Approaches - Cognitive Approach Flashcards
What are the 3 assumptions?
- They believe it’s important to look at internal mental processes in order to understand behaviour - they investigate memory, perception, thinking, attention and language
- Cognitive psychologists study mental processes by making infrences as they are not observable, they devise models and then test and measure them scientifically
- They say our minds work like a computer: input from our senses which our mind then processes and produces an output such as language or specific behaviours
Why do cognitive psychologists use theoretical models?
- To help them understand internal mental processes. The models are abstract, meaning they should never be taken as the exact copy of things being described so they are a representation
- After models are studied in lab settings, infrences can be made which enables theories to be developed about mental processes
- Cognitive psychologists encourage use of theoretical models as they support a scientific approach into mental processes
- Models also mean that all components can be tested individually and examined in detail and if data from experiments don’t fit with model, it can be adjusted
Explain theoretical model 1
The information processing approach
* It suggests that information flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages: input, transformation, output
* It shows the similarities in human mental processing and computer information processing
Input
Human: Input from environment via senses and then encoded (stimulus)
Computer: Symbolic input via mouse or keyboard
Transformation
Human: Encoded information then processed in brain, stored and retrived from memory (process)
Computer: Information recorded, stored and retrived from memory via USB stick
Output
Human: Behavioural response
Computer: Symbolic output via printer
Explain theoretical model 2
The Multistore Memory Model
* Information flows through our memory system in a series of stages
1. Input from environment is encoded by sensory memory
2. Attention is then paid to it by short term memory and through maintainance rehersal, input is transfered into long term memory
3. Retrival from LTM to STM
4. STM then delivers output to input
What are computer models?
- Programmes that run on a computer to imitate the human mind
- They involve actually programming a computer to achieve similar processing and output to humans - they are software simulations of internal mental processes
- Cognitive psychologists believe computer models are important and useful to understand how information is processed in the human mind
Example of a computer model
Artificial Intelligence
* It is the building of machines/programmes that behave intelligently
* It can solve problems, make decisions and learn from mistakes
* They are programmed with knowledge that can be used to deal with real world problems to replace work of humans
* SIRI- translates voice into text which gets fed into a search engine and answer is fed back using human language
What are schemas?
- Packages of information,beliefs and expectations in the mind developed through experience
- Schemas act as mental framework for the nterpretation of incoming information recieved by cognitive system
- Schemas are aquired through experience to help you respond to situation/object appropriately and they can affect what you recall about situations
- As we get older, our schemas become more detailed and sophisticated
Example
If you witness a crime scene, your schema will help you interpret what you observed and heard
How are schemas useful?
They enable us to process lots of information quickly and it’s useful as a mental short cut that prevents us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli.
How are schemas unhelpful?
They may cause errors in our processing of the sensory information we recieve. If we experience a situation that we don’t have a schema for, we might ignore that information or misinterpret it so it fits with existing schemas. If someone has a negative schema for themselves and the world, it can lead to mental health conditions.
What is cognitive neuroscience?
- Scientific study of brain structures, mechanisms, processes and chemistry responsible for mental process
- Involves mapping brain areas to specific cognitive processes - 1860s, Broca identfied that an area of frontal lobe is linked to speech production
- It aims to explore the neurobiological basis of thought processes and disorders
- They study mental processes linked to different areas of the brain such as memory, attention, language and perception
What do cognitive neuroscientists use?
PET scans and MRI scans
* They are used to understand differnet areas of the brain are linked to different cognitive activities and emotions
* Scans show which parts of the brain are active when someone’s engaged in a cognitive task
* They study normal and abnormal brains to see how they compare - patients with certain psychological disorders show abnormal activity in specific areas of the brain when they are experiencing symptoms - scans also show that the structure and size of brain areas can be different in patients with certain psychological disorders
What are the 2 practical applications of cognitive neuroscience?
- It can be used to locate areas of the brain that are linked to mental health conditions, this information can then be used to develop treatments which target that particular brain area to help patients with the disorder
- It can be used to locate different types of memory in different brain areas e.g. episodic, which can lead to treatment for people with memory problems
Lab experiment study
Johnson and Scott 1987 - Eye Witness Testimony
* Used 2 conditions: one involved a weapon, the other a pen
* In both conditions the Ps heard a discussion in a different room, in condition 1, a man emerged holding a pen and with grease on his hands. In condition 2, the discussion was more heated and a man emerged holding a knife covered in blood
* The participants were then asked to identify the man from 50 photos - Ps in condition 1 were 49% accurate and Ps in condition 2 were 33% accurate
* This suggests the weapon had disracted their attention from the person holding it and it explains why eyewitnesses sometimes have poor recall for certain details of violent crimes
Case study method
- They are an indepth investiagtion of a particular person or small group
- Allow us to gain rich, detailed, meaningful, qualitative data
- They mainly focus on brain damage ad how it affects the cognitive system
Patient HM (Example)
HM suffered from severe epileptic seizure and they got worse and more debilitating, they did no longer respond to treatment. Dr Scoville believed that HM could be cured by removing the part of his brain thought to be causing his seizures (hippocampus was removed). After surgery, HM’s epilepsy improved slightly but he had suffered permanent memory loss - he could remember things from before the operation but had trouble storing information from events after operation.
The case of HM demonstrated that the hippocampus is essential for memory
