Fast recap

• What is the focus of the cognitive approach in psychology?


  The study of internal mental processes
• Why can't mental processes be studied directly?


  They must be inferred from behavior and other indicators
• What role do schemas play in cognitive processes?


  Schemas help organize and interpret information
• How do schemas function when information is incomplete?


  Schemas fill in gaps in the absence of full information
• What are theoretical models in the cognitive approach?


  Simplified representations based on current evidence
• What is the purpose of computer models in cognitive psychology?


  They serve as analogies of information processing
• How do computer models represent mental processes?


  Information is inputted through the senses and encoded into memory
• What has contributed to the emergence of cognitive neuroscience?


  The use of neuroimaging techniques to study the brain
• What did Burnett et al. find regarding the brain's activity when feeling guilt?


  The medial prefrontal cortex is active
• What are some applications of the cognitive approach?

  • Cognitive approach to psychopathology
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Educational psychology
• Why is the cognitive approach considered scientific?


  It uses the scientific method for research
• What is a key difference between computer processing and human processing?


  Computers do not make mistakes, while humans can
• What limitation does the cognitive approach have regarding emotion and motivation?


  It ignores emotion and motivation, which are relevant to humans
• What is a potential issue with the ecological validity of cognitive studies?


  Most research uses tasks that are relatively meaningless in real-life settings