APPROACHES: The Cognitive Approach

Question 1

What is the cognitive approach?

Answer 1

Focuses on how our mental processes affect behaviour.Argues that the internal mental processes should be studied scientifically.

Question 2

what are internal mental processes?

Answer 2

‘private’ operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response

Question 3

what is a schema?

Answer 3

A mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. They are developed from experience. as we get older our schema develops and gets more detailed.

Question 4

what is the role of schema?

Answer 4

It enables us to process lots of information quickly - prevents us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli

Question 5

weakness of schema?

Answer 5

-It may distort our interpretations of sensory information leading to perceptual errors.

• stereotyping
  -premisconceptions

Question 6

strength of schema?

Answer 6

• Enables us to process information quickly
  -saves us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli

Question 7

how do cognitive psychologists use the theoretical and computer models to understand internal mental processes?

Answer 7

THEORETICAL MODEL:
- the information processing model suggests that information flows through the cognitive system in stages.
- the stages include: input - processing - output

COMPUTER MODEL:
- the brain processes information like a computer in the central processing unit
- it then codes the information into a useable format
- it then stores the different chunks of information.

• the scientists manipulate what people take into their minds (information) and observe what comes out (behaviour)

Question 8

what is cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 8

the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes.

Question 9

what are some brain imaging techniques?

Answer 9

MRI, fMRI , PET scans

Question 10

What are the STRENGTHS of the cognitive approach?

Answer 10

SCIENTIFIC: has controlled methods so that scientists can infer cognitive processes. It has reliable and objective data.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION: eg. the cognitive approach helped to contribute to the production of AI, treatments for mental illnesses.

• most dominant approach in psychology.
• cognitive neuroscience allowed biology + cognitive psychology to come together.

Question 11

What are the LIMITATIONS of the cognitive approach?

Answer 11

• ignores emotion, motivation ,memory
• machine reductionism- eg the human mind is not completely the same as a comuputer. Cognitive psychology ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system and how it may affect the ability to process information. machine reductionism weakens the validity of the cognitive approach.
• relies on artificial testing
• relies on inference rather than direct observation of behaviour.
  lab experiments- lack of ecternal validity.