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1. Our physiological processes (such as the physical brain, neurotransmission, etc.) give rise to cognitive processes (such as language, memory, decision making, perception, learning, etc.) 2. Models of mental processes can be proposed and investigated scientifically 3. Cognitive processes are influenced by social and cultural factors In other words, specific parts of the brain can directly correlate to cognitive processes. Damage to the frontal lobe can directly affect the cognitive process of decision making Damage to the hippocampus can directly affect the cognitive process of short term memory Damage to Broca’s area can directly affect the cognitive process of language production ◦ All of our mental processes are physiologically based. Thus, we can better understand cognitive processes by understanding the physiological processes that give rise to cognitive processes. ◦ Thus, this principle may be demonstrated in research by observing how deficits in cognitive processes correlate to specific physiological processes. ◦ Cognitive processes are difficult to study. They often occur rapidly, and inside the mind so they cannot be observed directly. ◦ It is only the responses that participants make when given some cognitive task to perform that can tell us about cognitive processes. ◦ These tasks usually take place under tightly controlled lab experiments where the main aim is to isolate a particular component of the cognitive process for the study. (This can be used to assist you with objective 1.2) ◦ Ethically, since we cannot create these lesions in humans, we must either create lesions with animal models or study cases of the specific lesion. ◦ One specific case example is the case of Clive Wearing Watch for yourself! ◦ http://www.milkandcookies.com /link/63520/detail/ ◦ By studying the physiological origins of cognitive processes, we are able to conclude that specific processes (in this example: The Hippocampus) directly effect the cognitive process of memory. ◦ By creating models of cognitive processes, we are able to isolate theses processes (through laboratory experiments) to see how various environmental factors influence them. ◦ In summation, models of cognitive theories allow us to empirically investigate the cognitive products of our physiological processes. ◦ Thus, this principle may be demonstrated in research by empirically studying cognitive models in order examine their causes and influences. ◦ One example is the research experiment conducted by John Ridley Stroop ◦ The Stroop Effect is an effect found in the 1930s by John Ridley Stroop. ◦ This effect is a model for how our brain processes information. This effect demonstrates how interference can slow down how the brain processes information because it is trying to sort various things at the same time. ◦ The Stroop Test is considered to measure selective attention, cognitive flexibility and processing speed, and it is used as a tool in the evaluation of executive functions (activities such as planning, organizing, strategizing, paying attention to and remembering details, and managing time and space). ◦ You may find that you hesitate or stumble, because the brain is trying to pay attention to more than one thing, reading and the visualizing the colors. ◦ The brain tries to process two types of information: a color, and a word naming a color. This is why it is much more difficult to read the second set of words. ◦ This study demonstrates that cognitive models (such as attention processing) can be investigated through scientific methods (such as with an experiment) That is, our memories, learning, language, perception, decisions, etc. can be influenced by our culture and by environmental factors. This principle may b e demonstrated in research that looks at social and cultural influences on cognitive processes. Frederic Bartlett’s study demonstrates how memory can be distorted by cultural schemas. Schemas are representations of knowledge based on experience. In his study in which British participants were asked to recall a native American folktale. He found that the story of ‘The War of the Ghosts’ was difficult for Western people to reproduce exactly because of its cultural content which was unfamiliar to them. The participants ended up encoding the meaning of the story adapted to their existing cultural schemas. As a result, Bartlett concluded that cultural interpretation plays a large role in remembering events or stories. By showing the cultural context of our schemas (organized memories), Bartlett was able to show the cultural influence on our cognitions.