cognitive

• In direct contrast to the behaviourist approach, the cognitive approach argues that mental processes should be studied
• Mental processes are private and cannot be observed so cognitive psychologists study them indirectly through inferences about what is going on inside people's heads on the basis of their behaviour
• schemas

  • schemas are packages of information developed through experience
  • they act as mental framework for the interpretation of incoming information received by the cognitive system
  • babies are born with simple motor schema for innate behaviours like sucking and grasping
  • as we get older our schema becomes more detailed and sophisticated
• theoretical models are used to explain mental processes. The information processing approach suggests that information flows through a sequence of stages that include input, storage and retrieval, as in the multi store model
• computer models refer to programmes that can be run on a computer to imitate the human mind. By running such programmes, psychologists can test their ideas about information processing.
• Cognitive neuroscience

  • Cognitive neuroscience is the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes
  • With advances in brain scanning technology in the last twenty years, scientists have been able to describe the neurological basis of mental processing
  • this includes research in memory that has linked episodic and semantic memories to opposite sides of the prefrontal cortex
  • Scanning techniques have also proved useful in establishing the neurological basis of some disorders
• Evaluation

  One strength is the cognitive approach uses scientific and objectivie methods. Cognitive psychologists have always employed controlled and rigorous methods of study like lab studies in order to infer cognitive processes at work. In addition the two fields of biology and cognitive psychology come together (cognitive neuroscience) to enhance the scientific basis of study. This means that the study of the mind has established a credible, scientific basis. However, the use of inference means cognitive psychology can occasionally be too abstract and theoretical.
• Evaluation

  One strength of the approach is the application to everyday life. The cognitive approach is dominant in psychology today and has been applied to a wide range of practical and theoretical contexts. For instance, artificial intelligence and the development of robots, the treatment of depression and improving eyewitness testimony. This supports the value of the cognitive approach
• Evaluation

  One limitation is that the approach is based on machine reductionism. Although there are similarities between the operations of the human mind and computers, the computer analogy has been criticised. For instance, emotion and motivation have been shown to influence the accuracy of recall. These factors are not considered within the computer analogy. This suggests that machine reductionism may weaken the validity of the cognitive approach.