Introduction to CT

Question 1

Fundamental proposition: cognition affects behavior

Answer 1

proposes a mediation model,
thoughts intervene between event and response and affect response,
modifying these thoughts are clinically useful

Question 2

fundamental proposition: cognition can be monitored and changed

Answer 2

assumes we can access cognition and that thoughts are knowable and assessable

Question 3

fundamental proposition: behavior can be changed by changing cognition

Answer 3

if events lead to responses via cognitive appraisal, then it follows that changing appraisals will change responses (i.e. appraisals are the active mechanism)

Question 4

Historical base: psychoanalysis

Answer 4

used behavioral therapies, but some problems (e.g. obsessional thinking) were inherently cognitive and could not be treated with a behavioral intervention alone

Question 5

cognitive revolution: George Kelly

Answer 5

part of the cognitive revolution: proposed a cognitive theory of psychopathology where it is the result of an individual’s “construct of reality,” individuals differ in the content and openness of modification to their construct

Question 6

constructive alternativism

Answer 6

the ability to project alternatives or options to one’s construct of reality

Question 7

cognitive revolution: Ulrich Neisser

Answer 7

believed all cognition is constructive, where the organism interprets their environment

Question 8

cognitive revolution: Richard Lazarus

Answer 8

came up with the concept of appraisal - automatic assessments and significance/ personal meaning of events - and proposed that emotion follows an appraisal

Question 9

Cognitive Revolution: Lazarus experiment

Answer 9

undergrads showed a silent film with either denial appraisal or not, the denial appraisal led to reduced stress following the film

Question 10

cognitive revolution: marshmallow experiment 1

Answer 10

Experiment: does distraction increase delay of gratification?
marshmallow vs pretzel
conditions: play with slinky, think about something fun, no distractor
results: the longest delay of gratification was in those who thought of something fun (distraction is effective in delaying gratification, and thoughts can be effective distraction)

Question 11

cognitive revolution: marshmallow experiment 2

Answer 11

Experiment: how does the content of cognitions affect delay of gratification?
conditions: think about happy/fun things, think about unhappy/sad things, think about marshmallow/pretzel
longest delay: happy thoughts

Question 12

cognitive revolution: bobo doll experiment

Answer 12

either saw adults playing aggressively or non-aggressively with bobo doll, children in aggressive conditions were more aggressive - this result goes against belief at time that children only engaged in behavior with reinforcement, i.e. cognitive appraisal matters

Question 13

cognitive revolution: Michael Mahoney

Answer 13

argues that “private events” occur that are useful to explain behavior, and that behaviorism results in an inaccurate analysis of behavior - people respond to a perceived environment, not a real one (frightened airline passenger)