The cognitive approach

• in direct contrast to the behaviourist approach, the cognitive approach argues that mental processes should be studied, e.g. studying perception and memory.
• the role of inference in the study of mental processes

  mental processes are 'private' and cannot be observed, so cognitive psychologists study them indirectly by making inferences about what is going on inside people's heads on the basis of their behaviour.
• the use of theoretical models when describing and explaining mental processes

  the information processing approach suggests that information flows through a sequence of stage that include input, output and retrieval, as in the multi-store model.
• the use of computer models when describing and explaining mental processes

  computer models refer to programmes that can be run on a computer to imitate the human mind.

  by running such a programme psychologists can test whether their ideas about information processing are correct.
• the idea of schema- central to the cognitive approach

  • schema are packages of information developed through experience
  • they act as a 'mental framework' for the interpretation of incoming information received by the cognitive system
  • babies are born with simple motor schema for innate behaviours such as sucking and grasping
  • as we get older, our schema become more detailed and sophisticated
• emergence of cognitive neuroscience

  • the scientific study of the influence of brain structures (neuro) on mental processes (cognition)
  • advances in brain scanning technology in the last 20 years have allowed scientists 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 in the brain
  • scanning techniques have also proved useful in establishing the neurological basis of some disorders, e.g. the parahippocampal gyrus and OCD
• strength of the cognitive approach: uses scientific and objective methods

  cognitive psychologists have always employed controlled and rigorous methods of study, e.g. lab studies, in order to infer cognitive processes at work. this has enabled the two field of biology and cognitive psychology to come together (cognitive neuroscience). this means that the study of the mind has established a credible, scientific basis.
• limitation of the cognitive approach: based on research that lacks external validity

  cognitive psychologists are only able to infer mental processes from the behaviour they observe, so the approach sometimes suffers from being too abstract and theoretical. also, research is often carried out using artificial stimulus, such as recall of word lists I studies of memory which may not represent everyday experience. therefore, research into cognitive processes may lack external validity.
• strength of the cognitive approach: 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, the approach has made an important contribution to the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and the development of robots. these exciting advances are likely to revolutionise how we live in the future.