Cognitive Approach

• Cognitive approach- internal mental processes (memory, perception, thinking) are studied scientifically, studied indirectly by making inferences
• Inference- assumptions made about mental processes which aren't directly observed
• Schemas- mental frameworks of ideas which help to predict the environment through past experiences, allows rapid processing of information
• Types of schemas:

  • Person schemas
  • Social schemas
  • Self schemas
  • Event schemas
• Bugelski & Alampay (1962):

  • Group 1- shown a sequence of animals, and expected to see another animal
  • Group 2- shown a sequence of faces, and expected to see another face
  • This suggests that how pps perceived the ambiguous figure was influenced by the schema which was formed
• Limitations of schemas:

  • Biased- we might recall what we expect, not the reality
  • Schemas can be negative- which can impact mental health or create prejudice
  • Distortion- sensory information can be interpreted incorrectly
• Theoretical models- an abstract, simplified representation to explain how internal processes work to help us understand them
• Computer models- relates the way humans process information to how computers process information (transforming information, storing it and retrieving it from the memory)
• Cognitive neuroscience- relating mental processes to brain structures, using brain scans to observe different functions in the brain and how they relate to cognitive processes
• PET (Positron Emission Tomography)- scans levels of glucose in the brain, illustrating where neurons are firing from
• fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)- scans neuron firing to measure the structure and function of the brain
• Example of cognitive neuroscience-

  • Burnett et al (2009)- when people feel guilty, several brain regions are active- including the medial prefrontal cortex which is associated with social emotions
  • This supports that certain brain structures support cognitive function