the cognitive approach argues they can and should be studied scientifically. memory, perception, thinking, the 'private' processes that can't be observed, make inferences of what's going on in people's minds on the basis of behaviour
what is the role of schema?
affected by a person's beliefs or expectations, ideas and information that develop through experience. Act as mental framework for the interpretation of information
e.g.schema for chair-4 legs and base to sit
what is a benefit of schema?
-predict what will happen based on experiences, so process lots of info quickly
-enable is to process info rapidly
-prevent us from becoming overwhelmed by environmental stimuli
what is a disadvantage of schema?
-distort our interpretation of sensory information-perceptual errors
-biased recall
-negative/faulty schema-negative impact on mental health, e.g. depression
