Approaches - Cognitive

Question 1

What do cognitive psychologists believe behaviour is a result of?

Answer 1

Behaviour is the result of information processing. Thoughts are both conscious and non-conscious, these thoughts pass through stages called internal mental processes.

Question 2

What are mental processes?

Answer 2

Mental processes are information processing completed by the brain, and the processing can be compared to that of a computer

Question 3

What are models used for as part of the cognitive approach?

Answer 3

Used to provide testable theories about mental processing and these can be studied scientifically and inferences made.

Question 4

What are schemas?

Answer 4

Cognitive frameworks formed from prior experience that help us navigate life easily. Helps us organise the large amount of new information we experience every moment.

Question 5

What role does inference play as part of the cognitive approach?

Answer 5

Internal mental processes cannot be directly observed, an inference is going beyond the immediate evidence that has been observed to make assumptions about the underlining structure of mental processes.

Question 6

What are computer models?

Answer 6

How we think of the structure of the mind/brain system as similar to a computer, such as CPU = Brain, Coding = turning stimuli into thoughts , Memory stores = Specialist memory areas in the brain. Output = behavioural responses

Question 7

What are theoretical models?

Answer 7

Like flow chart models used in computer programming and are a representation of how information flows and is processed through a mental system such as memory or attentions.

Question 8

What do models produce

Answer 8

Models produce testable theories that can be studied with scientific methods, and inferences made from experiments

Question 9

What is assimilation?

Answer 9

When we add new information to existing schema.

Question 10

What is accommodation?

Answer 10

When an old schema has to be adapted, or a new schema has to be created.

Question 11

Who first used the term ‘‘schema’’ in psychology?

Answer 11

Piaget - suggested as children developed they acquired new schema through interaction with the world and others

Question 12

Why are schemas helpful but can also be unhelpful?

Answer 12

They help us make assumptions about the world quickly, many times this may be correct however can lead us to make incorrect assumptions (stereotypes, prejudice,and bias)

Question 13

What is cognitive neuroscience ?

Answer 13

Investigates how cognition is produced by the interaction of neural mechanisms, brain structure and chemistry and is part of neuroscience

Question 14

What way of studying the brain is used as part of cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 14

Functional neuroimaging - fMRI/PET scans are used to investigate brain activity while engaged in various cognitive tasks to see the interaction between separate brain regions

Question 15

How are clinical case studies used to investigate cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 15

Brain damage patients with cognitive deficits are compared to healthy brains and are very useful in showing how some aspects of cognition are separate.

Question 16

How is brain mapping used?

Answer 16

These techniques have been used to provide a map of the brain, showing localised functional areas for memory, language and a range of individual tasks

Question 17

Applications of cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 17

Identifying areas associated with memory, ageing, psychopathology and language can help develop treatments. Findings can be used in the development of AI.

Question 18

Is the cognitive approach an example of determinism or free will?

Answer 18

Soft determinism. Thoughts are influenced by previous experience (schemas) and brain structure, however conscious thought can override as an expression of free will.

Question 19

Is the cognitive approach an example of reductionism or holism?

Answer 19

Machine reductionism. Can be seen as overly mechanical in describing human thinking as processing like a computer. This does not explain human irrationality in many decisions and the role of emotions.

Question 20

Is the cognitive approach an example of nature or nurture?

Answer 20

Both. There is an inheritance of general brain structure that leads to the development of mental processes. However the development of schema is down to experiences within the environment.

Question 21

Is the cognitive approach ideographic or nomothetic?

Answer 21

Cogntive psychologists use large scale experiments to make general rules of human behaviour, so nomothetic. However does use unusual case studies of people with brain injuries to make suggestions about structure of mental processes

Question 22

Strengths of the cognitive approach?

Answer 22

+ High level of control/objectivity in research is scientific; the use of models for ease of understanding has helped the development of neuroscience and other applications

Question 23

Limitations of the cognitive approach?

Answer 23

• What can be recalled by participants in controlled environments may not be generalisable to everyday uses of memory, due to the experimental tasks being artificial/ lacking mundane realism
• Using inference to assume underlying processes in thinking, is unscientific as internal mental processes cannot be directly tested and inferences may be mistaken
• Individual mental processes such as attention are seen as distinct. However there is little explanation as to how these mental events work together
• Reliability is questionable as self-report as a method of data collection