The cognitive approach Flashcards
(14 cards)
The cognitive approach
-The cognitive approach argues that behaviour is the result of internal mental processes (all conscious and unconscious thought) and that psychological research should be focused on the study of these internal mental processes
Positive evaluation 1 (scientific)
-An advantage of the cognitive approach is that it is considered highly scientific due to it’s use of controlled lab experiments and standardised procedures
-This means that most claims made by cognitive psychologists are backed up by evidence with high internal validity
Inferences
-As internal mental processes cannot be directly observed, cognitive psychologists have to use inferences; which are assumptions about internal mental processes based on observed participant behaviour during experimentation
Negative evaluation 1 (unscientific compared to biological and behaviourism due to reliance on inferences)
-The cognitive approach has been criticised for relying on inferences, as inferences are effectively educated guesses and can be wrong
-This reliance on inferences causes people to view the cognitive approach as less scientific than the biological and behaviourist approach as they base their assumptions on directly observable behaviours
What are schemas
-Schemas are mental frameworks about concepts and objects that are based on previous experience with the world
How do schemas help
PROCESSING ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
-Schemas help to process large amounts of information quickly, preventing being overwhelmed by sensory information, and allowing individuals to interact with the world
PREDICT THE FUTURE
-As schemas are based on previous experiences, they allow us to make assumptions about what objects or people will do in similar situations; this is usually accurate as other people act according to similar schemas
How do schemas cause problems
INACCURATE RECALL
-A problem with schemas is that they can influence memories, which can lead to inaccurate recall; this is particularly a problem for EWT, as witnesses may believe that they are remembering accurately, but their recall may be inaccurate as a result of leading questions
-Negative schemas can lead to poor mental health (e.g Beck’s negative triad of schemas)
The computer model
-The computer model is an analogy used by cognitive psychologists between the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer running software programs and the human brain conducting internal mental processes
-This comparison suggests that both systems receive input and generate an output
The computer model criticism (machine reductionist)
-However, a criticism of computer models is that it is machine reductionist
-Psychologists argue that the human brain is much more complex than computers, as they have consciousness and emotions that can lead to irrational behaviours
-Additionally,many of the shared features of the two systems are very different; for example human memory is flawed an reconstructive, whereas computers can store and recall information with 100% accuracy
Theoretical models + evaluation (generate testable hypotheses)
-Theoretical models are flow chart representations of the steps of a specific mental process
-An advantage of theoretical models are that they generate testable hypotheses, meaning that each assumption of the model can be scientifically tested
-If the observed behaviour matches the expectations of the model, then the model can be considered valid, however if the observed behaviour does not match the model, it can be adjusted or rejected
Cognitive neuroscience
-Cognitive neuroscience is an attempt to scientifically study neurological structures and chemical processes in the brain that are responsible for internal mental processes#
-The emergence of cognitive neuroscience is due to the development of brain scanning techniques such as fMRIs and PET scans that allow the researcher to give the participant a cognitive task and then observe brain activation in different areas
Advantages of cognitive neuroscience
-Cognitive neuroscience has enabled researchers to confirm the link between brain structures and internal mental processes
-For example the case study of Tan, who could only say the word “Tan due to speech production issues, was discovered to have damage to his Broca’s area after post mortem examination
-This led to the Broca’s region being confirmed as associated with language and speech production through neuroimaging techniques and patterns of activation
Additionally, Tulving’s PET research revealed that their are different patterns of brain activation for different types of long term memory: episodic, semantic, procedural
-This research demonstrated that neuroscience can uncover how the brain produces various cognitive functions
Advantage of cognitive neuroscience (real world practical application on CBT and schemas for EWT)
-Cognitive psychology has real-world, practical applications, for example with CBT, which can help to change irrational beliefs associated with depression, and with EWT; insight into EWT has helped to improve the accuracy of EWT which can lead to correct convictions and minimise false convictions
-The fact that these techniques are so effective indicate that the underlying cognitive theories that the they are based on are valid
overallll
-All behaviour result of internal mental processes
-Inferences
-Schemas : what they do to help (predict the future and process large amounts of sensory info) and what they cause problems (EWT)
-Computer models and theoretical models
-Cognitive neuroscience