ΨΨCognitive Psychology

Spring 2005

-Discussion Section-

Cognitive functions• Perception

• Memory• Attention

• Decision-making• Reasoning, problem-solving

• Imagery

• Language

Emotion

Motivation

Action• Memory

Categorization

Full plate - again

• Farewell to Memory• Deep end of categorization: Basis, Implications• Williams Syndrome• Questionnaires• Happiness• Conundrum

Next time

• Reasoning & Decision Making

Farewell to Memory

DH

Categorization

Earl Miller

Visual Areas in the Macaque

Categorization

Categorization

Categorization

Nikos Logothetis

Implications

Implications

But it can be controlled – Psychological Science (2005)

Williams SyndromeSymptoms:

Cognitive:

Mental retardation

Poor learning abilities

Particularly poor drawing abilities

Social:

Normal, but overly friendly. Trusting strangers.

Interests:

Strong affinity for music, language

Williams Syndrome

Prevalence: 1 in 20,000 births. Rather rare

Etiology: Genetically determined. Missing material on Chromosome #7. Due to random mutation.

Theoretical significance: Basically the „opposite“ of Autism (which is much more common).

Cure and treatments: None

Outlook: Stable. Yet shortened life-expectancy.

FOP

FOP

FOP

Symptoms:

Wounded tissue (like muscles) is not replaced by that tissue, but by bone-like structures.

As the disease progresses, this ossification becomes increasingly painful and effectively paralyzes the person.

Fibrodys plasia ossificans progressiva

=Disease where one progressively ossifies, meaning: Turning into stone.

FOP

Prevalence: 1 in 2,000,000 births. Extremely rare

Etiology: Genetic, but Unknown.

Mechanism: Unknown.

Cure and treatments: None

Outlook: Progressive Paralysis, eventually fatal

Lifetime Prevalence Ratios

Autism 1:500

Williams Syndrome 1:20,000

FOP 1:2,000,000

Depression 1:5

Schizophrenia 1:100

Lifetime Prevalence Ratios

Depression

Lifetime Prevalence Ratios

Schizophrenia

Lifetime Prevalence Ratios

Autism

Lifetime Prevalence Ratios

Williams Syndrome

Lifetime Prevalence Ratios

FOP

How the questions shape the answers

Some data

Happiness

• Definition?

• Goal?

• Subjective Well Being (SWB)

Lottery Winners & Quadruplegics

Big but singular events don’t make a difference in happiness in the long term.

• Explained by Set-Point theory

• Can’t adapt to small but continuous bad or good things.

• Mix: Unemployment. No full Adaptation.

Income + Happiness in the US (Scitovski, 1985)

Year Very happy Fairly happy Not v happy Other

1946 39% 50% 10% 1%

1947 42% 47% 10% 1%

1948 43% 44% 11% 2%

1952 47% 43% 9% 1%

1956 53% 41% 5% 1%

1957 53% 43% 3% 1%

1963 47% 48% 5% 1%

1966 49% 46% 4% 2%

1970 43% 48% 6% 3%

*1946 - 1970 income rose by 62%.

Income

Stability

Culture/Climate

Social Life

Conundrum

May 27th, 2005

∞

What to do?

• Cancel

• Cancel and go to other TAs?

• Re-schedule

• Other?