KEY CONCEPTS OF THE COGNITIVE APPROACH

• The role of schema:

  • “Packets of information” / cognitive framework
  • Helps us organise & interpret information, based on our previous experience
  • Information interpreted quickly & effectively- prevents overwhelm
• Theoretical & computer models:

  • Computer analogy- the human mind handles information
  • Computer codes, stores and uses information, allowing it to produce an output
• Cognitive Neuroscience:

  • Focuses on the neural basis of cognitive functions
  • Use of fMRI scans & PET scans- identifying parts of the brain involved in different functions e.g. language comprehension
• Bugelski & Alampay (1961)- The rat-man study:

  • 2 groups of ppts shown a sequence of pictures of different but ambiguous faces or animals
  • Then showed the rat-man
  • Ppts who saw faces- reported seeing a man
  • Ppts who saw animals- reported seeing a rat