Evaluation

• strength-Mediational processes


  focuses on the important processes that occur between stimulus and response,explain how important processes such as memory and perception affect how we respond to the world around us.

  For example,they look at ways of improving memory using retrieval cues.

  If you write a shopping list before going to the shop and just write down the word 'curry' you will know what ingredients to buy as your schemas will know what you need.
• Strength-important contributions


  applied in therapy,CBT,to treat disorders such as depression and applied to developmental psychology.

  Eg.childrens guided teaching practices in schools,Piaget-childrens thinking is not the same as adults,those around 8-9 cant thin in abstract.To be able to solve a maths problem they need to see it in concrete form,such as counting sticks.

  Eye-witness testimonies,abolishment of leading questions,easily distort post event info.

  Strength-applications,provides evidence that prinicples of approach are correct
• Strength-Scientific 


  objective and controlled scientific research.

  Memory research has been conducted under strict lab conditions and has been done using brain scanning techniques(PET,MRI) to pinpoint what areas of the brain are to do with long or short term memory.

  Cognitive neuroscience-pinpoints biological mechanisms involved in cognitive processing.Also helps us understand what the brain does at rest.

  Strength-people are more likely to believe the principles of the approach if scientific research has been carried out to investigate ideas
• Weakness-Nature and nurture


  considers influences of internal(in the mind)and external(formation of schemas) factors on behaviour.

  Fails to consider nature-ignores genes,yet intelligence is linked with them as shown in twin studies(86% concordance rate)

  Fails to ignore nurture-ignores social and cultural factors.Piaget-failed to consider the role of culture and gender on the development of children

  Weaness-ignores significant factors in the development of behaviour.
• Weakness-Deterministic


  Schemas are gained by direct experience with the stimuli
• Piaget


  Cognitive development is the development of schemas
• Young age child


  • Calls everything with 4 legs a dog
  • Learns various related schemas eg one for a dog and one for a cat
• Acquire schemas


  Through social interaction
• Cultural stereotypes


  • Girls with blonde hair are dumb
  • People who wear glasses are intelligent
• Meaning schemas


  Predetermine how we interpret situations
• Weakness-underestimates humans uniqueness and their freedom
• Weakness-Mechanistic approach


  portrays human behaviour as being like a machine,approach is based on the idea behaviour is like a computer,so inevitable that the outcome would be mechanistic.Raises questions whether a computer could act as a human brain.

  ignore social and emotional factors,illustrated by the way the cognitive approach views mental illnesses-a person with depression may cnage their faulty thinking patterns but life events that caused it wont go away(divorce)

  computers are not influenced by emotions,a computer will ouput info exactly as its input-not the same in humans