COGNITIVE APPROACH

• Assumptions


  • Argues that internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically (opposition to behaviourism)
  • Stresses focus on memory, perception and thinking
  • Studies these indirectly by making inferences about what is going on internally based off outward behaviours (that can be observed)
• Internal mental processes


  private operations of the mind such as perception and attention. Mediates between stimulus and response
• What do cognitive psychologists use to help understand internal mental processes?

  Theoretical and computer models
• Schema


  a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. Developed from experience
• An example of a theoretical model?

  The information processing approach.

  Suggests information flows through a cognitive system in a sequence of stages such as input, storage and retrieval (e.g. MSM)
• How do computer models work?

  Programming a computer to see if such instructions would produce a similar output to humans. If they do we can infer similar processes are occurring in the human mind. However this is machine reductionsit
• Cognitive neuroscience


  The scientific study of biological structures that underpin cognitive processes
• The emergence of cognitive neuroscience

  • As early as 1860s when Paul Broca identified how damage to the frontal lobe could permanently impair speech production (Broca's area)
  • Advances in brain imaging techniques have helped with the systematic observation of the neurological basis of mental processes (e.g. FMRIs PETs)
  • Also helped in establishing the neurological basis of mental disorders (e.g. OCD)
• Studies that cognitive neuroscience has helped with

  • Tulving et al, the use of semantic and episodic memory in LTM and the locations of them in the pre-frontal cortex
  • Braver et al, discovery of the central executive in WMM
  • The link between the parahippocampal gyrus and OCD
• Real life application/economic implication of cog neurosci

  • Development of mind mapping techniques, 'brain fingerprinting'
  • Analyse brain wave patterns of eyewitnesses to decipher lying or not in court
  • May help in the correct jurisdiction of witness accounts to find and catch criminals meaning decrease of crime and safer areas|
• (AO3) How is the CA scientifically credible?

  • Uses highly controlled and rigorous methods of study to enable researchers to infer cognitive processes at work
  • E.g. use of lab experiments to produce reliable and objective data
  • Emergence of cog neuro sci has enable bio and cog psych to come together
  • Study of the mind has therefore established a credible scientific basis and helped in many real apps
• (AO3) CA issues with machine reductionism

  • Ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system
  • These influences may affect our ability to process information
  • Research has suggested that human memory may be affected by emotional factors such as anxiety (e.g. YUILLE AND CUTSHALL broken glass study)
• (AO3) CA issues with lack of external validity

  • Mental processes can only be inferred from observed behaviour
  • This may mean cog psych sufferers from being too abstract and theoretical in nature
  • Experimental studies also use artificial stimuli (e.g. memory tests involving word lists) which may lack mundane realism overall
  • Therefore this may not directly test and represent how memory is used everyday and lacks external validity/ecological validity/generalisability