Cognitive approach

Question 1

What does cognitive psychology focus on?

Answer 1

Information processing from our senses which affects how we behave

Question 2

Why are internal mental processes studied?

Answer 2

In order to understand behaviour

Question 3

Name examples of internal mental processes

Answer 3

• perception
• attention
• memory
• thinking
• problem solving

Question 4

How are internal mental processes studied?

Answer 4

Can’t be studied directly so they must be studied indirectly by making inferences from behaviour

Question 5

Schemas

Answer 5

Cognitive frameworks that help us make sense of the world by organising and interpreting information in the brain

Question 6

Describe an example of a schema

Answer 6

You expect the cinema to include: buying ticket, buying food, finding your seat and adverts - therefore when you go to a new cinema, you still know what to expect even in a new environment

Question 7

Describe the key assumptions of the cognitive approach

Answer 7

• schemas are used
• computer analogy
• focuses on information processing
• internal mental processes are studied indirectly

Question 8

Describe the emergence of cognitive neuroscience

Answer 8

• its the scientific study of brain structures/processes
• fMRI/PET scans allow us to observe and describe the neurological basis of mental processes and see which part of the brain is active when doing different tasks

Question 9

Describe practical application of cognitive neuroscience

Answer 9

• use of scanning/imaging to locate different types of memory leading to treatment for memory problems
• use of scanning/imaging to study mental processing patients with depression of dyslexia

Question 10

Evaluate the cognitive approach (research)

Answer 10

• the approach is scientific and takes place in a lab which allows the researcher to infer the inner workings of the mind from behaviour
• studies may lack ecological validity as lab experiments use unrealistic tasks (random word lists) which means that it’s hard to generalise the findings to other situations

Question 11

Evaluate the cognitive approach (application)

Answer 11

• real world application as the theory is used by the police to develop better interviewing techniques (the cognitive interview)
• a limitation of the computer analogy is that it ignores emotional, motivational and social factors in human behaviour