by Albert Major

Introduction to Cognitive Science

Scientific Methodology:

• Goal: Use experiments to study internal (e.g., reasoning) and external events (e.g., walking).
• Steps: Hypothesis-driven research:
  1. Preparation: Design the study.
  2. Pilot: Test small-scale experiments to identify issues.
  3. Data Collection & Analysis: Gather and analyze results.
  4. Interpretation: Understand the data.
• Hypothesis:
  • Null hypothesis: No effect (e.g., attending lectures does not impact exam results).
  • Alternative hypothesis: There is an effect (e.g., attending lectures improves exam results).
• Experimental Design:
  • Across-subjects design: Experimental group vs control group.
  • Within-subjects design: Same group tested in different conditions.
  • Variables:
    • Independent variable: What is manipulated (e.g., lecture attendance).
    • Dependent variable: What is measured (e.g., exam scores).
• Statistical Methods:
  • T-test: Tests for differences between groups or conditions.
  • ANOVA: Compares more than two groups.
  • Correlation: Measures the relationship between two variables (e.g., lecture attendance and exam results).
  • Significance: If results are unlikely due to chance, the null hypothesis is rejected.
• Reproducibility Crisis in Psychology:
  • Issues replicating studies lead to concerns about the robustness of psychological research.
  • Open Science Framework: Encourages transparency through pre-registered studies and reporting replications.
• Early Founders of Experimental Psychology:
  • Voluntarism (Wilhelm Wundt): Studied the mind through introspection (self-observation of thoughts).
  • Structuralism (Edward Titchener): Focused on breaking down mental processes into basic components.
  • Functionalism (William James): Studied the mind based on what it does (mental operations).
  • Gestalt Psychology: Focused on how people perceive complete objects rather than individual elements.
  • Psychoanalytic Psychology (Sigmund Freud): Proposed a model of the mind with conscious, preconscious, and unconscious levels.
  • Behaviorism (John B. Watson & B.F. Skinner): Focused on observable behaviors and learning through conditioning.
• Key Concepts:
  • Independent Variable: The factor you change or control in an experiment (e.g., amount of lecture attendance).
  • Dependent Variable: The outcome or effect being measured (e.g., exam scores).
  • Confounding Variables: Other factors that might affect the results.
  • T-test & ANOVA: Statistical tools to compare groups or conditions.
  • Type I Error: False positive (incorrectly rejecting the null hypothesis).
  • Type II Error: False negative (incorrectly accepting the null hypothesis).