cognitive approach

• when did cognitive approach originate


  1950s
• what does the cognitive approach assume


  you have to look at mental processes before a response

  such as perception attention memory language and thinking
• what is the computer analogy 


  the human mind is like a computer

  it has an input throughput and output

  which is seen through the process

  data -- internal mental processes -- emotion/behaviour/thought
• what is machine reductionism 


  reducing humans down to a machine
• why is machine reductionism bad


  ignores the differences between humans and machines

  humans act according to emotions and other factors computers don't they are predictable
• what is a schema

  mental structures each of which contain all the info we have relating to a certain thing
• why are schemas important 


  helps us to understand the world

  allow us to process lots of info

  allow us to deal with and predict our environment
• negatives of schemas


  allow for prejudgment and stereotypes
• inference meaning 


  making conclusions based on the evidence that we have available
• Murdock serial position experiment 


  • gave people a list of words to repeat
• Murdock position experiment conclusions


  • found that we rehearse the first things we are told into our long term memory
  • so we remember them more
  • middle information is forgotten due to displacement
  • pushed out of short term memory
  • sym has a limited capacity
  • so most recent and earliest are remembered
• what do cognitive psychologists believe 


  findings if lab experiments can be used to create models of internal processes
• negatives of drawing inferences from experiments


  experiments often lack construct validity

  they don't measure the whole construct

  memory for a list of words is a superficial form of memory and only part of it