Week 1
Learning objectives:
· You will have insight into how knowledge mentally represented.
· You will know various models concerning how knowledge is stored & can distinguish these models from one another.
· You will possess knowledge and insight concerning Strack and Deutsch’s reflective-impulsive model.
· You will possess knowledge and insight concerning the controversy over priming effects.
· You will be able to develop your own opinion on the issue of priming.
1. Video: mental representations
mental representations = any mental content or operation that stands for something else in the world
→ e.g. categories, exemplars, symbols, mental images, memories, truth values, probabilities, schemas etc
function: we 1. define and then observe world around us
→ classification of humans & objects
→ additional attributes e.g. what can you do with this glas of water, is it healthy?
→ steering attention & interpretation
→ communication
→ thinking
availability & accessibility
activation of mental representation
accessibility can be defined as the activation potential of available knowledge
experiment: video of chinese woman applying make up vs using chop stick
→ faster recognition of words related to ‘woman’ in make-up condition, faster recognition of words related to
‘chinese’ in chopstick condition
2. & 3. Video: how is knowledge stored?
1) Associative network models mind works like a computer, for
each mental representation there are info nodes that can
become active e.g. coffee → tasty, awake, black, caffeine
→ activation is facilitated by stronged linked info notes
2) Schema models perceivers ‘go beyond the info given’
· info is stored in abstract form; schemas as lens; directs
attention, memory & judgement
→ schema = abstract representations of knowledge
→ exist for generalised concepts underlying object, social groups,
events, actions or series of actions etc
→ contains the network of interrelations that is believed to generally hold among part of these concepts
3) Predictive coding/processing
· use prior knowledge to perceive environment
· posterior (comparison btw perception & prediction)
4) connectionist models
· parallel distribution processing
· nodes
· one node facilitates another & inhibitive links
· concepts exist by means of dynamic interplay of distributed elements
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,· input, hidden, and output elements
mutuality with associative model:
nodes level of activation, facilitative links
differences: also links that inhibit other nodes; specific node doesn’t have semantic meaning; only full set of nodes
make mental representation; these are not static but strongly affected by environment
→ environemnt affects input, resulting in diff. output
5) multiple format models
→ memory system model: there are multiple learning systems related to diff. memory systems, diff. neuronal
underpinnings
→ affective, semantic & procedural memory system
6) embodied cognition
do mental representations extend outside the mind, both to body & external environment?
· representations are modality-specific
· stored ‘in the body’; mental representations activate sensory experiences e.g. think of coffee → you imagine smell
coffee beans
· partial re-experience
7) situated cognition
· situated cognitions: mental representations result from dynamic interactions btw brain, body & environment
→ by relying less on internal infos, brain can deligate to features of the environment e.g. mobiles & simplyfy decision
making
4. Video: automaticity
automaticity level where cognition & behavior is driven more automatically
4 hoursemen of automaticity:
1. Level of consciousness unconscious route e.g. becoming aware of implicit attitudes
2. Level of efficiency (cogn. source) e.g. becoming efficient at car driving by practice; multitasking
3. Level of intentionality when actions are not in line with intention/goal → they are more automatic
4. Level of controllability to what extent can we control us? → priming; you can’t kill yourself by holding your breath
· sets states for impulsive processes
environment → mental representation → behaviour
5. Video: strack & Deutsch
Reflective Impulsive Model
· integrative theory, both system work parallel
· impulsive system is always activated
· reflective system is sometimes active (motivation & opportunity)
· knowledge representation
→ impulsive system: based on associations
→ in reflective system: based on proposities on basis of associations
impulsive processes
· behaviour within the impulsive system is based on spreading activation of knowledge to motor representations
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,according to ideo-motor processes
· thinking about behavior is enough to trigger
· embodied cognition model: motor representations will get activated when you see an object that has these
affordances
e.g. if ppl exposed to objects, areas related to motor movements (L. ventral premotor & L. posterior parietal) gets
activated for hammer, but not for houses, dogs & faces (to prepare for action)
impulsive system
e.g. you see coffe → triggers pos. association → triggers behavior schema → impulsive action
e.g. you walk slower when exposed to elderly people
reflective processes
· behaviour in reflective system based on choices
· choices may by means of intentions activate motor representations in impulsive system
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, · e.g. you see coffee & smell a bad smell; so you think that you don’t want coffee
· mixture of many associations that get activated & the associations get activated on basis of perception/introception
· impulsive system is always first & reflection is based on impulsive system
· an reflective process can also affect the impulsive system
→ only if there is sufficient processing time, intention and cognitive capacity to extract meaning of a negation will at
the reflective system be engaged and the task successfully completed
When reflective &
impulsive processes
are conflicting
e.g. you want to
loose weight but see a
cake
→ impulsive system
screams for cake but
reflective system activates reasoning: you want to loose weight
→ so behavior: leave the room
→ strongest activation wins battle
6. Video: understanding priming effects of behavior
prime → mental representation → behaviour
e.g. walk slowly elderly, smell lemon scent & clean desk
empirical (in)consistency
· conceptual priming seems a very robust phenomenon
· behaviour priming effects seem difficult
· lot of studies were underpowered
· behaviour priming effects: false positive?
· larger sample, within-subjects design, power, robust priming effect on choice
· difficult to obtain real effect in between-subject designs
· despite underpowered; a lot of empirical evidence
· recent meta-analysis with modest priming effect
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