Approaches : The Cognitive Approach Flashcards
The cognitive approach
concerned with how thinking shapes our behaviour. Developed as a reaction against the behaviourist stimulus-response approach - investigates memory, perception and thinking (neglected by behaviourists)
Making inferences
Cognitivists rely heavily on the lab experiment.
Mental internal processes are private and cannot be observed so cognitive psychologists study them indirectly by making inferences.
Information processing model
The mind works like a computer (the mind also has input and output processes)
Internal mental processes - theoretical models
visual representations of concepts
nternal mental processes - schemas
a cognitive framework (mental representation) of ideas and information developed through experience. They help schemata help organise and interpret information in the brain.
Schemas - advs
enable us to process lots of information quickly and this is useful as a sort of mental short-cut that prevents us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli.
Schemas - Disadvs
• distort our interpretations of sensory information, leading to perceptual errors
• lead to stereotyping and therefore prejudice.
The opposite effect
Our expectations cause us to misperceive the sensory info
Cognitive neuroscience
• a distinct academic field which scientifically studies the influence of brain structure and activity on mental processes.
• The term cognitive neuroscience was coined by Miller (1976).
• involves the use of brain scanning technology such as PET and fMRI scans to show how different parts of the brain become active in different cognitive activities and emotions.
Scientific and objective methods
Highly controlled and rigorous methods to allow researchers to infer cognitive processes. They use lab experiments to produce reliable, objective data
Machine reductionism
Ignores the influences of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system and how this may affect our ability to process info
Soft determinism
Recognises out cognitive system can only operate within limits of what we know and we are free to think before repointing to a stimulus,
Advs of the cognitive aproach
• Less deterministic than other approaches and is more soft deterministic
• relies heavily/ solely on lab experiments so there’s a strict control of variables and a standardised procedure meaning experiments can be easily repeated and retested for reliability and validity → also helping psychology emerge as a science
Disadvs of the cognitive approach
• as mental processes are private and can’t be observed directly, all cognitive results are based off of inferences meaning results must be generalised to the general population with caution
• lab experiments lack mundane realism and ecological validity, making room for demand characteristics and/ or order effects
