The Cognitive Approach

Question 1

What is the cognitive approach

Answer 1

it focuses on how our mental processes like thoughts, perceptions & attention affect behaviour

Question 2

Assumptions

Answer 2

• thought processes can & should be studied scientifically
• the mind works like a computer since it inputs our senses, processes & produces an output like certain behaviours
• some processes like memory & thinking are ‘private’ & can’t be observed so are studied indirectly by making inferences based on behaviour

Question 3

What is the information-processing model?

Answer 3

• an important theoretical model that suggests info flows through the cognitive system through several stages including input, storage & retrieval (e.g. MSM)
• based on the way computers function

Question 4

What is a schema?

Answer 4

• ‘packages’ of ideas & info developed from experience that act as a mental framework for interpreting incoming info
• babies are born with simple motor schema for innate behaviours like grasping
• they get more detailed & sophisticated as we get older
• schemas help us process lots of info quickly to prevent us being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli
• schemas may also distort our interpretations of sensory info which can lead to errors

Question 5

What is cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 5

• the scientific study of how the structures of the brain influence mental processes by mapping brain areas to specify cognitive functions
• fMRI & PET scans allow scientists to systematically observe neurological basis of mental processes e.g. tasks that require episodic & semantic memory

Question 6

Evaluation: Scientific & objective methods

Answer 6

• cognitive approach uses highly controlled methods of study (lab experiments) so cognitive processes can be inferred
• produces reliable data
• emergence cognitive neuroscience brings biology & cognitive psychology together
• this means that the study of the mind has a credible scientific basis

Question 7

Evaluation: Machine reductionism

Answer 7

• computer analogy of the mind has been criticised by many since it ignores influence of human emotion & motivation on cognitive system and how it affects our ability to process info
• e.g. research has found memory may be affected by emotional factors like anxiety

Question 8

Evaluation: Application to everyday life

Answer 8

• mental processes can only be inferred from behaviour observed making cognitive psychology often too abstract & theoretical
• experimental studies of mental processes are carried out using artificial stimuli that isn’t like everyday life
• this means that research on cognitive processes may lack external validity

Question 9

Evaluation: Real-life application

Answer 9

• cognitive approach quite dominant approach in psychology as it it applied to many practical & theoretical contexts
• e.g. made an important contribution to AI
• this is a strength as these advances may revolutionise how we live in the future