Cognitive Psychology: Understanding Mental Processes and Brain Functioning

This report provides an overview of cognitive psychology, focusing on the study of mental processes and brain functioning. It discusses the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and the application of qualitative research in studying neurological disorders. The report also explores the components of memory and the theory of visual perception in cognitive psychology.

Cognitive psychology

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
Symptoms of Alzheimer disease mentioned below................................................................4
Application of qualitative research ........................................................................................6
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................7
Information processing in Human brain and components of Memory...................................7
Visual Perception theory........................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9
Books and Journals.................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Cognitive psychology is that branch of psychology which deals with mental processes
and functioning of human brain. These processes includes range of process from most complex
like perceptions, creative thinking, problem solving to simplest one as well for example,
language, attention and memory. The kind of studies included in cognitive psychology directly
pertains to human brain and particular behaviour developed thereon. However studies are purely
based on scientific methods. In manner of integration of psychology to biological studies,
cognitive psychology is also helpful in establishing reasons for many diseases like Alzheimer, a
disease in which patient is seen loosing memory gradually leading to total damage over memory
loss. Also this branch of psychology provide narratives and reasons to processing of information
in human brain, through receiving information from sources and chemical reaction addition to it,
eventually studying how information becomes memory after passing through different stages.
There are many theories in this branch which talks about conversion of memory in to perception.
In this report these matters, involved in cognitive psychology are studied briefly. Report
briefly mentions about key concepts and methods of Alzheimer's and Autism, further mentioning
about their practical applications. A brief study on processing of information in human brain is
made and presented in Power-point presentation. Finally report talks about a key theory of
Perception, Visual theory of Perception, which studies development of perception in individuals
and base of differences of psychologists in this theory.
TASK 1
As per studies neurological disorders are peripheral nervous system disease, this could be
explained in other words cranial nerves, autonomic nervous system, muscles, spinal cord and
brain such kind of disorders leads to Alzheimer disease or epilepsy. Alzheimer disease is defined
as which destroys mental functions as well as destroys memory is called Alzheimer disease,this
disease also called senile dementia , in this disease person's cells degenerate themselves and die.
Memory loss this is key symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, there may be difficulty in
remembering conversations or recent things, or organizing thoughts.
People with Alzheimer ;
-They keep repeating their statements again and again
-Suddenly they forget their conversations

Symptoms of Alzheimer disease mentioned below
 Cognitive deficits – the person might face difficulty with judgement, complex tasks, and
reasoning this involves;
-Facing problem during making decisions
-reduction in understanding risks and safety
 Difficulty during recognition – person might not recognise objects or faces , and they use
basic tools very very less.
 Problem with reading, speaking, writing – person might feel difficulty in remembering
common words they might make reading , writing, speech errors.
In addition dementias and Alzheimer diseases conditions such traumatic brain injury,
disabilities while development, stroke this could cause cognitive impairment.
There are neurocognitive disorder which are determined after genetic testing which finds a
causative genetic mutation from a family history this include;
 There is need of clear evidence which shows decline in learning and memory
 Declines in cognition in gradual manner .
 Do not have ability to live independent.
Alzheimer disease and autism spectrum disorder these both are neurodegenerative disorders
they are effecting on the individuals as well as on the society too. There are number of factors
which gives their contribution to these both disease , these disorders may occurs at different
stages of life due to the involvement of susceptible genes, these genetics makes some
background association such as oxidative stress, de-myelination, deficits, cognition changes .
Methods
Qualitative research – this method involves analysing non – numerical data or rather than this
collecting data this include (video, audio or text ) this is quite helpful in understanding
experience, concepts, and opinions,at the same time it could be helpful in collecting depth insight
of problems which might create new thoughts or ideas for the purpose of research. The
qualitative research is used in the social sciences, humanities, or subjects which involves
sociology, education, anthropology, and health sciences or else history etc. The qualitative
research is very different from quantitative research which mainly examine and gather the
numerical data for the purpose of statistical analysis, this research helps to understand how group
of peoples are experiencing the world, these researches are frequently flexible and they focus as

well as try to get interpreting data while focusing on this, there are common approaches of
qualitative research they are ethnography, phenomenological research, grounded theory, other
than grounded theory also could be approach of it , there are very similar in many ways but they
do emphasize different perspectives and aims given below;
 Grounded theory – Usually researchers they collect range of data on a specific topic
according to interest after this theories are developed inductively.
 Ethnography – in this process usually research they saturate themselves in a organization
to understand their specific cultures.
 Action research – this is a research in which participants and researchers work in a
collaborate manner to practice their theory to bring a social change.
 Phenomenological research – such kind of research involves analysis or investigating the
phenomenon thus participants could lived experiences
 Narrative research – all the researchers they studies or examines the way stories are told
and helps to understand how these experiences are making sense for the participants.
Specific methods of qualitative research are mentioned below;
Observation – keeping a safe recording of what is seen or heard afterwards encountered them in
a complete details of filed notes
Interviews – questioning peoples in a sequence manner or having conversation one by one.
Focus groups – questions are asked and than generating a debate or healthy discussion between
group of individuals.
Survey – interrupting questionnaires with complete open ended questions
Secondary research – this is a process of gathering the data which is already exist in different
forms for example images, texts, video or recording, audio.
Qualitative data often shares five steps
 preparing or organizing data – this means typing up described filed notes
 Exploring data – studying the patterns of data or the ideas which are emerged.
 Developing the data coding system – these are mainly based on individual initial ideas
than the set codes could be applied to the data.
 Assigning codes for the data – in this each and every participants should give response
and tag codes in a spreadsheet.

