approaches : cognitive approach Flashcards
What is the cognitive approach?
It’s how internal mental processes affect behaviour.
How do cognitive psychologists study cognitive psychology?
They study internal mental processes indirectly by making inferences.
What is the theoretical model?
The information processing approach suggests information flows through the cognitive system in stages
What is the computer model?
The computer analogy states there are similarities between how information in the brain and computers is processed.
What is a schema?
it is a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processes which are developed from experience
What is cognitive neuroscience?
It is the study of biological structures that underpin cognitive processes.
What have brain scanning techniques found?
STM – when ppts complete a task using the STM, it is the prefrontal cortex is active
LTM – when ppts complete a task using the LTM, it is the hippocampus that is active
How is the cognitive approach scientific and uses objective methods a strength?
Controlled and rigorous methods mean they are able to infer processes which produce reliable and objective data.
Cognitive neuroscience is a mixture of cognitive and biological methods which are highly scientific
How is the cognitive approach of machine reductionism a weakness?
The analogy between the human mind and computers has been criticised as it ignores the influence of emotions and motivation which affect how we process information. For example, in an eyewitness testimony, our memory is affected by anxiety.
How is the cognitive approach’s application to everyday life a weakness?
It can be too abstract and theoretical as we are only able to infer from mental processes and study them indirectly. the research is carried out in labs which use artificial stimuli that lack external validity.
How is the cognitive approach’s application to real life a strength?
There are lots of advances in technology which will change how we live. For example, AI and robots are used to mimic human behaviour.
How is the cognitive approach’s less deterministic a strength?
It uses soft determinism which suggests that our mental processes are determined by certain factors but we also have free-will.
