Approaches Flashcards
When did the cognitive approach appear, and what was it a response to?
The cognitive approach appeared in the 1960s and the cognitive approach argues that mental processes can and should be studied scientifically, therefore the cognitive approach has investigated those areas of human behaviour that were neglected by behaviourists such as memory, perception and thinking.
The key assumptions of the cognitive approach:
Cognitive approach is affected by a person’s schema.
Internal mental processes such as memory, perception and thinking.
Cognitive psychologists study indirectly by making references about what is going on inside people’s minds on the basis of their behaviour.
Mind is like a computer; inputs and outputs.
What does the information processing approach suggest?
Suggests that information flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages.
These include; input, storage and retrieval as in the multistore model.
Explain the role of schema in cognitive processing:
Schema are packages developed through experience, they act as a mental framework for the interpretation of incoming information received by the cognitive system.
What is cognitive neuroscience?
Is a scientific study of the influence of the brain structures on mental processes. For example the frontal lobe if damaged could permanently impair speech production; identified by Paul Broca.
Evaluation - discuss strengths of the cognitive approach:
Uses objective scientific methods such as use of lab studies, brains scans.
Real world application as it has impacted AI.
Helps people to understand internal mental processes
How schemas can explain why eyewitness testimonies are not accurate.
Soft determinism so human behaviour can be both affected by internal and external factors.
Evaluation - discuss limitations of the cognitive approach:
Can’t observe direct behaviour as it relies on the inference of mental processes. May lack external validity as memory tests of word lists so it wont represent everyday experiences.
Machine reductionism - Compares human activities to computers as we have inputs and outputs, rejects human emotions and the influence that has on behaviours.
It lacks ecological validity because the lab tests are completed in an artificial environment.
Assumptions of the behaviourist approach
Only interested in studying behaviour that can be observed and measured
Not concerned with the mental processes of the mind
Watson rejected introspection for involving too many concepts that were vague and difficult to measure
Tried to maintain control and objectivity with research, often using lab experiments
Followed Darwin’s evolutionary theory, therefore animals could replace humans in research.
classical conditioning
Unconscious process in which an automatic, conditioned response is paired with specific stimuli.
Operant conditioning
learning that employs rewards and punishments for behaviour. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behaviour and a consequence (whether negative or positive) for that behaviour.
Pavlov’s research
Stimulus generalisation
When a stimulus becomes generalised to other related stimuli.
Stimulus discrimination
The cut off point when a stimulus is too different from the original stimulus
Time contiguity
For conditioning to occur, the unconditioned stimulus and neutral stimulus must be presented at the same time.
Skinner’s research
Skinner introduced a new term into the Law of Effect - Reinforcement. Behaviour which is reinforced tends to be repeated and then behaviour which is not reinforced dies out.
Skinners rat experiment consisted of a box with a response level which released a pellet down a tube that the rat could eat.
The speakers and lights were visual trials
The floor was electrified as a punishment for the rats
The pellet was the positive reinforcement
Skinner observed that as soon as a rat learned that it would get a pellet when pressing the lever it would keep doing so.
