Cognitive Approach Flashcards
Assumptions of the Cognitive Approach
1) unlike behaviourists, cognitive psychologists believe it is important to look at internal mental processes in order to understand behaviour. As a result cognitive psychologists investigate cognitive processes such as memory, perception, thinking and attention
2) these mental processes are not observable, so cognitive psychologists must study them indirectly by making inferences about what is going on inside people’s minds. They do this by devising models and then testing and measuring them scientifically
3) according to cognitive psychologists our mind works like a computer in terms of : input from our senses which it then processes and produces an output such as language or specific behaviours
Theoretical Models
one way to study internal mental processes is by using theoretical models. A theoretical model of something should never be taken as an exact copy of the thing being described but rather as a representation of it.
cognitive psychologists encourage the use of theoretical models as they support a scientific approach to enquiring and testing. The use of theoretical models means that the components can be tested individually and examined in detail. If the data from these experiments does not ‘fit’ with the model it can be adjusted
The information processing approach
one important theoretical model is the information processing approach. the information processing approach suggests that information flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages eg input, transformation and output
Input
person- the input comes from the environment via the senses and is encoded by the individual
computer- symbolic input via keyboard or mouse
transformation
person - the information, once encoded , can be processed in the brain, stored and retrieved from memory
computer- information is recorded, stored and retrieved from memory
output
person- the output is the behavioural response from the individual
computer- symbolic output eg. a print out of some work
Multi Store Model
input from environment- encode- sensory memory- attention- short term memory- output - maintenance rehearsal- transfer/retrieval- long term memory
Computer Models
computer models compare the mind to a computer(computer analogy) by suggesting the there are similarities in the way that information is processed. These models use the idea of the brain being the hardware (hard drive) and the mental processes eg attention and perception are the software. They use the concept of ‘stores’ to hold the information and the concept of ‘coding’ to turn information into a useful format.
There are many similarities and differences but many cognitive psychologists believe that, despite the differences, it is useful for the cognitive psychologist to use this analogy in their work
Artificial intelligence
Cognitive psychologists use the computer analogy to simulate human mental abilities to perform tasks that require decision making. Artificial intelligence is concerned with producing machines that behave intelligently. Expert systems are programmed with a body of knowledge and then used to deal with real world problems to replace the work of humans. An example is the tendril programme which has been used to help chemists to establish the structure of complex molecules.
The role of schemas
Schemas are ‘packages’ of information, beliefs and expectations in the mind developed through experience. They act as a mental framework for the interpretation of incoming information recieved by the cognitive system. For example if you witness a crime scene your schema will help you to interpret what you have observed and heard. Your schemas that have been acquired through experience help you to respond to the object/situation appropriately.It could also effect what you recall about the situation.
As we get older, our schemas become more detailed and sophisticated. Schemas enable us to process lots of information quickly and this is useful as a sort of mental short cut that prevents us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli.
However schemas may cause errors in our processing of the sensory information that we receive. If we experience a situation or object that we do not have a schema for we might ignore that information or misinterpret it so it fits in with our existing schemas.
Evaluation of the cognitive approach - determinism
P- the cognitive approach is less deterministic than other approaches and adopts a soft determinism view
E- the cognitive approach recognises that rather than being completely controlled by the environment or being completely controlled by our genes we are able to make rational choices about how to behave. Therefore the approach gives a certain amount of importance to free will eg the mental processing of information allows us to choose how to act in any given situation
L- this a strength because soft determinism is a middle ground position which is different to the hard determinism of the behaviourist and biological approaches
Evaluation of the cognitive approach- evidence
P- there are many pieces of supporting evidence for the cognitive approach
E- much of the supporting research comes from scientific lab studies. Loftus(1987) found in an eye witness testimony study that a weapon can lessen a participants ability to identify the person holding it. This may therefore explain why eyewitnesses sometimes have poor recall for certain details of violent crimes.
L- this is a strength because having scientific supporting research such as adds validity and credibility to the cognitive approach
Evaluation of the cognitive approach- real life application
P- a strength of the cognitive approach is that it has been applied practically in real life to help people
E- our understanding of internal mental processes provided by the cognitive approach has led to the development of cognitive treatments such as CBT, for example the cognitive approach has helped our understanding of the way faulty thought processes lead to the symptoms of depression
L- this is a strength because cognitive bases therapies have led to the successful treatment of people suffering from depression where faulty thinking is identified and altered
Evaluation of cognitive approach- methods
P- cognitive psychologists’ emphasis on scientific methods is a strength of this approach
E- the use of lab experiments in highly controlled settings has allowed reliable objective data to be gathered and allowed researchers to infer which cognitive processes are at work. The emergence of neuroscience has also enabled the biological and cognitive approach to come together. All this means that the study of the mind has established more of a credible scientific basis since Wundt’s early attempts to measure private mental processes during introspection.
L- this is a strength because it means that the study of the mind has established a credible scientific basis
Cognitive approach- research methods- lab experiments
Johnson and Scott (1987) used two conditions, one involving a weapon and the other didn’t. In both conditions the participants heard a discussion in an adjoining room. In condition 1 a man emerged holding a pen and with grease on his hands. In condition 2 the discussion was rather more heated and a man emerged holding a paper knife covered in blood.
When asked to identify the man from 50 photos, participants in condition 1 were 49% accurate, compared with 33% accuracy in condition 2.
This suggests that the weapon had distracted their attention from the person holding it and may therefore explain why eyewitnesses sometimes have poor recall for certain details of violent crimes.
Evaluation of lab experiments (link answers to above)- high control over variables
P- lab studies have tight control over IV and extraneous variables
E- eg in Loftus study all variables were kept the same apart from group saw knife and group saw pen
L- this is a strength because it means that a cause and effect relationship can be made between the IV and DV
Evaluation of lab experiments (link answers to above) - lack go generalisation
P- the tight control over variables and the elimination of extraneous variables means the studies are artificial.
E- eg Loftus study took place in an artificial lab compared to real life. in real life, variables are not tightly controlled and there might be other distractions when witnessing a crime scene. This study therefore lacks ecological validity as you can not generalise the findings beyond the experimental setting.
L- This is a weakness because it is questionable whether we can apply the findings to the real world/natural behaviour.
Cognitive research- Case study method
On his 16th birthday HM experienced his first severe epileptic seizure. For the next few years his seizures were not responding to treatment and becoming more debilitating. Dr Scoville believed that he could be cured by removing the part of his brain that was thought to be causing his seizures (psychosurgery) this is called the hippocampus.
After his surgery his epilepsy improved slightly, however HM had suffered permeant memory loss as a result of brain surgery. HM could remember events that occurred before the operation, but had trouble storing events occurring after the operation. The case of HM demonstrated. that the hippocampus is essential for memory . In addition HM underwent many memory tests providing cognitive psychologists with data to understand memory function and dysfunction
