Approaches: Cognitive And Biological Approaches (L5-8) Flashcards
1
Q
Key assumptions of the cognitive approach (internal mental processes)?
A
- psych should be the study of internal mental processes, e.g. memory, perception etc
- importance of the role of schema
- appropriate to make inferences about cognitive processes
- use of models of explanation – theoretical and computer models
- possibility of combining cognitive processes and biological structures (cognitive neuroscience)
2
Q
What are inferences?
A
- going beyond the immediate evidence to make assumptions about mental processes that cannot be directly observed
3
Q
What are theoretical models, CA?
A
- simplified representations based on current research evidence
- often pictorial in nature, represented by boxes and arrows that indicate cause and effect in mental processes
- often incomplete and frequently updated
- e.g. the Working Memory Model was first
proposed in 1974, but a fourth component was added in 2000
4
Q
How do cognitive psychologists use computer models?
A
- to explain mental processes
- use of computers as analogies
- e.g. info inputted through senses, coded into mem then combined with prev stored info
- often used to explain mem, LTM like hard disk and RAM, which is cleared and reset once task carried out, is like working memory
5
Q
What are schema, CA?
A
- mental representations of experience, knowledge and understanding
- they help organise and interpret information in the brain
- e.g. schema for specific events are based on expectations of how to behave in a different situation (e.g. a restaurant or a classroom) or in different roles (e.g. as a prison guard or a student)
6
Q
Why are schema useful, CA?
A
- they help us predict what will happen in our world based on our previous experiences
- also enable us to process vast amounts of information rapidly
- prevent us from becoming overwhelmed by environmental stimuli
7
Q
What is the downside of scheme, CA?
A
- schema can distort our interpretation of sensory information
- could also lead to perceptual errors or inaccurate memories
- can cause biased recall as we see what we expect
- negative or faulty schema may have a negative impact on mental health (e.g. the negative triad)
8
Q
What is cognitive neuroscience?
A
- integration of cognitive and biological processes
- scientific study of the neurological structures, mechanisms, processes and chemistry which are responsible for our thinking processes
9
Q
Practical applications or cognitive neuroscience?
A
- brain images techniques like Position Emission Tomography (PET) and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) used to locate different types of mem in different areas of the brain
- e.g, episodic in hippocampus, semantic in temporal lobe and procedural in cerebellum
- led to more effective treatments for memory disorders
10
Q
Cognitive approach +ve:
A
- emphasises scientific methods such as lab experiments when collecting data
- means that high levels of control can be exercised in these settings and cause and effects relationships can be identified
- but laboratory experiments can be criticised for lacking ecological validity. - focus on detail of exactly what can be recalled by participants in controlled environments means an understanding of the everyday use of memory is missing from explanations
= used to explain the development of negative schema which can aid our understanding of mental illnesses like depression - had a vast influence on the development of therapies in Psychology
- like cognitive behavioural therapy aims to change negative thoughts into more positive thoughts to help treat depression
= can be applied to practical and theoretical contexts and has helped develop cognitive neuroscience
= has helped contribute to the development of artificial intelligence and, “thinking” machines such as robots
11
Q
Cognitive approach -ve:
A
- uses computer models
- phrases like storage and retrieval are taken directly from computing
- but there is an important difference between the sort of information processing that takes place within a computer programme and the processing that takes place in the human mind
- computers do not make mistakes, or ignore available information, or forget what has been stored on their hard drives
- humans, on the other hand, do all of these things
= can be seen as mechanical in regarding human thinking as processing
= like the computer leaving little room for the irrationality often seen in emotional behaviours - lack of ecological validity
12
Q
Key assumptions of the Biological Approach (genetics and biological structures)?
A
- behaviour has evolved through evolutionary adaptation
- genes an individual possesses influence their behaviour
- biological examination of animals can provide useful information about human behaviour
- biological structures and neurochemistry control and influence our reactions to the environment
13
Q
What is evolution, BA?
A
- according to Charles Darwin
- our behaviour has adapted and changed over time through natural selection
- this is where profitable behaviours are selected in mates and therefore reproduced
- over time, advantageous behaviours will continue which will continually increase our ability to survive
14
Q
What is heredity, BA?
A
- refers to the idea that characteristics are ‘passed on’ from one generation to the next through our genetics
- characteristics can be physical like height and hair colour
- or psychological like intelligence and predisposition to mental illness
15
Q
How is the extent to which genes influence behaviour examined, BA?
A
- work is often carried out on pairs of twins
- these studies often involve comparing the likelihood of a behaviour/disorder occurring in
identical twins, monozygotic (who are 100% genetically similar) - to the likelihood of the behaviour/disorder occurring among non-identical twins, dizygotic (who are 50% genetically similar)
- if the MZ twins show a higher concordance
rate (shared behaviour) then there is argued to be a genetic component
