Cognitive approach

• scientific study of mental processes: in direct contrast to the behaviourist approach, the cognitive approach argues that mental processes should be studied (studying perception and memory)
• role of interference in the study of mental processes: mental processes are 'private' and cannot be observed, so cognitive psychologists study them indirectly by making inferences (assumptions) about what is going on inside people's heads on the basis of their behaviour
• • schemas are packages of info developed through experience
  • they act as a 'mental framework' for the interpretation of incoming information received by the cognitive system
  • babies are born with simple motor schema for innate behaviours such as sucking and grasping
  • as we get older, our schema becomes more detailed and sophisticated
• theoretical models to explain mental processes: the info processing approach suggests that info flows through a sequence of stages that include input, storage and retrieval as in the multi-store model
• computer models - refer to programmes that can be run on a computer to imitate the human mind (e.g. conversational machines to deal with consumer enquiries) - by running such a programme psychologists can test their ideas about information processing
• emergence of cognitive neuroscience:

  • cognitive neuroscience is the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes
  • with advances in brain scanning technology in the last 20 yrs, scientists have been able to describe the neurological basis of mental processing
  • this includes research in memory that has linked episodic and semantic memories
  • scanning techniques have also proved useful in establishing the neurological basis of some disorders
• strength: cognitive approach uses scientific and objective methods - cognitive psychologists have always employed controlled and rigorous methods of study (e.g. in studies, in order to infer cognitive processes at work) - in addition, the 2 fields of biology and cognitive psychology come together (cognitive neuroscience) to enhance the scientific basis of study - this means that the study of the mind has established a credible, scientific basis
• another strength: the application to everyday life - the cognitive approach is dominant in psych today and has been applied to a wide range of practical and theoretical contexts - e.g. AI and the development of robots, the treatment of depression and improving eyewitness testimony - this supports the value of the cognitive approach
• limitation: the approach is based on machine reductionism - although there are similarities between the operations of the human mind and computers (inputs-outputs, storage systems), the computer has been criticised -- for instance, emotion and motivation have been shown to influence accuracy of recall - these factors arent considered within the computer analogy - this suggests that machine reductionism may weaken the validity of cognitive approach
• criticism: the cognitive approach ignores the role of emotions - while the cognitive approach recognises that emotion plays an important part in decision making, it tends to focus on rational thinking rather than emotional responses - however, recent developments suggest that emotions play a much greater role in cognition than previously thought