5. The Cognitive Approach Flashcards
What is the cognitive approach
Opposite of behavioural approach (studies observable behaviour), cognitive approach looks at internal workings of mind & explains behaviour through cognitive processes
How our mental processes (for eg, thoughts, perceptions, attention) affect behaviour.
How do cognitive psychologists study processes
- Cognitive psychologists try explain behaviour by looking at our perception, language, attention, & memory
- They study processes indirectly by making inferences abt what is going on inside ppl’s minds, based on their behaviour
Is cognitive approach a reductionist approach
YES, because the mind can be compared to a computer
The 3 assumptions of the cognitive approach
Our mental systems have a limited capacity - the amount of info that can be processed will be influenced by how demanding the task is & how much other info is processed
A control mechanism oversees all mental processes - this will require more processing power for new tasks, leaving less available for everything else
There is a two way flow of information - we take in info from the world, process it & react to it. We also use our knowledge & experiences to understand the world
Why are humans compared to computers
Computers are often used to explain how we think/behave.
- Humans are treated as information processors (computers) & behaviour is explained in terms of information processing (how computers deal with info)
3 main research methods used for studying cognitive approach
- Laboratory experiments
- Field experiments
- Natural experiments
What is the Information Processing Model (model)
INPUT —–> PROCESSING —–> OUTPUT
What is the Information Processing Model used for
(see slide 8 for egs)
- Used to explain mental processes
- Used to make inferences (intelligent guesses) abt mental processes
- Compares a human to a computer
What is a schema
A ‘package’ of ideas & info developed through experience.
Helps you to organise & interpret info & experiences
What does schema affect
Schema affects behaviour.
eg. if someone had a negative experience w a dog in the past, their schema for ‘dog’ would affect their behaviour (avoidance, frightened)
What happens when information is CONSISTENT with a schema
It is assimilated into the schema, and the schema is strengthened
What happens when information is INCONSISTENT with a schema
Accommodation occurs & the schema has to change in order to resolve the problem
3 different types of schema
- Role schemas
- Event schemas
- Self schemas
3 different types of schema: Role schemas
- These are ideas abt the behaviour which is expected from someone in a certain role, setting or situation
3 different types of schema: Event schemas
- These are also called scripts. They contain info abt what happens in a situation
- eg. in a restaurant, you read a menu & place order
3 different types of schema: Self schemas
- These contain info abt ourselves based on physical characteristics & personality, as well as beliefs & values. - Self schemas can affect how you act
3 points + 1
Schema problems
- Schemas can stop ppl from learning new info
- Prejudice & stereotypes can be an outcome of schemas
- Schema which hold expectations/beliefs abt a certain subgroup of ppl may bias the way we process incoming info. This means we may be more likely to pay attention to info we can easily assimilate, & ignore info that involves our schemas to accommodate
This can lead to faulty conclusions, unhelpful behaviour & perception errors
What did Bartlett do and when
Experiment on ‘The War of the Ghosts’, 1932
Method of Bartlett’s ‘The War of the Ghosts’ study
- English participants were asked to eat a Native American folk tale, called ‘The War of the Ghosts’
- It was an unfamiliar story, full of strange & unusual names, ideas & objects. It also had a different structure to an average English story
- The participants were asked to recall the story after different lengths of time
Results of Bartlett’s ‘The War of the Ghosts’ study
- All of the participants 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/emotions were added.
- As the length of time between hearing & recalling the story INCREASED, the amount of info remembered DECREASED
Conclusion of Bartlett’s ‘The War of the Ghosts’ study
People use their own schemas to help interpret & remember the world around them
Evaluation of Bartlett’s ‘The War of the Ghosts’ study
- This study was conducted in a laboratory, so lacks ecological validity
- BUT it was highly influential at the time as it paved the way for further cognitive research
3 points
Methods involved in brain scanning
- Lesion studies
- Electrophysiology
- Neuroimaging
Methods involved in brain scanning: Lesion studies
See if brain damage changes behaviour, by removing parts of the brain (normally rats & mice)
Methods involved in brain scanning: Electrophysiology
Using electric & magnetic fields to measure brain activity & brain waves
Methods involved in brain scanning: Neuroimaging
Pinpointing areas of the brain which are active when a task is performed\
eg. PET scans used to show the brain areas that are most active during memory tasks
see slide 15 for differences between normal & psychopath brain
see labelled diagram of the BRAIN on slide 16 + goodnotes
12 points
Name the parts of the brain
- Cerebral cortex
- Gyri
- Thalamus
- Frontal lobe
- Hypothalamus
- Hippocampus
- Amygdala
- Pituitary gland
- Pineal gland
- Medulla oblongata & brain stem
- Cerebellum
- Corpus Callosum
Parts of the brain: Cerebral cortex
The outer surface of the brain
Parts of the brain: Thalamus
Sense except smell
Parts of the brain: Frontal lobe
Responsible for behaviour & language
