Cognitive Approach

Question 1

What is the cognitive approach?

Answer 1

• Term ‘cognitive’ has come to mean ‘mental processes’.
• This Approach is focused on how our mental processes affect behaviour.

Question 2

Assumptions of the Cognitive Approach

Answer 2

1. Important to look at internal mental processes to understand behaviour.
2. Mental processes are not observable so cognitive psychologists study them indirectly by making inferences (drawing conclusions).
3. Mind works like a computer - input from senses which it then processes and produces and output such as language or specific behaviours.

Question 3

Theoretical Models

Answer 3

• A theoretical model of something should never be taken as an exact copy of the thing being described, more of an representation.
• Are encouraged as support a scientific approach to enquiring and testing.
• Use of these models means that components can be tested individually and examined in detail.
• If data from experiments do not ‘fit’ with model it can be adjusted.

Question 4

Information processing approach

Answer 4

-Information flows through cognitive system in stages.
- Input from environment via senses is encoded by individual -> information can be processed in the brain, stored and retrieved from memory -> Output is the behavioural response from individual.

Question 5

Multi store model

Answer 5

• Input from environment is encoded into sensory memory-> the info that is payed attention to transfers to STM -> after maintenance rehearsal it is transferred to the LTM where it can be retrieved again.

Question 6

Computer Models

Answer 6

• Compare the mind to a computer by suggesting that there are similarities in the way information is processed.
• Use the idea that the brain is the hardware and the mental processes e.g. attention and perception are the software.
• Use the concept of ‘stores’ to hold the info and the concept of ‘coding’ to turn info into a useable format.

Question 7

Artificial Intelligence

Answer 7

• Use the computer analogy to stimulate human mental abilities in artificial intelligence to perform tasks that require decision making.
• AI is concerned with producing machines that behave intelligently.
• Expert systems are programmed with a body of knowledge and then use to deal with real world problems to replace the work of humans.
• Dendral programme - used to help chemists establish the structure of complex molecules.

Question 8

Role of Schemas

Answer 8

• Packages of information, beliefs and expectations in the mind developed through experience.
• Act as a mental frame work for the interpretation of incoming information received by the cognitive system.
  -The schemas that have been acquired through experience help you to respond to object/situation appropriately.
• Can affect recall.
• As we get older, schemas become more detailed. Enable us to process lots of info quickly.

Question 9

Emergence of cognitive neuroscience

Answer 9

• Mapping of brain area to specific cognitive functions.
• Paul Broca identified how an area of the frontal lobe is linked to speech production.
• PET scans and fMRI scans help psychologists to understand how areas of the brain are linked to different cognitive activities and emotions. Scans show which part of the brain become active when someone is engaged in a cognitive task.
• Study atypical brains. Brain injuries can be located using scans and patients are then asked to undergo cognitive tasks while scanning takes place.

Question 10

Evaluation- Determinism

Answer 10

• Soft determinism
• 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. Gives a certain amount of free will. Mental processing of information allows us to choose how to act in any given situation.
• Strength- soft determinism is a middle ground position which is different than hard determinism of behaviourist and biological approaches.

Question 11

Evaluation - Evidence

Answer 11

• Many pieces of supporting evidence.
• Evidence comes from scientific lab studies. Loftus found in an eye - witness testimony study that a weapon can lessen a participant’s ability to identify the person holding it. May explain why eyewitnesses sometimes have poor recall for certain details of violent crimes.
• Strength- Adds validity and credibility.

Question 12

Evaluation - Application

Answer 12

• Applied practically in real life.
• Understanding of internal mental processes has led to development of cognitive treatments such as CBT. Has helped our understanding of the way faulty thought processes lead to the symptoms of depression.
• Strength- Cognitive based therapies have led to the successful treatment of people suffering from depressions where faulty thinking is identified and altered.

Question 13

Evaluation - Methods

Answer 13

• Emphasis on scientific methods
• Use of lab experiments in highly controlled settings had allowed reliable objective data to be gathered and allowed researchers to infer which cognitive processes are at work. Emergence of neuroscience has also enables the biological and cognitive approach to come together. Study of the mind has established more of a credible scientific basis since Wundt’s early attempts to measure private mental processes during introspection.
• Strength- study of the mind has established a credible scientific basis.

Question 14

Johnson and Scott’s experiment - Lab experiments

Answer 14

• Two conditions
• Condition 1 - Participants heard a discussion in an adjoining room, a man emerged holding a pen with grease on his hands.
• Condition 2 - Participants heard a more aggressive discussion in an adjoining room, a man emerged holding a paper knife covered in blood.
• When asked to identify the man from 50 photos, ps in condition 1 were 49% accurate, compared to 33% accuracy in condition 2.
• Suggests that the weapon had distracted ps attention from the person holding it and may explain why eyewitnesses sometimes have poor recall for certain details of violent crimes.

Question 15

Evaluation of Research - High Control over Variables

Answer 15

• Tight control over IV and extraneous variables.
• Johnson and Scott’s study, all variables kept the same apart from one group saw an knife and one group saw a pen.
• Strength- cause and effect relationship between IV and DV can be established.

Question 16

Evaluation of Research - Lack of generalisation

Answer 16

• Study was artificial.
• Johnson and Scott’s study took place in an artificial lab. People will act differently in a lab compared to real life. IRL variables are not tightly controlled and there might be other distractions when witnessing a crime. Lacks ecological validity.
• Weakness - can not generalise findings beyond experimental setting. Can not apply findings to real life.

Question 17

Case study method

Answer 17

• In depth investigation of a particular person or small group because they are unique.
• Allow us to gain rich, detailed qualitative data.

Question 18

HM Case Study

Answer 18

• On his 16th birthday HM experienced his first epileptic seizure. For the next few years his seizures were not responding to treatment and becoming worse.
• Dr Scoville believed that he could be cured by removing his he part of the brain causing seizures, hippocampus.
• After surgery, his epilepsy improved slightly, but permanent memory loss was suffered. He could remember events before operation but had trouble storing info of events occurred after operation.
• This demonstrated that the hippocampus is essential for memory.

Question 19

Evaluation of Research - Qualitative Data

Answer 19

• Rich, detailed qualitative data provides a rich, in depth understanding of the patient or situation.
• In the case of HM the masses of data gathered has been very useful in cognitive psychology to help understand how memory works. It has especially added to our understanding of areas of the brain linked to memory and support for models of memory.
• Strength - Case studies have proved very useful for studying abnormal behaviour and provided psychologists with insights into things they would not be able to design experiments on for ethical reasons.

Question 20

Evaluation of Research - Small Sample Size

Answer 20

• Small sample size
• In case study of HM he was one individual in unique circumstances. This limits how far psychologists can generalise their findings from him to the rest of the population.
• Weakness - Can be biased and unrepresentative of the general population, making generalisation difficult.