Cognitive approach

• What are the main assumptions of the cognitive approach?

  • Argues internal mental processes can and should be studiee scientifically, contrasting the behaviourist approach
  • Believe processes like memory, perception, and thinking are 'private' and cannot be observed so need to be studied indirectly
  • Make inferences about what is going on inside a person's mind based on their behaviour
• What are schemas?

  • Packages of ideas and information about the world developed through experience, acting as a mental framework for the interpretation of incoming information
  • Enable us to process information quickly and act as a mental shortcut that prevents us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli
  • May also distort our interpretations of sensory information, leading to perceptual errors and even stereotypes
• What are computer models?

  • Assumption that humans process information like a computer
  • Input (from the environment via senses) -> Processing (encoding and processing information using schema) -> Output (observable behaviour)

  
• What are theoretical models?

  • MSM and WMM are theoretical models - fluid and based on current research

  
• What is the emergence of cognitive neuroscience?

  • Cognitive neuroscience - scientifically studying the influence of brain structures on mental processing
  • 1860s Paul Broca identified that damage to the left frontal lobe could permanently impair speech production using advanced brain imaging techniques
  • Buckner and Petersen (1996) showed how different types of LTM were located on opposite sides of the PFC
  • Use of computer-generated models to develop mind-mapping techniques known as brain 'fingerprinting' which can determine if eyewitnesses are lying in court by analysing brain wave patterns
• What is one strength of the cognitive approach?

  • Scientific methods: employ highly controlled and rigorous methods of study so researchers can make inferences about cognitive processes at work, involving lab studies to produce reliable and objective data
  • Emergence of cognitive neuroscience has merged fields of biological and cognitive psychology to enhance the scientific basis of study
  • Means study of the mind has a credible scientific basis
• What is another strength of the cognitive approach?

  • Real-world application: made an important contribution in the field of artificial intelligence and development of robots, advancements that may revolutionise the way we live in the future
  • Cognitive principles have also been applied to the treatment of depression and improved the reliability of eyewitness testimony
  • Increases the value of the cognitive approach
• What is one limitation of the cognitive approach?

  • Machine reductionism: the idea that the human mind is similar to a computer has been criticised for ignoring the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system, and how this affects our ability to process information
  • Research has found that emotional factors can affect human memory, such as the influence of anxiety on eyewitnesses
  • Suggests machine reductionism may weaken what would otherwise be a comprehensive approach
• What is another limitation of the cognitive approach?

  • Overly abstract concepts: approach makes extensive use of schemas and analogies as ways of indirectly studying and inferring the cognitive basis of behaviour
  • This reliance of inference means that some ideas in cognitive psychology may seem too abstract and not have enough supporting empirical evidence of such mechanisms being observed
  • Reduces the potential practical applications of cognitive research, as it remains mainly theoretical