analyse cognitive

Question 1

summary

Answer 1

the cognitive process focuses on the role of sleep and dreams in memory and learning, it sees them being involved in information processing and primarily the consolidation of memories, during sleep the mind can clean up memories and prune out unnecessary items and strengthen links between memories

Question 2

link

Answer 2

crick and mitchinson (1983), smith (1999), wagner et al (2004), gais et al (2006), animal studies, peter tripp

Question 3

peter tripp

Answer 3

showed cognitive decline after a few days without sleep suggesting sleep is necessary for the maintenance of cognitive function

Question 4

implication

Answer 4

if cognitions play a strong role in sleep and dreams this implies that treatment for sleep disorders should be cognitive

Question 5

application

Answer 5

students should try to have a good nights sleep before an exam in order to perform their best, before undertaking a newly learned procedural task you should ‘sleep on it’

Question 6

compare and contrast

Answer 6

like the biological approach, the cognitive approach suggests that newly formed connections between neurons in the brain happen in REM sleep which helps learning, some cognitive theories suggest dreams are just random neural firings however the psychodynamic process suggests these dreams have meaning on their own without the need for schemas

Question 7

strengths

Answer 7

explains why dreams have a logical narrative through the application of schemas

Question 8

weaknesses

Answer 8

the cognitive process is limited as it ignores the role of biology and how it affects sleep and dreams and is therefore reductionist, sleep can’t be only for the restoration of cognitions e.g. the immune system is also strengthened during sleep