4. Cognitive

• Assumptions

  • Argues internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically
  • Investigates memory, perception and thinking
  • 'Private' processes and cannot be observed
  • Studied indirectly by making inferences about what is going on in the mind on the basis of behaviour
• The role of schema

  • Cognitive processing can often be affected by a persons beliefs or expectations - schema
  • 'Packages' of ideas and information developed through experiences. They act as a mental framework for the interpretation of incoming info received by the cognitive system
  • Babies born with simple motor schema for innate behaviours
  • Becomes more detailed and developed as we get older
  • Enables us to process info quickly and prevents us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli
  • May also distort interpretations leading to errors
• Theoretical and computer models

  • Theoretical - abstract
  • Computer - concrete
  • One important theoretical model is the information processing approach which suggests info flows through a cognitive system in a sequence of stages eg. the multi store model
  • Based on the way that computers function
  • These models of the mind have proved useful in the development of artificial intelligence
• The emergence of cognitive neuroscience

  • Scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes
  • 1860s - Broca identified how damage to an area of the frontal lobe could permanently impair speech production
  • In the past 25 years, with MRI and PET scans, scientists have been able to systematically observe and describe the neurological basis of mental processes eg. tasks requiring different types of LTM were able to show where these types were located on opposite sides of the prefrontal cortex
  • CE in WMM is thought to reside in a similar area - Braver
• The emergence of cognitive neuroscience

  • Expanded recently to include the use of computer-generated models designed to 'read' the brain
  • Led to the development of mind-mapping techniques such as 'brain fingerprinting'
  • A future possible application could be to analyse brainwave patterns of eyewitnesses to determine whether they are lying in court
• AO3 - Strength of scientific methods

  • Objectivity
  • Employ highly controlled methods of study to infer cognitive processes such as lab studies
  • Produces reliable and objective data
  • Emergence of cognitive neuroscience has enabled the fields of biology and cognitive psychology to come together and enhance the scientific credibility of study
  • Scientific credibility
• AO3 Counterpoint - Limitation of being too abstract and theoretical

  • Relies on the inference of mental processes
  • Research studies are carried out on mental processes using artificial stimuli eg. memory tests using word lists - Peterson and Peterson
  • Doesn't represent everyday experience and cannot be generalised
  • Lacks external validity
• AO3 - Strength of real world application

  • Dominant approach in psychology today and has been applied to a wide range of practical and theoretical contexts
  • An important contribution to artificial intelligence and the development of 'thinking machines' (robots)
  • Advances that may revolutionise how we live in the future
  • Also been applied to the treatment of depression and improved the reliability of EWT
  • Real world value
• AO3 - Limitation of machine reductionism

  • Similarities between the human mind and the operations of a 'thinking machine' eg. a computer
  • Computer analogy is criticised as machine reductionism ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation in the cognitive system and how this may affect our ability to process information
  • For instance, research has found that human memory may be affected by emotional factors such as the influence of anxiety on EWT
  • Weakens validity of the cognitive approach