4.2.1 COGNITIVE Flashcards

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1
Q

what are the assumptions of the cognitive approach?
AO1

A
  • looks at the internal workings of the mind and explains behaviour through cognitive processes
    -> states internal workings should be studied scientifically
  • focused on how our mental processes affect our behaviour
  • cognitive psychologists try to explain behaviour by looking at our perception, language, attention and memory
  • use experimental procedures and methods to test behaviour
  • info received from our senses is processed by the brain and this processing directs how we behave
  • internal mental processes can’t be observed directly but we can infer what a person is thinking based on how they act
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2
Q

cognitive psychology has been influenced by developments in computer science
what does this result in?

A
  • analogies often made between how a computer works and how we process info
  • computer + theoretical models are used to explain and make inferences about the mental processes that lead to particular behaviours -> since they can’t be observed directly
  • cognitive psychology is interested in how the brain inputs, stores and retrieves info
  • has lead to models which show info flowing through the cognitive system such as the MSM of memory
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3
Q

why is the link between humans and computers bad?

A
  • humans are often influenced by emotional and motivational factors
    -> ignores these
  • humans have unlimited and unreliable memory
    -> computers have a limited but reliable memory
  • humans have free will
    -> the ability to choose between decisions
    -> computers do not
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4
Q

cognitive processing can often be affected by schemas
what are these?
AO1

A

schema = packet of information or cognitive framework that helps us organise and interpret info
- they are based on previous experience

  • prevent us being overwhelmed by the vast amount of info we perceive in our environment
  • however can lead to distortion of this info
    -> we select and interpret environmental stimuli using schemas which might not be relevant
    -> could case inaccuracies in areas like eyewitness testimony
    -> can explain some errors we make when perceiving optical illusions
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5
Q

there are three types of schema
what are they?

A

1) role schema
- ideas about the behaviour which is expected from someone in a certain role / setting / situation

2) event schema
- also called scripts
- contain info about what happens in a situation

3) self schema
- contain info about ourselves based on physical characteristics and personality
- can affect how you act

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6
Q

Bartlett (1932) was one of the first psychologists to test and illustrate the idea of schemas

what was the METHOD

A

THE WAR OF THE GHOSTS

  • English ppts asked to read a native american folk tale, called WOTG
  • was an unfamiliar story -> full of strange + unusual names / ideas / objects
  • had different structure to average english story
  • ppts asked to recall the story after different lengths of time
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7
Q

what were the results found?
BARTLETT

A
  • all the ppts changed the story to fit their own schemas
  • the details in the story became more english
  • the story started to contain elements of english culture
  • details and emotions were added
  • as the length of time between hearing and recalling the story increased, the amount of info remembered became a lot less
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8
Q

what was the conclusion?
BARTLETT

A
  • people use their own schemas to help interpret and remember the world around them
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9
Q

what is a pro and a con of the Bartlett study?

A
  • was a lab study
    -> lacks ecological validity
  • was highly influential at the time
    -> paved the way for further cognitive research
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10
Q

what is cognitive neuroscience?
AO1

A
  • the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes
  • done through the use of brain scanning techniques such as fMRI
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11
Q

what does neuroscience aim to do?

A
  • aims to find out how the brain structures influence:
    -> the way we process info
    -> map mental cognitive functions to specific areas of the brain
  • is done using brain imaging techniques like fMRI and PET scans
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12
Q

what’s an example of brain mapping?

A

BRAVER ET AL. (1997)

  • found when their ppts were performing activities involving the central executive while being scanned
  • the prefrontal cortex showed greater activity
  • suggest that the central executive is situated in the prefrontal cortex
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13
Q

what research methods are used by the cognitive approach?
AO1

A

1) laboratory experiments
- preferred method of investigation of the cognitive approach

2) case studies
- used to study rare conditions which provide an insight on the working of some mental processes

3) brain imaging
- fMRI and PET scans are used to map areas of the brain to cognitive function
- processing causes the area of the brain involved to increase metabolism and light up on the scan

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14
Q

what has the study of memory lead to?
strength AO3

A
  • the development of cognitive interview which has decreased the inaccuracy of eyewitness memory
    -> should lead to a decrease of wrongful convictions
  • helped us understand the causes of depression
    -> Beck argues it’s the negative schemas we hold about the self, the world and the future which lead to depression rather than external events
    -> also proposes a therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy
    -> has shown to be effective for a range of mental disorders and has no side effects
  • study of memory processes such as cue dependent forgetting has lead to a strategy to improve EWT:
    -> cognitive interview
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15
Q

what are some strengths of the cognitive approach?
AO3

A

1) uses a very scientific method, mainly lab experiments
- these are controlled and replicable so the results are reliable

2) has a wide range of practical applications
- eg) can be used to explain how eyewitness memories of events can be distorted therefore inaccurate

3) cognitive approach is less deterministic than the learning approach
-> argues that our thinking is limited by the way we process info
-> doesn’t deny the influence of moral values and social norms

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16
Q

what are some weaknesses of the cognitive approach?
AO3

A

1) research is often carried out in lab settings
- lacks ecological validity
- artificiality of the tasks and environment
- may not reflect the way people process info in their everyday life

2) Baddeley (1966) used lists of words to find out the encoding used by LTM
- these words had no meaning to the ppts
- the way they used their memory in this talk was probably very different than they would have done if the words had meaning for them
- weakness because the theories may not explain how memory really works outside the laboratory

3) doesn’t take into account the genetic factors
- seem to be involved in mental disorders such as schizophrenia

4) approach is reductionist
- doesn’t take into account emotions and motivation
- which influence the processing of info and memory
- eg) Yerkes-Dodson Law

5) doesn’t take into account indivual differences
- assumes we all process info in the same way