the cognitive approach Flashcards
what does the cognitive approach focus on?
how our internal mental processes affect behaviour
define the term schema
a mental framework/package of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. They are developed from experience
how do cognitive psychologists study mental processes?
by making inferences about what is going on inside peoples minds on the basis of their behaviour
what happens to our schema as we get older?
it develops to become more detailed and sophisticated
why are schemas useful?
they enable us to process lots of information quickly and this is useful because it is a mental shortcut that prevents us from becoming overwhelmed
why may schemas be an issue?
they may distort our interpretations of sensory info leading to perceptual errors
what is cognitive neuroscience?
the scientific study of the biological structures that underpin cognitive processes
what 2 types of model do cognitive psychologists use when understanding mental processes?
theoretical and computer
what are theoretical models? & name and describe one
abstract things which suggest that info flows through the cognitive system in stages and represent the stages of cognitive processing. an example is the multi store model
what is a computer model?
involves actually programming a computer to see if such instructions produce a similar output to humans. If they do, we can suggest that similar processes are going on in the human mind. Useful when developing things like AI
why has the emergence of cognitive neuroscience been useful?
led to mind mapping techniques known as “brain fingerprinting” and one future application of this could be to analyse the brain wave patterns of eyewitnesses to determine whether they’re lying or not in court
explain one strength of the cognitive approach (scientific)
it uses objective, scientific method. Cognitive psychologists employ highly controlled and rigorous methods of study so researchers can infer cognitive processes at work. This involves the use of lab studies to produce reliable data. cognitive neuroscience has also allowed biology and psychology to merge into one, and enhance the scientific basis of study. This means the study of the mind has a credible scientific basis
explain one limitation of the cognitive approach (abstract)
as it relies on the inference of mental processes, rather than direct observation, it can suffer from being too abstract and theoretical. When studies are carried out, they can use artificial stimuli which may not represent everyday experiences. Therefore, research may lack external validity
explain one strength of the cognitive approach (real world)
it has real world, practical application.This approach is the dominant one in psychology today and has been applied to a wide range of theoretical and practical contexts. It has been important in the field of AI and development of “thinking machines”. These are advances which may revolutionise the way we live. Principles have also been applied to the treatment of depression. this support the value of the approach
explain one limitation of the cognitive approach (machine)
it is based on machine reductionism. There are similarities between the human mind and the operations of a thinking machine such as a computer however the computer analogy has been criticised. Such machine reductionism ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system and how it can impact our ability to process info. Eg memory may be influenced by emotional factors. this suggests that machine reductionism may weaken the validity of the approach
