Cognitive approach

• Schema


  "Basic units of knowledge that relate to all aspects of the world." - Piaget

  • Most basic unit of understanding world
  • Link together to form mental representation
  • Connections + interactions between schemas help response to situations.
  • Cohesive repeatable sequences
• Von Eckardt (1993)


  5 Themes

  • Cognitions can be isolated and studied
  • Individuals and environment alone governs behaviour
  • Automatic cognitive process
  • Abnormality is a different style of cognition
  • Cognitions are typical and generalisable
• Isolated and studied separately

  • scientific, objective and more empirically focused
  • isolate and identify unique processes within the brain
  • brain can be broken into measurable pieces
  • Example - Multistore model of memory.
• Individual and environment

  • rejects existing psychological explanations (no ability to reflect on actions)
  • 3 step explaining behaviour

  inputs - receiving sensory info

  mediational processes - consider and decide actions

  output - thoughts clear, carry out behaviours

  • example - ABC model for depression
• Automatic processes

  • Humans experience not always considered consciously
  • Occur within pathways that don't need decision making
  • Example - Working memory model
• Abnormality is different

  • Suffer from maladaptive or distorted thoughts.
  • Treated using cognitive restructuring
  • Example - CBT
• Generalisable and typical

  • 'Nomothetic' - Applicable universally
  • Used to create models that identify suffer cognitions