The study of human cognitive processes provides insight into why we act or react and can help us predict future behaviors. In Cognition, authors Thomas Farmer and Margaret Matlin present an engaging and highly relatable examination of how these processes work, and how they are responsible for the way we percieve and interpret the world around us. Broad in scope without sacrificing depth of detail, this text emphasizes the link between conceptual cognitive psychology and real-world experience: case studies, current trends, and historical perspectives merge to provide a comprehensive uderstanding of core principles and theories. 

Thomas A. Farmer, Ph.D., is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at California State University, Fullerton. He has 20+ years of research experience in the cognitive sciences, and nearly as many years of experience teaching topics related to cognition and experimental psychology. Dr. Farmer has been responsible for the updating and revision of Cognition since Dr. Margaret Matlin’s retirement, and thus shares authorship of this 11th edition of the book.

Preface

Introduction to Cognitive Psychology      1

Chapter Introduction

Cognitive Psychology: Overview

Origins of Cognitive Psychology

The Cognitive Revolution

Cognitive Psychology More Recently

 

Perspectives on Cognitive Psychology

The Computer Metaphor of the Mind and Information Processing

The Connectionist Approach

Cognitive Neuroscience

 

Textbook Overview

Chapter Preview

Themes in the Book

How to Use Your Book Effectively

 

Visual and Auditory Recognition 2

 

Chapter Introduction

 

Overview of Visual Object Recognition

The Visual System

Organization in Visual Perception

Theories of Visual Object Recognition

 

Top-Down Processing and Visual Object Recognition

Bottom-Up Versus Top-Down Processing

Top-Down Processing and Reading

“Smart Mistakes” in Object Recognition

 

Specialized Visual Recognition Processes

Neuroscience Research on Face Recognition

Applied Research on Face Recognition

 

Speech Perception

Characteristics of Speech Perception

Theories of Speech Perception

 

 

Attention and Consciousness      3

Chapter Introduction

 

Overview of Attention

Divided Attention

Selective Attention

 

Neuroscience of Attention

The Orienting Attention Network

The Executive Attention Network

 

Theories of Attention

Early Theories of Attention

Feature-Integration Theory

 

Consciousness

Thought Suppression

Blindsight

Mindfulness Meditation

 

Working Memory            4

Chapter Introduction

 

Classical Research on Short-Term Memory

Short-Term Memory Capacity Limits

Atkinson and Shiffrin’s Model of Information Processing

 

The Turn to Working Memory

Evidence for Components with Independent Capacities

Phonological Loop

Visuospatial Sketchpad

Central Executive

Episodic Buffer

 

Applications of Working Memory

Working Memory and Academic Performance

Working Memory Abilities in Clinical Populations

 

Long-Term Memory        5

Chapter Introduction

 

Overview of Long-Term Memory

 

Encoding in Long-Term Memory

Levels of Processing

Encoding-Specificity Principle

Emotions, Mood, and Memory

 

Retrieval in Long-Term Memory

Explicit Versus Implicit Memory Tasks

Individuals with Amnesia

Expertise

 

Autobiographical Memory

Schemas and Autobiographical Memory

Source Monitoring and Reality Monitoring

Flashbulb Memories

Eyewitness Testimony

The Recovered-Memory/False-Memory Controversy

 

 

Memory Strategies and Metacognition   6

Chapter Introduction

 

Absentmindedness and Strategies for Avoiding It

 

Memory Strategies Involving Practice and Mnemonics

Memory Strategies Emphasizing Practice

Mnemonics Using Imagery and Organization

Improving Prospective Memory

 

Metamemory

Accuracy of Metamemory

Metamemory About Factors Affecting Memory Accuracy

Metamemory and the Regulation of Study Strategies

Tip-of-the-Tongue and Feeling-of-Knowing Effects

Metacomprehension

 

Mental Imagery and Cognitive Maps        7

 

Chapter Introduction

 

Classical Research on Visual Imagery

Overview of Mental Imagery

Mental Rotation

The Imagery Debate

Visual Imagery and Ambiguous Figures

 

Factors That Influence Visual Imagery

Distance and Shape Effects on Visual Imagery

Visual Imagery and Interference

Individual Differences in Mental Imagery

 

Auditory Imagery

Auditory Imagery and Pitch

Auditory Imagery and Timbre

 

Cognitive Maps

Distance and Shape Effects on Cognitive Maps

Relative Position Effects on Cognitive Maps

Creating a Cognitive Map

 

General Knowledge        8

 

Chapter Introduction

 

Background and Approaches to Semantic Memory

Background Information

Prototype Approach

Exemplar Approach

Comparing the Prototype and Exemplar Approaches

Network Models

 

Schemas and Scripts

Background on Schemas and Scripts

Memory Selection

Boundary Extension

Memory Abstraction

Memory Integration

 

Language I: Introduction to Language and Language Comprehension        9

 

Chapter Introduction

 

Overview of Psycholinguistics

Background on Language

A Brief History of Psycholinguistics

 

Sentence Comprehension

Negation

Syntactic Complexity

Lexical and Syntactic Ambiguity

Good Enough Processing

 

Brain and Language

General Considerations

Aphasia

Revisiting Broca’s Area

Hemispheric Specialization

The Mirror System

 

Reading

Comparing Written and Spoken Language

Eye Movements During Reading

Reading Words: Theoretical Approaches

Implications for Teaching Reading to Children

 

 

Language II: Language Production and Bilingualism                            10

 

Chapter Introduction

 

Overview of Language Production Processes

Language Production: Speaking

Producing a Word

Producing a Sentence

Producing Discourse

The Role of Gesture During Communication

Using Gestures: Embodied Cognition

 

Language Production: Writing

The Role of Working Memory in Writing

Planning a Formal Writing Assignment

Sentence Generation During Writing

The Revision Phase of Writing

 

Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition

Background on Bilingualism

                Advantages (and Minor Disadvantages) of Bilingualism

Second Language Learning

Simultaneous Interpreters

 

Problem Solving and Creativity   11

 

Chapter Introduction

 

Understanding the Problem

Methods of Representing the Problem

Perspectives on Problem Solving

 

Problem-Solving Strategies

The Analogy Approach

The Means-Ends Heuristic

The Hill-Climbing Heuristic

 

Factors That Influence Problem Solving

Expertise

Mental Set

Functional Fixedness

Gender Stereotypes and Math Problem Solving

Problem Type: Insight Versus Noninsight Problems

 

Creativity

The Nature of Creativity

Motivation and Creativity

 

Deductive Reasoning and Decision Making                            12

 

Chapter Introduction

 

Deductive Reasoning

Overview of Conditional Reasoning

Factors That Cause Difficulty in Reasoning

Biases and Deductive Reasoning

 

Heuristics and Decision Making

Representativeness Heuristic

Availability Heuristic

Anchoring and Adjustment Heuristic

Current Status of Heuristics and Decision Making

 

Applications of Decision-Making Research

Framing Effect

Overconfidence About Decisions

Hindsight Bias

Decision-Making Style and Psychological Well-Being

 

Cognitive Development Throughout the Lifespan                              13

Chapter Introduction

 

The Lifespan Development of Memory

Memory in Infants

Memory in Children

Memory in Older Adults

 

The Lifespan Development of Metamemory

Metamemory in Children

Metamemory in Older Adults

 

The Development of Language

Language in Infants

Language in Children