1. Briefly outline the primary differences between rationalism and empiricism. Which philosophy do you currently believe is more likely to be an accurate description of how to find truth? Why?
2. Briefly describe behaviorism.
3. What are the primary differences between bottom-up and top-down processes in perception? How do they work together to determine what we actually perceive?
4. Is reading an automatic process? Why or why not? If it is automatic, has it always been? Under what circumstances can it be controlled?
5. The Word Superiority Effect is an example of top-down processing at work. Briefly describe the effect. Would the word superiority effect be possible if reading was not an automatic process?
6. Do you think the subtraction method is a valid way of theorizing about cognitive processes? Why or why not?
7. I'm sure we've all experienced a situation where we were having a conversation with someone and we thought we heard someone else say our name, and so we looked around to see who this other person was. Given what you know about attention, why do you think this might happen? Is there something special about your own name?