cognitive ao3

• Applications of the cognitive approach-has been used successfully to explain mental disorders like depression as Beck’s theory states depression develops through acquiring negative schema which causes a systematic cognitive bias in thinking. This has resulted in successful therapies such as CBT which has a high success rate. The real world application of cognitive approach increases the validity of this theory
• Ignores  emotion and motivation. The cognitive approach explains how cognitive processes take place but not why they take place. The lack of focus on motivation may be explained by the over dependence on information processing analogies,as motivation can not be applied to a computer but this is a limitation as humans have a more complex makeup and thought processes than a computer
• The cognitive approach can be described as reductionst because it reduces complex human behavour down to one fundamental factor of information processing. Which is an example of machine reductionsm. However this can be a problem because other factors may be ignored preventing more valid and realistic explanations of behaviour for example biological factors in the biological approach which have been genetically proved unlike the cognitive approach where behaviour is studied indirectly. Holistic

  However it can be useful to understand more in detail cognitive factors
• they are often artificial, for example in most studies studying the complex mental process of memory. They use word lists, these tasks used by neuroscientists often lack ecological validity as they are not something a participant would have to remember in their usual life,For example, Baddeley (1966) used lists of words to find out the encoding used by LTM. However, these words had no meaning to the participants, therefore it lacks external validity as it may not be able to be generalisable to real life, limiting its application and value as a theory.
• Moreover, the emergence of cognitive neuroscience enables the field of biology and psychology to come together, producing credible scientific basis. For example, recent advances in neuroimaging technology, such as Function Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), have provided empirical confirmation of brain activity for specific cognitive functions under controlled conditions. (internal validity)
• However, there are limitations with the methods used. The precise meaning of fMRI activity is still a matter for debate. Some claim that these techniques provide the cognitive approach with a strong scientific grounding, while others insist that neuroimaging evidence is only correlational, and therefore does not constitute true scientific validation of either theories or models.
• The cognitive approach can be described as reductionst because it reduces complex human behaviour down to one fundamental factor of information processing. example of machine reductionsm. However this can be a problem because other factors may be ignored preventing more valid and realistic explanations of behaviour eg. biological factors which have been genetically proved as a huge influence unlike cognitive approach where behaviour is studied indirectly.( emotion and motivation-over reliance) Holistic

  However it can be useful to understand more in detail cognitive factors = therapies