Topic VII: Cognition
In this unit students learn how humans convert sensory input into kinds of information. They examine how humans learn, remember, and retrieve information. This part of the course also addresses problem solving, language, and creativity. AP students in psychology should be able to do the following:
• Compare and contrast various cognitive processes: — effortful versus automatic processing; — deep versus shallow processing; — focused versus divided attention.
• Describe and differentiate psychological and physiological systems of memory (e.g., short-term memory, procedural memory).
• Outline the principles that underlie effective encoding, storage, and construction of memories.
• Describe strategies for memory improvement.
• Synthesize how biological, cognitive, and cultural factors converge to facilitate acquisition, development, and use of language.
• Identify problem-solving strategies as well as factors that influence their effectiveness.
• List the characteristics of creative thought and creative thinkers.
• Identify key contributors in cognitive psychology (e.g., Noam Chomsky, Hermann Ebbinghaus, Wolfgang Köhler, Elizabeth Loftus, George A. Miller).