approaches 1.3 Flashcards
The cognitive approach: the study of internal mental processes, the role of schema, the use of theoretical and computer models to explain and make inferences about mental processes. The emergence of cognitive neuroscience.
cognitive approach
uses experimental research methods to study internal mental processes such as attention, perception, memory and decision-making
what do cognitive psychologists assume?
that the mind actively processes information from our senses
internal mental process
the processing between stimulus and response
inference
making assumptions on mental processes that cannot be directly observed and going beyond immediate research evidence
how does the cognitive approach differ from the behaviourist approach?
it argues that mental processes should be studied e.g. studying perception and memory
role of inference in the study of mental processes
mental processes are ‘private’ and cannot be observed, so cognitive psychologists study them indirectly by making inferences (assumptions) about what is going on inside people’s heads on the basis of their behaviour
schemas
cognitive frameworks that help us to organise and interpret information
developed through experience and can affect our cognitive processing
what happens if information is inconsistent?
it will be accommodated to the schema and it will be adapted
what happens if information is consistent?
it is assimmulated and strengthens the scheme
why are schemas useful?
they help us predict what will happen in our world based on our experiences and enable us to process vast amounts of information rapidly and prevent us from becoming overwhelmed by environmental stimuli
why can schemas be unhelpful?
since schemas are ‘pre-conceived’, they may lead to perceptual distortions
due to having an already established mental framework e.g. James Potter et al (2009)
showing that when watching TV, “although viewers may share the same story schema, 1
they appear to make different judgements on the schema elements, and hence their
judgements about violence vary”.
can lead to perceptual errors or inaccurate EWT/ memories and cause biased recall
theoretical models
an ex. of a theoretical model would be the working memory model,
the invention of the computer in the 1960s was crucial in the development of cognitive
psychology, as psychologists now had a metaphor for the mind.
why are theoretical models used?
psychologists use boxes and flow charts to simplify the process of human thinking
these show cause and effect of the stages of a particular mental process
these are easy to read, interpret and understand (high face validity) but also frequently adapt and change
computer models
refer to programs that can be run on a computer to imitate the human mind (e.g. conversational machines to deal with customer enquiries)
analogies can also be made between the
workings of a computer and the functions of
the human brain, both contain
a series of 3 processes: input, the use of a processor (e.g. the brain) and the production
of a comprehensible output (e.g. computer code or human language)
allows psychologists to test their ideas about information processing
the brain can be likened to a computer
cognitive neuroscience
the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes
brain mapping in 1870s
Carl Wernicke, based on case studies of patients who
all had damage to a specific area of the brain and all suffered from the same type of
aphasia (Wernicke’s), inferred that Broddman’s area 22 must be involved in language
comprehension
objectively Investigating Brain Localisation Theory in the 1970s
advances in
technology meant that it was possible to systematically measure and observe the
neural processes which coincide with specific brain functions. e.g. using
PET scans, Petersen et al (1988) found evidence of Wernicke’s area being activated
during a listening task and Broca’s area being activated during a reading task.
current focuses of cognitive neuroscience
current research focuses on the neural
basis of model-based planning (including the role of the dorsal hippocampus), the
neurological basis of autism, and also the neural basis of moral reasoning (involving
the ventral striatum).
3 brain scanning techniques
lesion studies
electrophysiology
neuroimaging
lesion studies
looking at brain damaged patients to see what they can and cannot do
electrophysiology
measuring and altering brain waves to assess the change in thinking
neuroimaging
pinpointing the parts of the brain that are active when tasks are performed either through heightened blood flow or growth in areas
why do we use scanning techniques?
to locate different types of memory, appropriate treatments for neurological problems, the normal ageing of the brain, structural differences between a normal brain and those with a disorder, computer simulations to model and test theories and the use of eye tracking to study processing
explain how supporting evidence from HM is a strength of the cognitive approach
the case study of HM provides further support for the theoretical model known as the MSM
MSM proposes that there are separate stores for three different types of memory; sensory memory, STM and LTM and information goes through each of these stores in a linear, ordered process
HM was involved in a bicycle accident which led to him developing epilepsy and experiencing seizures, they worsened which left him with the option of surgery
however, having parts of his brain removed left him with memory problems. he was unable to form any new long term memories but could remember things from before the surgery
he couldn’t transfer information from STM to LTM
therefore, the case study of HM helped provide supporting evidence for the cognitive approach, specifically in terms of theoretical models such as the MSM as it showed there are separate stores for long term and short term memory
explain how the use of lab experiments is a strength of the cognitive approach
the approach can be praised for its use of lab experiments
this is because there is a high degree of control over the variables which means that cause and effect can be established
additionally, the high control allows for the standardisation of procedures which enables research into mental processes to be replicated to check the reliability of the findings
therefore, this adds credibility to the cognitive approach’s explanation of human behaviour because its based on highly scientific evidence
explain how being reductionist is a weakness of the cognitive approach
the approach is criticised for being reductionist
this is because the approach places emphasis on computer models and information processing and views the mind as mechanical
this is a problem because much of human behaviour and thought is unlike the logical linear process of a computer
humans can be irrational and unpredictable as times and additionally much of human behaviour and thought can be shaped by emotions
for example, research has shown how emotions such as anxiety and fear can affect your recall of events, particularly as an eyewitness to a crime
by breaking down behaviour to a set of computer processes it could be argued that it loses what it means to be human
therefore, it calls into question the extent to which the cognitive approach is fully accounting for and explaining human behaviour
explain how the cognitive approach being less objective than the behaviourist approach is a limitation of the cognitive approach
the behaviourist approach, with the work of B.F Skinner would argue that only directly observable behaviour can be studied scientifically and therefore would criticise the cognitive approach’s wat of studying the mind through inferences
for behaviourists, inferences are not a truly objective study of the mind because we cannot know for certain that what they infer is going on in the mind is actually going on in the mind
because we cannot directly observe it, it could be wrong
therefore, it could be argued that on this point the behaviourist approach is superior because of its stronger focus on the scientific process
Bartlett (1932)’s aim
to investigate the impact of schemas on memory recall
Bartlett (1932)’s procedure
English participants were asked to read a Native American folk tale, called “the war of the ghosts”
it was an unfamiliar story, full of strange and unusual names, ideas and objects
it also had a different structure to your average English story
the participants were asked to recall the story 20 hours later remembering as much detail as possible
Bartlett (1932)’s results
all of the participants changed the story to fit their own schemas
the details in the story became more English an the story started to contain elements of English culture, and details and emotions were added
as the length of time between hearing and recalling the story increased, the amount of correctly recalled information decreased
when they recalled the stories later, they became more distorted
Bartlett (1932)’s conclusion
people use their own schemas to help interpret and remember the world around them
