The Cognitive Approach

• Internal Mental Process

  
• When did the idea of human cognition become prominent in psychological thought?

  During the mid twentieth century
• What did the dominant cognitive approach advocate regarding sensory information?

  It advocated that sensory information is manipulated internally prior to responses made
• What method was predominantly used by philosophical and psychodynamic approaches before being rejected by the cognitive approach?

  Introspection
• Why was introspection rejected by the cognitive approach?

  It was rejected in favor of experimental methodology to study internal processes scientifically
• What are the assumptions of the cognitive approach?

  • The mind actively processes information from our senses.
  • Complex mental processes occur between stimulus and response.
  • Humans can be seen as data processing systems.
  • The workings of a computer and the human mind are alike in encoding, storing, and outputting information.
• What internal mental processes does the cognitive approach study using experimental research methods?

  Attention, memory, and decision-making
• How might an investigation in cognitive psychology compare the abilities of groups to memorize a list of words?

  By presenting the words either verbally or visually to infer which type of sensory information is easiest to process
• What does the Information-Processing Model describe about the mind?

  It describes the mind as if it were a computer, detailing the relationship between incoming information, mental manipulation, and output
• In the context of the Information-Processing Model, what might an artist do when looking at a landscape?

  Decide which paint color suits a given area before applying it to the canvas
• What are the newer models that have emerged in cognitive psychology?

  • Computational model: focuses on structuring the process of reaching behavioral output.
  • Connectionist model: views the mind as a complex network of neurons activating in configurations that characterize known associations.
• How does the Computational model differ from the traditional information-processing analogy?

  It focuses more on how we structure the process of reaching the behavioral output without specifying when or how much information is dealt with
• What does the Connectionist model emphasize in cognitive psychology?

  It emphasizes the mind as a complex network of neurons that activate in regular configurations
• What is a schema in the context of cognitive psychology?

  An internal 'script' for how to act or what to expect from a given situation
• How can schemas affect mental processing of incoming information?

  Schemas can alter mental processing and may distort memory, such as in eyewitness testimony
• What field emerged in the latter half of the twentieth century that relates to cognitive psychology?

  Cognitive neuroscience
• What techniques does cognitive neuroscience incorporate to study cognitive processes?

  Neuroscience techniques such as brain scanning
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the cognitive approach?

  Strengths:

  • Models help explain internal mental processes.
  • Strong focus on internal mental processes.
  • Uses scientific experimental methods.

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Cognitive models may oversimplify complex mental processes.
  • Data often comes from unrealistic laboratory tasks, questioning ecological validity.
  • Comparing the human mind to a machine is an unsophisticated analogy.