Parts of the brain: Hypothalamus
Homeostatis
Parts of the brain: Hippocampus
Regulates emotions, learning & memory
Parts of the brain: Amygdala
Processes emotions
Parts of the brain: Pituitary gland
Produces & releases hormones
Parts of the brain: Medulla oblongata & brain stem
Unconscious brain. Controls heart rate, breathing, swallowing
Parts of the brain: Cerebellum
Co-ordination balance
Parts of the brain: Corpus Callosum
Bridge between the 2 sides of the brain. integrates motor, sensory & cognitive performance
Parts of the brain: Gyri
The folded membrane (folds on the outer surface)
Parts of the brain: Pineal gland
Releases melatonin & controls sleep cycle
What did Paul Broca discover
Broca’s area:
Paul Broca (1860s) identified that damage to the frontal lobe could permanently affect speech
What did Tuvling et al. do
- Tuvling et al. (1994), using PET & fMRI scans, systematically observed neurological basis in mental processing
- Tasks involving episodic (personal memory store) & semantic (knowledge of the world store) memory may be located at different sides of the pre-frontal cortex
What does the left side of the brain do
Involved in recalling semantic memories
What does the right side of the brain do
Involved in recalling episodic memories
The left side of the brain controls the…
…right side of the body
The right side of the brain controls the…
…left side of the body
Significance of the left Parahippocampal gyrus
- Plays a role in processing unpleasant emotions
- Links with OCD & impairment to frontal lobes (controls logical thinking)
What did Braver et al. do
- In 1997, participants were given tasks that involved the central executive whilst having their brain scanned
- Greater activity in the left pre-frontal cortex - the activity increased as the task became harder
- Working memory model - as demands on the central executive, it has to work harder to fulfil its function
SUPPORT for scientific & objective methods
- Employs highly controlled & rigorous methods of study in order to enable researchers to infer cognitive processes at work.
- Lab experiments - reliable as objective data is produced
- Biology & cognitive psychology now work tg
LIMITATIONS of the cognitive approach
- Role of emotions/influence from other ppl is ignored. Only able to infer mental processes from observable behaviour (ignores feelings)
- Use of artificial stimuli that may not represent everyday memory experience, so may lack external validity
- Research often in labs - artificial situation - lacks ecological validity
- Fails to take individual differences into account - assumes all of us process info exactly the same
How has the cognitive approach helped treatment for mental health
Cognitive behavioural theory (CBT)
- Patients learn how to notice negative/faulty though cognitions & test how accurate they are
- Goals are set to think positively/adapt thoughts
BENEFITS of the cognitive approach for technology
- Cognitive psychology has made important contributions to the study of artificial intelligence (AI) & the development of thinking machines (robots)
Is the cognitive approach a determinist view?
It is less determinist than other approaches.
- Soft determinism: cognitive approach recognises that our cognitive system can only operate within the limits of what we know, but that we are free to think before responding to a stimulus
- This is a reasonable ‘interactionist’ position
What is determinism
The view that free will is an illusion, & that our behaviour is determined by internal or external forces over which we have no control. Consequently, our behaviour is viewed as predictable.
Belief that all physical events occur in cause & effect relationships.
Research methods of cognitive approach: Laboratory experiments
PRO: very scientific & reliable - as its possible to have great control over variables
CON: low ecological validity - doesnt tell us much abt real world
Research methods of cognitive approach: Field experiments
PRO: take place in natural situation - so high ecological validity
CON: less control of variables
Research methods of cognitive approach: Natural experiments
PRO: high ecological validity - as involves making observations of a naturally occurring situation
CON: little control of variables - so unreliable
Computer models to represent human mind
- Brain described as processor - it has data input into it, & output from it
- Parts of brain form networks
- Parts can work sequentially (info travels along one path), meaning one process must finish before another starts (occurs for demanding tasks)
- Can also work parallel (info travels along lots of paths at same time), more likely to happen for tasks which are familiar
Differences between humans and computers that make computer models less useful
- Humans often influenced by emotional/motivational factors - computers are not
- Humans have unlimited but unreliable memory - computers have limited but reliable memory
- Humans have free will (ability to choose between decision) - computers dont
Emergence of cognitive neuroscience
- Although CA started in 1950-60s, it wasn’t until 1970s that the influence of neuroscience rlly took hold
- With modern brain imaging techniques, cognitive neuroscience started to emerge
What is cognitive neuroscience
- An approach in psychology which maps human behaviour to brain function
- Brain-imaging techniques allow psychologists to discover when & where things happen in the brain in relation to ppls behaviour at the time
STRENGTHS of cognitive approach
- It considers mental processes which are often overlooked in other approaches
- Has a big influence on development of therapies (eg. cognitive behaviour therapy)
