cognitive approach

• What type of schema are babies born with?

  Simple motor schema for innate behaviours
• How do schemas develop over time?

  • Babies are born with simple motor schemas
  • As we age, schemas become more sophisticated and detailed through experience
• What is the purpose of schemas in information processing?

  They help us process information quickly by providing frameworks for what we expect to see, hear, etc.
• How do we develop schemas?

  We develop schemas based on our past experiences
• How can schemas lead to errors in perception?

  • Schemas act as rules that guide our expectations
  • These expectations can cause us to misperceive information
  • Example: Expecting "Paris in the spring" but actually seeing "Paris in the hand"
• What is the introductory task in this study material?

  Introductory Task: Schemas
• How do you define a schema and how does it function?

  • Schema: A package of information developed through experience that organizes and predicts behaviour
  • It acts as a mental framework for interpreting new information
• How does the Cognitive Approach contrast with the behaviourist approach?

  • Behaviourist approach: Focuses on observable behavior
  • Cognitive approach: Argues that mental processes (e.g., thinking, perception, memory) should be studied
• According to the Cognitive Approach, what must be studied to understand behaviour?

  Internal mental processes such as memory, attention, perception, and thinking
• How do cognitive psychologists study internal mental processes?

  • Mental processes are private and cannot be directly observed
  • Psychologists use inferences and assumptions based on behavior to understand what is happening internally
• Describe your schema for what a bird looks like.

  My schema for a bird includes features like feathers, wings, a beak, two legs, and a tail, and specific types like sparrows or robins
• What is the role of schema in the cognitive system?

  Schema act as mental frameworks that guide the interpretation of incoming information
• What are the benefits of having schemas?

  • Quickly process large amounts of information
  • Prevents being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli
• What is the name of the study that investigated schemas and perception?

  Bugelski and Alampay's 'Rat-man' study
• How were the participants in the 'Rat-man' study initially divided into groups?

  One group saw pictures of faces, the other saw pictures of animals
• How do schemas influence perception according to Bugelski and Alampay's study?

  • Participants have pre-existing schemas (mental frameworks) based on prior experience
  • When shown an ambiguous image, the schema activates expectations
  • The expectation influences how participants perceive the image
  • If schema is for faces, they perceive face-like features, and vice versa
• What was the aim of Tormarken's study?

  To investigate whether people with a snake phobia exaggerate the threat posed by snakes
• What was the method used by Tormarken in his study?

  He compared the estimations of snake numbers between phobic and control participants
• What were the key results of Tormarken's experiment?

  Phobic participants overestimated the number of snakes compared to the control group
• What does the conclusion of Tormarken's study suggest about phobias?

  People with phobias have irrational, faulty schemas that cause them to overestimate the number of feared objects
• Briefly describe Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a treatment method for irrational thoughts.

  • Aims to identify and change negative or irrational thought patterns
  • Separates emotional response from stimulus
  • Challenges and modifies thinking patterns
  • Helps develop new adaptive ways of thinking
• What is the second assumption made in the information processing approach?

  Humans are information processors and can be compared to computers.
• What is the information processing approach and how does it study mental processes?

  • It views humans as information processors similar to computers
  • Uses theoretical and computer models to describe and explain mental processes
  • Focuses on processing information in stages
• What are the main ideas behind the information processing approach in psychology?

  • Humans process information like computers
  • Information is processed in a series of stages
• According to the computer analogy, what is the brain in the information processing approach?

  The brain is the hardware.
• How do humans process information according to the information processing approach?

  1. Input (e.g., typing on a laptop)
  2. Processing (spreading information)
  3. Output (brain store)
  4. Stage-wise processing
• What is a characteristic of the brain store in the information processing model?

  It has a limited capacity.
• What are the main arguments of the multi-store model of memory and how does it simplify human memory?

  • Human memory has different stores (sensory, short-term, long-term)
  • Information flows through stores with attention and rehearsal
  • It simplifies memory by comparing it to the structure and functioning of a computer's processing units
• What cognitive model is based on the assumption that human memory works like a computer?

  The multi-store model.
• Name the three main stores in the multi-store model of memory.

  1. Sensory memory
  2. Short-term memory
  3. Long-term memory
• What is one strength of the information processing approach in memory studies?

  • It simplifies human memory for easier understanding
  • MSM has improved memory recall by showing the importance of rehearsal
• What are the main criticisms of the cognitive approach from the humanistic perspective?

  • Oversimplifies human memory
  • Ignores the subjective experience of humans
  • Doesn't account for emotions, motivation, and forgetting in human memory
• What similarities between humans and computers does the information processing approach highlight?

  • Both process information in stages
  • Both have limited memory capacities
  • Similar memory structures
• What are the similarities and differences between humans and computers regarding information processing?

  Similarities:

  • Process visual information
  • Store and retrieve information
  • Have limited storage space

  
  

  Differences:

  • Computers don't eat, drink, or sleep
  • Computers don't communicate with others
  • Humans cannot download memories
  • Humans are influenced by emotions
  • Computers don't forget
• Does processing information automatically equate to intelligence?

  No, processing information is a necessary but not sufficient condition for intelligence.
• Name three similarities between human and computer information processing.

  1. Process visual information
  2. Store and retrieve information
  3. Limited storage space
• List three differences between human and computer information processing.

  1. Computers don't eat, drink, or sleep
  2. Computers don't communicate with others
  3. Humans are affected by emotions
• According to the humanistic approach, how do emotions and feelings differ between humans and computers in terms of memory?

  • Humans forget things influenced by motivation, emotions, and feelings
  • Computers don't forget
  • Computers are not affected by internal states like humans
• What is one primary method used to make inferences about mental processes?

  The cognitive neuroscience approach using scanning and imaging techniques
• How do neuroscientists use the cognitive approach to study brain damage?

  They study the effects of brain injuries on cognitive processes by locating the injury and observing the resulting mental deficits