The cognitive approach

• what is the cognitive approach?

  focuses on mental processes which affect behaviour and studies it scientifically including thoughts , perceptions and attention
• what does the cognitive approach investigate compared to behaviourist?(A01)

  areas of human behaviour that were neglected in the behaviourist approach such as thoughts , perceptions and attention
• what type of processes are mental processes?(AO1)

  'private' so it cannot be directly observed = cognitive psychologists formulate conclusions of their workings through making inferences, based upon observable behaviours = indirect measure of cognition
• Cognitive psychologists use computer and theoretical models to better understand and model cognitive processes, through the use of analogies
• what are schemas?

  Schemas are ‘packages’ of ideas and knowledge about a certain person, place, object or time which are generated through experience, becoming more sophisticated through time
• what do schemas act as?

  a mental framework for the interpretation of large volumes of incoming data received by the cognitive system quickly and efficiently = avoids sensory overload and being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli
• what is cognitive neuroscience?

  scientific study of the brain structures on mental processes
• Broca : patient HP
• what does cognitive neuroscience help us understand?

  how impairments in these regions may characterise diff psychological conditions

  • Neural processes - underlying memory , attention , perception and awareness
  • Social cognition - the brain regions involved when we interact with others
• what did cognitive psychologists use to help them understand internal mental processes?

  theoretical and computer models
• what is the analogy made between human brain and the computer?

  both contain 3 processes:

  1. input (information)
  2. the use of a processor (e.g. the brain)
  3. the production of a comprehensible output (e.g. computer code or human language)
• was the invention of the computer in the 1960s crucial in the development of cognitive psychology?

  yes
• what is the information processing approach?

  suggests info flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages input , processing and output e.g multi-store model

   
• Strength: cognitive approach

  P - practical application of cog neuroscience

  E - design and manufacture of modern technology relies on an understanding of behavioural science and human-computer interactions .

  E- e.g important contribution in the field of AI and development of robots ,these new tech advances may revolutionise how we live in future

  P - supports and increases value of cognitive approach
• Strength: cognitive approach

  P - uses objective scientific methods which increases its credibility

  E - cognitive psychologists employ highly controlled and rigorous methods of study so researchers are able to infer mental processes

  E - lab studies = reliable and objective data + emergence of cognitive neuroscience substantially increased the scientific credibility of psychology as it merged science and psychology (use of PET , fMRIs)

  L - enhanced scientific basis of psychology
• what are inferences ?

  cognitive psychologists draw conclusions based off what behaviour they have observed
• Limitation:

  P - based on machine reductionism

  E - there are similarities between human + computer but such machine reductionism ignores the influence of human emotions and motivation on the cognitive system and how this affects our ability to process information

  E - e.g research has found that human memory may be affected by emotional factors such as anxiety on eyewitness which may reduce the accuracy of their statements

  L - MR may weaken validity of cognitive research