Slide 33 Working and Short-Term Memory For further processing to occur, the information must be held in memory long enough to compare the information with existing knowledge Relationship between STM and WM is controversial Slide 34 Slide 35 Capacity of STM Often considered 7+/-2 chunks of information More recent research has argued that we have greater capacity Ability to monitor many environmental cues at one time, shift attentional resources as needed Slide 36 Working memory The active portion of memory (including consciousness) where processes reject, evaluate, interpret information Where consciousness lies Thought to hold info for 15-30 seconds unless rehearsal occurs Decay/displacement Repetitive v. elaborative rehearsal Slide 37 Rehearsal/Encoding Decisions must be made as to what information within WM will receive the processing effort (attention) necessary to encode it for storage The chosen portion is prepared for transfer to LTM (encoding) When transferred, a memory trace must be constructed in order to find it again Slide 38 Distraction If memory traces are not laid down prior to shift in cognitive focus, the content being evaluated is probably lost Slide 39 Working memory Must activate stored material in LTM to assign meaning to the new patterns of electrical impulses What does economic impact (a pattern of impulses representing a set of characters on a page) mean? Slide 40 Slide 41 Slide 42 Slide 43 Slide 44 Slide 45 Slide 46 Long-Term Memory A small portion of information from working memory is prepared for transfer to long-term (permanent) storage To do so, it is integrated into structures of meaning (schema) held within long-term memory The integration gives meaning to the new information while reconfiguring the schema that are activated to interpret the new info Reconfiguration of schema is usually minor Slide 47 The portion of schema activated depends on attention allocation, nature of new information Slide 48 Forms of LTM Episodic LTM Sounds Sights Semantic LTM Concepts (generalization) Slide 49 Into LTM A memory trace to the new information is laid down along with the concepts More powerful impact of info leads to stronger trace Trace will fade with time or else be eclipsed by newer traces Slide 50 Schema Structure of Semantic LTM Concepts and the network of associations among them [Nodes and links] Slide 51 Out of LTM Information in WM cues a search for similar info held in LTM Search is partly under conscious control and part automatic That info may be excited and the new info is given meaning through its connection to existing knowledge Slide 52 Retrieval from LTM Information retrieved from LTM is limited Would quickly reach overload if we tried to access all potentially relevant info Would take far too longcant spend long periods of time on anything but the most crucial new info/decision-making Slide 53 Retrieval based on perceived shared or similar meaning/concepts Memories in LTM organized hierarchically? Schematically? Etc. Belief that more specific concepts are filed under more general ones Efficient Slide 54 When a decision is needed, decision rules are applied to retrieved info from WM could contain current sense info along with retrieved LTM info Action or decision leads to new environmental input that will likely be stored with the original information Slide 55 Influences on retrieval Primacy Earliest concepts draw info from particular parts of schema/schemas Recency Recently activated concepts more likely to be retrieved Commonly used concepts Concepts/schemas heavily used tend to be activated to deal with new concepts Slide 56 Influences on retrieval Concepts are retrieved according to their relationships with other concepts Spreading activation The structure of relationships varies by individual Culture influences structure of relations/ topics/concepts held Slide 57 Slide 58 Slide 59 Slide 60 http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu- december-14-2006/confusing-sects http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu- december-14-2006/confusing-sects http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ed0ad6a6 32/dazed-and-confused http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ed0ad6a6 32/dazed-and-confused Slide 61 Behavior Behavior is mostly controlled by the outcome of info processing in working memory Actions taken to meet needs/drives/motivations Responses to environmental demands Slide 62 Behavior adjustment The environmental change observed after behavioral action acts as new information that goes through the info processing system and is encoded into our schema relating to the topic Perceived success, failure becomes a guide to new action brought on by perceived needs, etc. Self-regulating model