The Cognitive Approach Flashcards
(19 cards)
What is the main assumption of the cognitive approach?
Internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically.
How do cognitive psychologists study mental processes?
Indirectly, by making inferences based on behaviour.
What are examples of mental processes studied in the cognitive approach?
Memory, perception, and thinking.
What is a schema?
A mental framework of beliefs and expectations developed through experience, used to interpret information.
How do schemas help and hinder cognitive processing?
They help by allowing fast information processing but can lead to perceptual errors or distortions.
What is an example of a simple schema present at birth?
A grasping schema – moving a hand toward and around an object in coordination with visual input.
What is a theoretical model in cognitive psychology?
An abstract representation, such as the information processing model (input, storage, retrieval).
What is a computer model in cognitive psychology?
A simulation of cognitive processes programmed into a computer to test how the human mind might work.
What is the significance of computer models in cognitive psychology?
They help in developing artificial intelligence and understanding human cognition.
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The scientific study of how brain structures influence mental processes.
Who first linked brain damage to cognitive function and what area was studied?
Paul Broca, who linked damage to Broca’s area in the frontal lobe with impaired speech production.
What brain imaging techniques have advanced cognitive neuroscience?
fMRI and PET scans.
What did Buckner and Peterson (1996) find about memory?
Episodic and semantic memory are located in opposite sides of the prefrontal cortex.
What part of the brain is associated with the central executive in working memory?
The prefrontal cortex (Braver et al., 1997)
What brain area is linked to OCD and unpleasant emotions?
The parahippocampal gyrus.
What is “brain fingerprinting”?
A mind-mapping technique using computer-generated models to analyse brain wave patterns, e.g., to detect lying.
strength (1) of cognitive approach
One strength of the cognitive approach is that it uses objective, scientific methods.
Cognitive psychologists employ highly controlled and rigorous methods of study so researchers are able to infer cognitive processes at work. This has involved the use of lab studies to produce reliable, objective data. In addition, the emergence of cognitive neuroscience has enabled the two fields of biology and cognitive psychology to come together to enhance the scientific basis of study.
This means that the study of the mind has a credible scientific basis.
strength (2) of cognitive approach
Another strength of the cognitive approach is that it has practical application.
The cognitive approach is probably the dominant approach in psychology today and has been applied to a wide range of practical and theoretical contexts. For example, cognitive psychology has made an important contribution in the field of artificial intelligence (Al) and the development of ‘thinking machines’ (robots). These are exciting advances that may revolutionise how we live in the future. Cognitive principles have also been applied to the treatment of depression and improved the reliability of eyewitness testimony.
This supports the value of the cognitive approach.
limitation of cognitive approach
One limitation of the cognitive approach is that it is based on machine reductionism.
There are similarities between the human mind and the operations of a ‘thinking machine such as a computer (inputs and outputs, storage systems, the use of a central processor).
However, the computer analogy has been criticised. Such machine reductionism ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system, and how this may affect our ability to process information. For instance, research has found that human memory may be affected by emotional factors, such as the influence of anxiety on eyewitnesses .
This suggests that machine reductionism may weaken the validity of the cognitive approach.
