Cognitive approach

• Cognitive approach assumptions:

  • Internal and mental processes should be studied.
  • Looks at things behaviourists can't such as memory.
  • These processes are private so they are hard to observe.
  • Make inferences on why things happen the way they do.
• Schema: A mental framework of beliefs that influence cognitive processing. They are developed from experience.
• The role of a schema:

  • Babies are born with a simple motor schema for things such as sucking.
  • As we got older our schemas become more sophisticated.
  • Adults have developed a mental representation for everything.
  • It enables us to process things very quickly.
  • Mental shortcut.
• Theoretical models: These are used to help understand internal mental processes. They are abstract. E.G. the multi-store model. It may be based on the way things flow through a computer model.
• Computer model: Actually programming a computer to see if the output is the same as human behaviour. E.G artificial intelligence.