Cognitive Psychology: Attention, Memory, and Thought

Psychological Perspectives on Attention

WARNING: From the point of view of psychology, attention has traditionally been seen in two different but related ways.

External Determinants of Attention

External determinants are those that precede the environment and enable the individual to maintain attention to the stimuli that are proposed:

• Power of the stimulus: It is evident that high-intensity sound can attract our attention. The same goes for bright colors with respect to the softest tones.
• Change: Whenever there is a change to adjust our perceptual field, our minds are trapped by the stimuli which alter the stability.
• Size: Advertising uses this principle very effectively.

Types of Attention

• Active and voluntary: Attention is active and voluntary when it is directed and planned by a conscious act.
• Active and involuntary: This type is guided by a perception.
• Passive: Attention is drawn passively through an effortless process.

Memory: Encoding, Storage, and Retrieval

Memory is the process by which we encode, store, and retrieve information. This involves recovery, storage, and consolidation.

Primary Memory Types

• Sensory memory: Initial temporary storage of information that lasts only a flash.
• Short-term memory: Memory that holds information for 15 to 25 seconds.
• Long-term memory: Memory that stores information in a relatively permanent way, although it may be difficult to recover.
• Iconic memory: Memory which provides information from our visual system.
• Echoic memory: Memory that stores information coming from the ears.

The Creative Activity of Thought

Thought is the creative activity of the mind, encompassing everything that is brought into existence through the activity of the intellect.

• Image: These are virtual representations present in all human beings since their conception; a psychological process of rational, subjective, and inner knowing, understanding the facts.
• Thought: A psychological phenomenon that is rational, objective, and externally derived from thinking to solve problems that affect us every day.
• Language: The function of expressing thought in written form for communication and understanding among human beings.

Characteristics of Logical Thought

Logical thinking is characterized by concepts and operates through reasoning.