cognitive approach

• what are inferences?

  going beyond the immediate evidence to make assumptions about mental processes that cannot be directly observed
• what are schemas?

  • mental frameworks of beliefs and expectations that influences cognitive processing
  • they are developed from experience
• what do schemas allow us to do?

  make sense of ambiguous situations by filling in the gaps in our knowledge
• what is cognitive neuroscience?

  the study of how brain structures and biology affect mental processes
• give a strength of the cognitive approach

  • uses highly controlled methods of research
  • e.g when experimenting on memory, lab experiments are used
  • these experiments can be easily replicated as they have standardised procedures
  • therefore, this means the experiments have high reliability, giving them high levels of scientific rigour
• give a weakness of the cognitive approach

  • subject to machine reductionism
  • the cognitive approach believes all behaviour can be broken down into information processing systems like a computer such as memory having input, storage and output systems
  • however, much research has shown that emotions e.g anxiety can affect our memory
  • therefore, this means that the cognitive approach is too simplistic and doesn't give a complete explanation of human behaviour, it neglects the influence of emotions on behaviour
• give a strength of the cognitive approach

  • real world application
  • explains mental illness through irrational thoughts and negative schema
  • this has led to the development of treatments based on this knowledge e.g CBT
  • CBT identifies and challenges these irrational thoughts, changing them to rational ones
  • this shows the usefulness of the cognitive approach as individuals with depression can access this treatment which will improve their quality of life
  • therefore, this shows how the cognitive approach has benefited society
• give a weakness of the cognitive approach

  • the lab experiments have low mundane realism
  • the task of recalling words doesn't reflect how memory works in real life
  • therefore, the use of artificial stimuli means that these tasks cannot be generalised to everyday life
• give a strength of cognitive neuroscience

  • research support
  • Tulving (1994) PET scan study on memory
  • PET scans were used to observe the brain activity of participants as they completed tasks that required them to recall episodic and semantic memories
  • episodic memories increased activity in the right prefrontal cortex whereas semantic memories increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex
  • this demonstrates that specific cognitive processes like different types of memory are associated with specific brain regions
  • therefore, this increases the credibility of cognitive neuroscience
• give a strength of cognitive neuroscience

  • real world application
  • the knowledge of low serotonin levels associated with OCD has led to the development of treatment for OCD
  • SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) aim to increase the levels of serotonin in the brain
  • SSRIs block the reuptake of serotonin into the pre-synaptic neuron, by preventing reuptake, SSRIs increase the levels of serotonin in the synaptic cleft, helping improve mood
  • therefore, this demonstrates the usefulness of cognitive neuroscience in society
• give a weakness of cognitive neuroscience

  • has a problem with causation
  • many cognitive neuroscience studies rely on correlational data, which can show that 2 variables are related but does not establish a cause and effect relationship
  • e.g identifying a brain region which is activated during a specific task does not always mean that the region causes the behaviour or cognitive process being studied
  • therefore, this limits the validity of cognitive neuroscience studies