The cognitive approach

• What is the cognitive approach?


  The cognitive approach is a psychological perspective that focuses on how people think, perceive, and process information.
• What are internal mental processes? 


  'Private' operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response
• What is a schema?


  A mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. They are developed from experience.
• What is inference?


  The process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behaviour.
• What is cognitive neuroscience?

  The scientific study of those biological structures that underpin cognitive processes.
• Assumptions:

  • In direct contrast to the behaviourist approach, the cognitive approach argues that internal mental processes can, and should, be studied scientifically.
  • The cognitive approach has investigated those areas of human behaviour that were neglected by the behaviourists, such as memory, perception and thinking
• what is the role of schema?


  Organizing information. Schema are 'packages' of information and ideas developed through experience.
• What are theoretical and computer models?


  Cognitive psychologists use both theoretical and computer models to help them understand internal mental processes. In reality there are overlaps between these two models but basically theoretical models are abstract whereas computer models are concrete things.
• What is a strength of the cognitive approach?


  One of the strengths of the cognitive approach is that it uses objective, scientific methods.
• What is another strength of the cognitive approach?


  Another strength of the cognitive approach is that it has practical application.
• What is a limitation of the cognitive approach?


  One limitation of the cognitive approach is that it is based on machine reductionism.