Cognitive

• Assumption - Causes of behaviour 


  Behaviour isn't influenced by conscious and non-conscious internal mental processes - instead we form schemas based on experience that shape the way we perceive and interpret the world around us

  Behaviour is impacted by processing that occurs between stimulus and response - mental processes can be inferred from observable behaviour
• Assumptions - Computer Model


  Humans are information-processes so functions can be modelled in a way that resembles a computer
• Assumptions - Scientific method


  Psychology is a science and should use experimental methods such as lab tests
• Assumptions - Free Will


  Humans are constrained by the way they store and interpret information, but can make conscious choices from alternatives
• Strength - Real World Application

  Applied to a wide range of practical and theoretical contexts - cognitive psychology has made an important contribution in Artifical Intelligence and robots
• Weakness - Machine Reductionism 


  Although there’s similarities between the brain and a computer, the comparison is heavily criticised

  Machine reductionism ignores influences of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system and how this this may effect abilities to process information

  Research has shown emotions may effect memory, eg Anxiety on eyewitness testimony
• Strength - Scientific 


  Always employed highly controlled and rigorous methods of study to enable researchers to infer cognitive processes

  Use of lab experiments to produce objective, reliable data

  Cognitive neuroscience has enabled the two fields of biology and cognitive psychology to come together

  Credible scientific method
• Cognitive Neuroscience 


  The scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes - mapping brain areas to specific cognitive functions

  Integrates cognition and biological processes
• Cognitive neuroscience - Method/Examples

  Systematically observe and describe the neurological basis of mental processes through brain imaging techniques such as PET scans or FMRI’s

  Used in research involving tasks that require the use of episodic and semantic memory (Tulving). We’re able to see how these types of memory may be located on opposite sides of the prefrontal cortex

  Scanning techniques have also proved useful in establishing neurological basis of mental disorders

  There’s a link between parahippocampal gyrus and OCD
• The emergence of cognitive neuroscience

  Cognitive science was formed in 1956 and cognitive neuroscience was coined by Miller and Gazzaniga in 1970s

  Cognitive neuroscience emerged with improvements in brain scanning technology and computer generated models
• Strength - Practical Applications

  An increased understanding of the neural processes underlying condition have proven to be useful in many areas

  For example, the design and manufacture of modern technology relies on an understanding of behavioural science and human-computer interactions

  In education, cognitive neuroscientists can study a childs performance in phonological tests to serve as a more accurate prediction of their reading ability

  Therefore, the impact of cognitive neuroscience is increasingly seen in the real world