CSS Psychology Cognitive Psychology Syllabus

Cognitive Psychology syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Cognitive Psychology in CSS Psychology, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Sensation and Perception

   6 topics

   • Sensory Process
   • Nature of Perception
   • Gestalt Principles of Organisation
   • Depth Perception
   • Illusions and Extra Sensory Perception
   • Determinants of Perception
2. 2

   Learning

   5 topics

   • Nature and Forms of Learning
   • Classical Conditioning
   • Operant Conditioning
   • Observational Learning
   • Theories of Learning
3. 3

   Memory and Forgetting

   4 topics

   • Types of Memory
   • Process of Memory
   • Forgetting and Its Causes
   • Theories of Memory
4. 4

   Motivation and Emotion

   8 topics

   • Homeostasis
   • Factors Affecting Motivation
   • Biogenic and Social Motives
   • Measurement of Human Motivation
   • Theories of Motivation
   • Emotions and Their Types
   • Physiological Changes in Emotion
   • Theories of Emotion

Cognitive Psychology flashcards for CSS Psychology

21 of 59 cards from the Cognitive Psychology deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is sensation in psychology?

   The process by which sensory receptors detect physical stimuli (light, sound, heat, etc.) and convert that energy into neural signals; it is the raw, immediate detection of stimulation before interpretation.

2. Define transduction in the context of sensory processes.

   Transduction is the conversion of physical stimulus energy (light, sound, chemical) into neural electrical impulses that the brain can process.

3. What is the absolute threshold?

   The minimum amount of stimulus energy needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.

4. What is the difference threshold (just noticeable difference, JND)?

   The minimum difference between two stimuli required to detect a change 50% of the time; the smallest detectable change in stimulation.

5. State Weber's Law.

   The just noticeable difference between two stimuli is a constant proportion (fraction) of the original stimulus intensity, not a constant amount. (JND/I = constant.)

6. What is sensory adaptation?

   The diminished sensitivity to a constant, unchanging stimulus over time (e.g., no longer noticing a smell or the feel of clothing).

7. What is perception, and how does it differ from sensation?

   Perception is the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information to give it meaning; sensation is merely the detection of raw stimuli, while perception is the meaningful interpretation of those sensations.

8. Distinguish bottom-up from top-down processing in perception.

   Bottom-up processing builds perception from raw sensory data upward; top-down processing uses prior knowledge, expectations, and context to interpret sensory input.

9. What is perceptual constancy?

   The tendency to perceive objects as stable and unchanging (in size, shape, color, brightness) despite changes in sensory input such as distance, angle, or lighting.

10. Name the main types of perceptual constancy.

    Size constancy, shape constancy, color constancy, and brightness (lightness) constancy.

11. What is the core idea of Gestalt psychology regarding perception?

    The whole is greater than (or different from) the sum of its parts; the mind organizes sensory elements into meaningful wholes rather than perceiving isolated parts.

12. State the Gestalt principle of proximity.

    Elements that are close together in space are perceived as belonging to the same group.

13. State the Gestalt principle of similarity.

    Elements that resemble one another (in shape, color, size, or orientation) are grouped together perceptually.

14. State the Gestalt principle of continuity (good continuation).

    We perceive lines and patterns as following the smoothest, most continuous path rather than abrupt changes in direction.

15. State the Gestalt principle of closure.

    We tend to fill in gaps in an incomplete figure to perceive a complete, whole object.

16. State the Gestalt principle of figure-ground.

    We organize the visual field into a figure (the object of focus) that stands out against a background (ground).

17. What is the Gestalt principle of common fate (common movement)?

    Elements that move together in the same direction and speed are perceived as a single group.

18. What is the law of Pragnanz (simplicity/good figure) in Gestalt theory?

    We perceive ambiguous or complex images in the simplest, most stable, and most regular form possible.

19. What is depth perception?

    The ability to perceive the world in three dimensions and judge the distance of objects, despite the retinal image being two-dimensional.

20. What did the Visual Cliff experiment (Gibson and Walk) demonstrate?

    That depth perception is largely innate; infants and young animals refused to crawl over the apparent drop-off, showing they could perceive depth.

21. Distinguish binocular from monocular depth cues.

    Binocular cues require both eyes (e.g., retinal disparity, convergence); monocular cues require only one eye (e.g., linear perspective, interposition, relative size).

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