Cognitive Systems - Eppp Knowledge

1. What is working memory (as distinct from short-term storage alone)?

   Temporary storage plus manipulation of information to guide ongoing behavior. Working memory actively manipulates information, extending beyond mere storage to support tasks like problem-solving.

2. What is the difference between expressive language and receptive language?

   Expressive is language production; receptive is comprehension of spoken/written input. Expressive language focuses on output production, while receptive handles input understanding.

3. Which aphasia is most associated with fluent but nonsensical speech and impaired comprehension?

   Wernicke aphasia. Wernicke aphasia disrupts meaning processing from temporal damage, yielding fluent but empty speech.

4. Which attentional function is best described as selecting one source amid distractors?

   Selective attention. Selective attention filters distractors to prioritize relevant information, enhancing task performance.

5. What is attention in cognitive psychology (as distinct from perception and memory)?

   Selective allocation of limited processing resources to specific stimuli/tasks. This definition emphasizes attention's role in prioritizing stimuli due to cognitive capacity limits, setting it apart from passive sensory processes.

6. What is the difference between sensation and perception?

   Sensation is detection/transduction; perception is interpretation/organization. Sensation captures raw sensory signals, while perception adds cognitive layers for meaningful understanding.

7. Which attentional function is best described as switching focus between tasks or sets?

   Alternating attention (set shifting). Set shifting enables flexible adaptation by reallocating focus between different cognitive demands or rules.

8. What is pragmatics in language functioning?

   Social use of language (conversational rules, context-appropriate communication). Pragmatics governs context-sensitive language use for effective social interaction.

9. What is the key difference between top-down and bottom-up attention?

   Top-down is goal-driven; bottom-up is stimulus-driven (salience-captured). Top-down attention relies on internal goals, whereas bottom-up is automatically drawn by salient external features.

10. What is the difference between semantics and syntax in language?

    Semantics is meaning; syntax is grammatical structure/rules for combining words. Semantics conveys conceptual meaning, whereas syntax structures words according to grammatical rules.

11. Which attentional function is best described as sustaining focus over time?

    Sustained attention (vigilance). Vigilance maintains prolonged focus, crucial for tasks requiring continuous monitoring of stimuli.

12. Identify the term for failure to attend to a visible stimulus due to focused attention elsewhere.

    Inattentional blindness. Inattentional blindness demonstrates how focused attention can render obvious stimuli unnoticed.

13. What is the key feature of executive inhibition (in executive functioning models)?

    Suppressing prepotent responses or irrelevant information to meet a goal. Inhibition in executive models overrides automatic responses to align actions with current objectives.

14. What is executive functioning (as distinct from attention and processing speed)?

    Higher-order control processes for goal setting, planning, inhibition, and monitoring. Executive functioning regulates cognition via metacognitive skills that enable adaptive, goal-directed behavior beyond basic attention.

15. Which attentional function is best described as handling two tasks at the same time?

    Divided attention. Divided attention splits resources across simultaneous tasks, often incurring performance decrements due to limited capacity.

16. What is a classic example of a perceptual bottom-up process?

    Feature-based processing driven by stimulus properties (e.g., contrast, motion). Bottom-up processes are automatically triggered by low-level sensory features independent of expectations.

17. Which executive function is most directly reflected by cognitive flexibility on set-shifting tasks?

    Set shifting (mental flexibility). Set shifting underlies the ability to adapt to new rules or perspectives in dynamic environments.

18. Which system is most implicated when a person understands speech but cannot repeat phrases accurately?

    Arcuate fasciculus disruption (conduction aphasia). Damage to this tract disconnects production and comprehension areas, specifically impairing repetition.

19. Which executive function is most directly reflected by planning and sequencing future actions?

    Planning/organization. Planning organizes sequential steps to achieve complex goals, a core executive process.

20. Identify the term for missing a second target when it appears soon after the first in RSVP tasks.

    Attentional blink. Attentional blink reveals a temporal limit in processing successive targets during rapid presentation.

21. What is a classic example of a perceptual top-down process?

    Context/expectation shaping interpretation (e.g., resolving ambiguous figures). Top-down processes use prior knowledge and context to influence how sensory information is interpreted.

22. What is perception (as distinct from attention and sensation)?

    Interpretation and organization of sensory input into meaningful experience. Perception involves cognitive processes that assign meaning to raw sensory data through organization and interpretation.

23. Which aphasia is most associated with nonfluent, effortful speech and relatively preserved comprehension?

    Broca aphasia. Broca aphasia impairs speech production due to frontal damage but spares basic comprehension.

24. Which executive function is most directly reflected by detecting errors and adjusting performance?

    Self-monitoring (performance monitoring). Self-monitoring detects discrepancies in performance, allowing real-time behavioral adjustments.

25. What does information processing speed refer to in neuropsychological assessment?

    Rate of performing simple cognitive operations with minimal executive demand. It assesses efficiency in basic tasks, distinguishing it from complex executive demands in cognitive evaluations.

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