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AQA A-Level Psychology > Section 5 : The Approaches in Psychology - The Cognitive Approach > Flashcards

Section 5 : The Approaches in Psychology - The Cognitive Approach Flashcards

1
Q

What does cognitive psychology look at

A

How we interpret the world

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2
Q

The cognitive approach observed what

A

Observes the internal workings of the mind and explains behaviours through cognitive process

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3
Q

How do cognitive psychologists try to explain behaviour

A

By looking at :
Perception
Language
Attention
Memory

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4
Q

What does cognitive psychology use to test behaviour scientifically

A

Experimental procedures and methods

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5
Q

What type of approach is cognitive psychology

A

A reductionist approach

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6
Q

The mind can be compared to…

A

A computer

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7
Q

What are often used to explain how we think and how we behave

A

Computer and computer models

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8
Q

Humans are treated as…

A

Information processors (computers)

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9
Q

Behaviour is explained in terms of ….

A

Information processing (how computers deal with information)

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10
Q

What are used to explain and make inferences about the mental processes that lead to particular behaviours

A

Computers and theoretical models

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11
Q

What are the three main research methods used for cognitive psychologists

A

-Lab experiments
-Field experiments
-Natural experiments

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12
Q

Give advantages of lab experiments

A

-scientific and reliable - possible to have great control over variables

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13
Q

Give disadvantages of lab experiments

A

-Doesn’t tell much of the real world - has low ecological validity

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14
Q

Give advantages of field experiments

A

-takes place in natural situation - more ecological validity

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15
Q

Give disadvantages of field experiments

A

Less control of most of the variables - not as reliable and scientific as lab experiments

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16
Q

Give advantages of natural experiments

A

-High ecological validity - tells a lot about outside world

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17
Q

Give disadvantages of natural experiments

A

-little control of variables- not massively reliable
-uncontrolled variables can affect results

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18
Q

What are the principles of the cognitive approach

A

‘Our mental systems have a limited capacity’
‘A control mechanism oversees all mental processes’
‘There is a two-way flow of information’

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19
Q

What is meant by the phrase ‘our mental systems have a limited capacity’

A

The amount of information that can be processed will be influenced by how demanding the task is and how much other information is being processed

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20
Q

What is meant by the phrase ‘a control mechanism oversees all mental processes’

A

This will require more processing power for new tasks, leaving less available for everything else

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21
Q

What is meant by the phrase ‘ there is a two way flow of information’

A

We take in information from the world, process it and react to it. We also use our knowledge and experiences to understand the world

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22
Q

Cognitive psychology developed in parallel with what

A

Computer age

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23
Q

What do cognitive psychologists use to represent particular features of the human mind

A

Computer models

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24
Q

What is the brain described as

A

Described as a processor, it has data input into it and output from it

25
Q

Some parts of the brain form…

A

Networks

26
Q

Some parts can work…

A

Sequentially. This occurs in more demanding, or unknown tasks.

27
Q

What does working sequentially mean

A

One process must finish before the another starts

28
Q

Some parts of the brain can work…

A

In parallel. This is mark likely to happen for tasks which are familiar

29
Q

What is meant by working in parallel

A

Info travels to and fro along lots of paths at the same tkme

30
Q

What is the route in which humans process information

A

Data input -> processing -> data output

31
Q

What make computer models less useful

A

-Humans are affected by emotional and motivational factors
-Humans have unlimited and unreliable memory vice versa for computers (limited but reliable)
-Humans have free will computers don’t

32
Q

What is a schema

A

A schema contains all the information you know about an object, action or concept

33
Q

What do schemas help you with

A

Organising and interpreting information and experiences

34
Q

What happens to information with a schema when it is consistent

A

It is assimilated into the schema

35
Q

What happens to information with a schema when it is inconsistent

A

Accommodation occurs and the schema has to change in order to resolve the problem

36
Q

What are the different types of schemas

A

Role schemas
Event schemas
Self schemas

37
Q

What is a role schema

A

Ideas about behaviours which is expected from someone in a certain role setting or situation

38
Q

Give an example of a role schema

A

Your schema for a doctor is that they are intelligent, respectable, sensible

39
Q

What are event schemas

A

also called scripts, they contain info about what happens in a situation

40
Q

Give an example of an event schema

A

You know you’ll usually need to rad a menu and place an order when at a restaurant

41
Q

What is a self schema

A

Schemas that contain info about ourselves based on physical characteristics and personality as well as beliefs and values

42
Q

What do self schemas affect

A

How you act

43
Q

Give an example of self schema

A

If your self schema says your health conscious you are likely to eat well and exercise regularly

44
Q

What are the problems with schemas

A

-may stop people from learning new info
-prejudice and stereotypes can be an outcome of schemas
-may bias the way we process info about certain subgroups due to expectations it holds
-means may be more likely to pay attention to info we can easily assimilate and ingot info that involve accommodating our schemas

45
Q

Who tested the ideas of schemas

A

Bartlett 1932 - the war of the ghosts

46
Q

What was the method of Bartlett

A

-English participants asked to read folk tale ‘The war if the ghosts’
-unfamiliar story, full of strange names ideas and objects
-different structure to average English story
-participants asked to recall story after different length of time

47
Q

What were the results of Bartlett 1932

A

-All participants changed story to fit in their own schemas
-details in the story became more English and started to contain elements of English culture
-details and emotions were added
-as the length of time between hearing and recalling the story increased the amount of information remembered became a lot less

48
Q

What is the conclusion of Bartlett 1932

A

People use their own schemas to help interpret and remember the world around them

49
Q

Give the evaluations of Bartlett 1932

A

-lacks ecological validity because it is lab experiment
-highly influential as it paved the way further for cognitive research

50
Q

When did the influence of neuroscience hit the cognitive approach

A

1970s

51
Q

What did cognitive neuroscience emerge with

A

Modern brain imaging techniques and procedures

52
Q

What is cognitive neuroscience

A

An approach in psychology which maps human behaviour to brain function

53
Q

What allows psychologists to discover when and where things happen in the brain in relation to people’s behaviour at the time

A

Brain imaging techniques

54
Q

What methods does cognitive neuroscience use to study cognition

A

-Lesion studies
-electrophysiology
-neuroimaging

55
Q

What is lesion studies

A

Looking at people with brain damage to see how behaviour is affected

56
Q

What is electrophysiology

A

Using electric and magnetic fields to measure brain activity and brain waves

57
Q

What is neuroimaging

A

Pinpointing area of the brain which are active when a task is performed

58
Q

What are the strengths of the cognitive approach

A

-Considers mental processes which are often overlooked in other approaches
-Had a big influences on the development of therapies E.g. CBT

59
Q

What are the weaknesses of the cognitive approach

A

-Research is often carried out in artificial situations (labs) and the role of emotion and influence from other people is often ignored
-cognitive psychology fails to take individual differences into account by assuming that all of us process stuff exactly the same

AQA A-Level Psychology (34 decks)

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