How Biological Factors Affect Cognitive Processes

by cdruskin (student)

Biological Factors: A factor is a substance necessary to produce a result or activity in the body. The term is used when the chemical nature of the substance is unknown. Biological factors are the substances that bring results in biological systems. For example in the human system, red blood cells are biological factors.

Cognition: all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering and communicationg

Cognitive Processes: Perception, thinking, problem solving, memory, language attention

Explain how biological factors (these studies) affect Cognition (memory)

Alzheimer’s Disease: A progressive and irreversible brain disorder characterized by the gradual detioration of memory, reasoning, language and physical functioning

Martinez and Kesner Study: Tested the effect of acetylcholine on memory

Showed a cause and effect relationship between acetylcholine (biological) and memory formation (cognitive) in rats.

HM Study: Milner and Scoville (1957)

After having surgery for his seizures, HM was missing part of his hippocampus—an area known for it’s use in memory. Without part of his hippocampus (biological), he was unable to form new memories (cognitive); he had anterograde amnesia.

Cortisol and Memory: Lupien Study

Studied the link between cortisol, a stress hormone (biological), and memory.
Followed a group of ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Martinez and Kesner Study: Tested the effect of acetylcholine on memory

Showed a cause and effect relationship between acetylcholine (biological) and memory formation (cognitive) in rats.

HM Study: Milner and Scoville (1957)

After having surgery for his seizures, HM was missing part of his hippocampus—an area known for it’s use in memory. Without part of his hippocampus (biological), he was unable to form new memories (cognitive); he had anterograde amnesia.

Cortisol and Memory: Lupien Study

Studied the link between cortisol, a stress hormone (biological), and memory.
Followed a group of elderly people and administered varying amounts of cortisol—to stop and reverse cortisol or to advance it. Increased amounts of cortisol led to a faster atrophy of memory impairment.

Schemas

Schema Theory: networks of knowledge, beliefs, and expectations about particular aspects of the world; How specific knowledge is organized and stored in memory.

Soft determinism: actively processing our environment; working to remember information

Anderson and Pitchert Study (1978): if schema processing influences processing and retrieval

Homebuyer and robber test: told a variety of traits that would be appealing to one of the groups, had them remember their roles, switched roles
People encoded irrelevant information to them
Given a perspective to remember details, 7% more on 2nd perspective

Darly and Gross: if cognitive effects of labeling change how we perceive others through socioeconomic status