Categories & categorisation
Explain concepts and categories, including exemplar, feature and prototype approaches.
LEARNING UNIT 2 · SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL
Cognitive Psychology:
The Cognitive Sciences Approach
How information is obtained, represented, stored, retrieved and used — explained through concepts, categorisation, knowledge representation, imagery, problem solving and memory.
Part 1Foundations + concepts & categorisation
Part 2Representation + imagery + problem solving + memory
Formal checksComplete the quizzes in eLEAP
MIND
↓
OBTAINperception · attention
→
REPRESENTconcepts · propositions · images
↓
STOREworking · long-term memory
→
USEreasoning · language · problem solving
YOUR DESTINATION
Learning outcomes
By the end of LU2, you should be able to explain, describe and apply the main principles rather than only memorise definitions.
Represent & process information
Describe propositions, semantic networks, spreading activation, mental imagery and memory systems.
Evidence & everyday thinking
Relate categorisation, memory, problem solving and expert–novice reasoning to simple experiments and everyday situations.
FROM THE LECTURER MATERIALS
Study mastery targets
The web SIM combines the structured 61-slide study sequence with all 121 detailed lecture slides and both 10-slide illustrated decks. Use these targets to judge whether you are ready to move on.
SELF-PACED ROUTE
How to use this SIM
- Work in sequence. Complete Phase 1 before the Part 1 eLEAP quiz, then continue to Phase 3.
- Pause at activities. Write your answer in a learning journal before checking feedback.
- Use feedback. Revisit the named concept when your answer has a gap.
- Keep evidence separate from inference. A result can support an explanation without proving the mind literally contains a visible “network” or “image.”
No login is required. Practice progress is saved only in this browser using local storage. Formal quiz results are recorded in eLEAP when you complete the linked assessments.
Suggested pace from the study deck: 70–90 minutes for a study sequence including written responses. Academic integrity: attempt each CHECK independently before viewing its suggested response.
Source note from the original deck: Content adapted from the supplied Unit 2 Cognitive Psychology lecture deck and the sources cited throughout this SIM.
LEARNING ROUTE
1 Foundations
2 Concepts & categories
3 Knowledge representation
4 Imagery & problem solving
5 Memory & learning
Before moving to Phase 2
Can you explain the information-processing view and distinguish exemplar, feature and prototype approaches using a new example? If not, reopen the relevant module and practise again before taking the eLEAP quiz.
Part 1 Quiz
If a question is difficult, return to Phase 1, revisit the relevant concept, then try again.
Open Part 1 Quiz in eLEAP ↗The complete Part 1 deck content is already here
You do not need to download a PowerPoint from this website. Reopen the full lessons in Phase 1, answer the CHECK prompts independently, and only then reveal the suggested responses.
Review full Part 1 lessonsKeep asking: How does my mind organise information? How do I retrieve something from memory? Why might an expert approach a problem differently from a novice?
Ready for Phase 4?
You should be able to build a connected explanation using representation, working memory, imagery, problem-space search and retrieval. Reopen any module and practise again whenever you need to.
COMPLETE LECTURE CONTENT · WEB VERSION
All lecturer-provided learning materials are integrated into the modules
The website contains the structured 61-slide SIM sequence, all 121 detailed lecture slides, and the two illustrated 10-slide explanations. Use Open module to enter the complete notes, then use Practice to test yourself.
Study rule: open a module, study its notes in sequence, attempt every CHECK and reflection in your journal, then return to the card and choose Practice. Use suggested responses to diagnose gaps, not as something to copy.
UNIT SYNTHESIS · FROM THE SIM SEQUENCE
Connect the whole unit
The final four SIM slides provide an integrative challenge, suggested response, mastery check, and completion record. The detailed lecture deck's recap, reflection, and project prompts appear in Module 5.
ACTIVITY 6 · AI AUDIT · 10 POINTS PRACTICE
Can you trust an AI explanation of cognition?
AI can explain cognitive psychology fluently while mixing evidence, theory and overstatement. Audit it before you accept it.
TRACE AI
TTarget the exact claim.
RRequest evidence or a source.
AAuthenticate the source.
CCompare with your learning material.
EExplain your judgement.
Audit this statement
“Spreading activation proves that concepts are physically stored in the brain as a network of linked nodes, exactly like a computer graph.”
Use the course material to decide what is supported, what is an inference, and what is overstated.
Part 2 Quiz
The exact Phase 4 quiz URL is not present in the supplied materials. Insert it in public/config.js to enable this button.
Build a visual representation
Create a concept map or flowchart showing how at least six ideas in LU2 connect. Use this structure:
Input / problem→Representation→Processing→Memory→Action / answer
Include at least one piece of behavioural evidence and one limitation. Upload the completed visual to eLEAP if instructed.
MULTILINGUAL STUDY SUPPORT
LU2 Study Helper
Ask for a simpler explanation, an example, or a comparison. The interface supports English, Bahasa Malaysia, Simplified Chinese and Tamil when the optional Cloudflare Workers AI function is enabled.
Ask me about categories, semantic networks, imagery, problem solving or memory.
THIS DEVICE ONLY
Your practice progress
No account is used. This progress stays in this browser unless you clear/reset it.
APA 7
References used in this SIM
Atkinson, R. C., & Shiffrin, R. M. (1968). Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes. In K. W. Spence & J. T. Spence (Eds.), The psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 2, pp. 89–195). Academic Press.
Baddeley, A. (2000). The episodic buffer: A new component of working memory? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 4(11), 417–423. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1364-6613(00)01538-2
Berlin, B., & Kay, P. (1969). Basic color terms: Their universality and evolution. University of California Press.
Chi, M. T. H., Feltovich, P. J., & Glaser, R. (1981). Categorization and representation of physics problems by experts and novices. Cognitive Science, 5(2), 121–152. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog0502_2
Collins, A. M., & Loftus, E. F. (1975). A spreading-activation theory of semantic processing. Psychological Review, 82(6), 407–428. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.82.6.407
Eysenck, M. W., & Keane, M. T. (2020). Cognitive psychology: A student's handbook (8th ed.). Psychology Press.
Goldstein, E. B. (2019). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (5th ed.). Cengage.
Kosslyn, S. M., Ball, T. M., & Reiser, B. J. (1978). Visual images preserve metric spatial information: Evidence from studies of image scanning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 4(1), 47–60. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-1523.4.1.47
Newell, A., & Simon, H. A. (1972). Human problem solving. Prentice-Hall.
Rosch, E. (1978). Principles of categorization. In E. Rosch & B. B. Lloyd (Eds.), Cognition and categorization (pp. 27–48). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Shepard, R. N., & Metzler, J. (1971). Mental rotation of three-dimensional objects. Science, 171(3972), 701–703. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.171.3972.701
Tulving, E. (1972). Episodic and semantic memory. In E. Tulving & W. Donaldson (Eds.), Organization of memory (pp. 381–403). Academic Press.