Chapter 1 – Cognitive psychology in a changing world

A variety of higher mental processes such as thinking, perceiving, imagining, speaking, acting, and planning

Aims to explain cognitive processes in terms of brain-based mechanisms

The problem of how a physical substance (the brain) can give rise to our sensations, thoughts, and emotions (our mind)

The belief that mind and brain are made up of different kinds of substance

The belief that mind and brain are two levels of description of the same thing

The belief that mind-based concepts will eventually be replaced by neuroscientific concepts

The failed idea that individual differences in cognition can be mapped on to differences in skull shape

Different regions of the brain are specialized for different functions

The study of brain-damaged patients to inform theories of normal cognition

An approach in which behavior is described in terms of a sequence of cognitive stages

Later stages of processing can begin before earlier stages are complete

The influence of later stages on the processing of earlier ones (e.g. memory influences on perception)

The passage of information from simpler (e.g. edges) to more complex (e.g. objects)

Different information is processed at the same time (i.e. in parallel)

The notion that certain cognitive processes (or regions of the brain) are restricted in the type of information they process

The idea that a cognitive process (or brain region) is dedicated solely to one particular type of information (e.g. colors, faces, words)

Computational models in which information processing occurs using many interconnected nodes

The basic units of neural network models that are activated in response to activity in other parts of the network

The accuracy with which one can measure when an event (e.g. a physiological change) occurs

The accuracy with which one can measure where an event (e.g. a physiological change) is occurring

A comprehensive map of neural connections in the brain that may be thought of as its "wiring diagram"

A mathematical technique for computing the pattern of connectivity (or " wiring diagram" ) from a set of correlations

A neural network model containing multiple layers, typically producing a simple-to-complex hierarchy of information processing.

Systemic difficulties in being able to independently reproduce published results that have been documented in many scientific fields

Performing multiple analyses of the same dataset across all reasonable options for excluding, transforming, and coding data.

Hypothesizing after the results are known.

An open set of hypotheses and analysis plan, that is posted prior to conducting the analysis.

Peer-reviewed scientific paper in which hypotheses, methods and analysis are reviewed prior to data collection.

Analysing the data in multiple ways and chosen to publish a single favorable analysis.

The tendency for non-significant results to be unpublished.

A statistical method for determining a required sample size given a likely effect size (whether a variable is strong or weak) and the probability of detecting it (due to sample variability).

A statistical method for pooling across equivalent datasets (based on a weighted average of effect sizes).

Ability to examine and validate an existing set of analyses