Application of qualitative research
Formative evaluation - in this process qualitative research methods utilized such formative
evaluation in which objectives are described for a new intervention.
Process evaluation – monitoring and doing research is very essential during service delivery it is
an important aspect in clinic based.

TASK 2
Information processing in Human brain and components of Memory
Covered in PPT.
Visual Perception theory
Visual Perception theory in cognitive psychology mentions about how Perception of
individuals are derived and driven in particular or multiple directions. To understand this theory
it is is first important to understand that what is meant exactly by one's perception. Perception
can be described as one's specific way or manner of interpreting different subject matters and
action that one encounters at a point of time. Basis of perception, as described in the theory is
related to information received through sensory organs in brain. Sensory organs are bo0fy parts
like eyes, hear, nose etc. These informations are through chemical reactions in brain are then
transformed physical stimuli or touch, sight, smell etc. However these informations gets
repeatedly transformed by algorithms in brain, and informations are processed further and
further. This forms basis of perception of any individual.
Differences to which many psychologists gets divided is that, some argues perception
depends over information received from environment, which means these information served
form environment are common to everyone and thus perception formed on that basis are also
similar of everyone. Whereas, other argues that, perception derived to individual depends on
information sources of personal experiences and previous knowledge regarding particular subject
matter. In this way perception of all individuals are differentiated from each other. For example,
at early age if any individual who had pleasurable experience of travelling in aeroplane may
always remain excited of travelling through air, whereas one who at any early age fell sick or had
tragic experience of travelling in aeroplane may remain aero-phobic for rest of life.
In this way, visual perception theory talks of deliverance and direction of perception.
Also it talks of how basis of perception are directly related with functioning of brain.

CONCLUSION
Thus, from this report it can be concluded that theoretical and practical implications of
cognitive psychology are still relevant modern development and modern times. Behaviourism
understood and explained gives good support to biological diseases as well. There understanding
through psychology is important to provide good insight about disease and not just
understanding through scientific point of view. Alzheimer and Autism are type of diseases in
which treatment requires understanding of human behaviour as well. Similarly, processing of
informations in human brain chemical reactions involved and repeated transformation through
algorithms turns information into memory, have also been studied providing good insights. Also
the manner through which informations turns into memory after passing through different stages
and eventually turning to perception, not just help in understanding psychology but human nature
and behaviour as well.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Parsons, S., Kruijt, A. W. and Fox, E., 2019. Psychological science needs a standard practice of
reporting the reliability of cognitive-behavioral measurements. Advances in Methods
and Practices in Psychological Science. 2(4). pp.378-395.
Braem, S. and Egner, T., 2018. Getting a grip on cognitive flexibility. Current directions in
psychological science. 27(6). pp.470-476.
Heyes, C., 2019. Précis of cognitive gadgets: The cultural evolution of thinking. Behavioral and
Brain Sciences. 42.
Usher, E. L. and Schunk, D. H., 2018. Social cognitive theoretical perspective of self-regulation.
Murphy, G. and Greene, C. M., 2017. Load theory behind the wheel; perceptual and cognitive
load effects. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology/Revue canadienne de
psychologie expérimentale. 71(3). p.191.
Mildner, J. N. and Tamir, D. I., 2019. Spontaneous thought as an unconstrained memory process.
Trends in neurosciences. 42(11). pp.763-777.
Vedadi, A. and Warkentin, M., 2018. Secure behavior over time: Perspectives from the Theory
of Process Memory. ACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in
Information Systems. 49(SI). pp.39-48.
Dijkstra, N., Bosch, S. E. and van Gerven, M.A., 2019. Shared neural mechanisms of visual
perception and imagery. Trends in cognitive sciences. 23(5). pp.423-434.
Lowenstein, E. J., Sidlow, R. and Ko, C. J., 2019. Visual perception, cognition, and error in
dermatologic diagnosis: diagnosis and error. Journal of the American Academy of
Dermatology. 81(6). pp.1237-1245.
Ge, H. and Yu, H., 2019. The application and design of neural computation in visual perception.
Journal of Visual Communication and Image Representation. 59. pp.309-315.