Approaches To Psychology: Cognitive Approach Flashcards
What does the cognitive approach investigate
It looks as the internal workings of the mind and explains behaviour through cognitive processes
It is about how we think
How do cognitive psychologists try explain behaviour
They look at our perception, language, attention and memory
They use experimental methods to test behaviour scientifically
What type of approach is cognitive
Reductionist: the mind can be compared to a computer
How are computer models use to explain how we behave
Humans are treated as information processors (computers) and behaviour is explained in terms of information processing (how computers deal with information)
What are laboratory experiments
Lots of research in cognitive psychology happens in laboratories
This is scientific and reliable as you can have good control over variables
However it has low ecological validity
What are field experiments
Take place in natural situations
They have higher ecological validity
But there’s less control of most of the variables
What are natural experiments
These involve making observations of a naturally occurring situation
Experimenter has little control of variable and ppts can’t be randomly assigned to conditions
They have high ecological validity but not massively reliable, as uncontrolled (or confounding) variables can affect the results
What are the principles of the cognitive approach
Our mental systems have a limited capacity: the amount of information that can be processed will be influenced be how demanding the task is and how much other information is being processed
A control mechanism oversees all mental processes: this will require more processing power for new tasks
There is a two-way flow of information: we take in information from the world, process it, and react to t. We also use our knowledge and experiences to understand the world
How is the mind described as a computer
The brain is described as the processor - it has data input into it, and output from it
Some parts of the brain form networks
Some parts can work sequentially ( info travels along just one path ).
This means one process must finish before another starts.
This occurs in more demanding, or unknown tasks
Can work in parallel as well: info travels back and forth along lots of paths at the same time.
More likely to happen for tasks which are familiar
Computer system compared with human system
Computer system: data input, data processing, data output
Human system:
Input: information coming in from the world through sense organs
Processing: brain
Output information passed back out for action
Signals pass through neurones
Differences between humans and computers
Human are influenced by emotional and motivational factors
Humans have an unlimited but unreliable memory while computers have a limited but reliable memory
Humans also have free will (ability to choose between decisions) which computers don’t
What is a schema
Contains all the information you know about an object, action or concept
E.g. schema of a human face contains information that a face has two eyes, a mouth and a nose
Schemas help you to organise and interpret information
What happens when info is consistent with the schema
When the information is consistent with the schema, it is assimilated into the schema
E.g. a child’s schema for an apple may be edible, green, hard sphere, every time the child sees an apple, the experience is assimilated and the schema is strengthened
What happens when info is inconsistent with the schema
When information is inconsistent with the schema, accommodation occurs and the schema has to change in order to resolve the problem
E.g. if a child sees a different colour apple, the apple schema has to accommodate the new info - it becomes edible, hard sphere that is either green or red
What are role schemas
Ideas about the behaviour which is expected from someone in a certain role, setting or situation
E.g. schema for a doctor may be intelligent, respectable and sensible
What are event schemas
Can also be called scripts
Contain info about what happens in a situation
E.g. when you go to a restaurant you know you’ll usually need to read a menu and order
What are self schemas
Contain info about ourselves based on physical characteristics and personality, as well as beliefs and values
Self schemas can affect how you act
E.g. if your self-schema says that you are health conscious, you are likely to eat well and exercise
Problems with schemas
Schemas can stop people from learning new information
E.g. prejudice and stereotypes can be an outcome of schemas:
A schema which holds expectations or beliefs about a certain group of people may bias the way we process incoming information
Th8s means we may be more likely to pay attention to information we can easily assimilate, and ignore information that would cause our schemas to accommodate and change
Method of Bartlett’s War of the Ghosts experiment
English ppts were asked to read a Native American folk tale called war of the ghosts
It was an unfamiliar story full of unusual names, ideas and objects
It also had a different structure to English stories
Ppts were asked to recall the story after different lengths of time
Results of Bartlett’s War of the Ghosts experiment
All ppts changed the story to fit their own schemas
Details of story became more English and contain elements of English culture and details and emotions were added
As the length of time between hearing and recalling the story increased, amount of information remembered became a lot less
Conclusion of Bartlett’s War of the Ghosts experiment
People use their own schemas to help interpret the world around them
Evaluation of Bartlett’s War of the Ghosts experiment
Conducted in laboratory so lacks ecological validity
Highly influential at the time as it paved the way for further cognitive research
The emergence of neuroscience
Cognitive approach started in the 1950s and 1960s but didn’t take hold until 1970s
This is because of modern brain imaging techniques and procedures
This is when cognitive neuroscience started to emerge
What is the cognitive approach
An approach in psychology which maps human behaviour to brain function
Brain imaging techniques allow psychologists to discover when and where things happen in the brain in relation to peoples behaviour at the time
What methods does cognitive neuroscience use
Lesion studies: looking at people with brain damage to see how behaviour is affected
Electrophysiology: using electric magnetic fields measure brain activity and brain waves
Neuroimaging: pinpointing areas of the brain which are active when a task is performed e.g. PET scans have been used to show the brain areas that are most active during memory tasks
Strengths of the cognitive approach
Considers mental processes which are often overlooked in other approaches
Has had big influence on the development of therapies e.g. cognitive behaviour therapy
Positive evaluation for cognitive approach: scientific and objective methods
Employs highly controlled and rigorous methods of study in order so researchers can infer cognitive processes at work.
Lab experiments- reliable, objective data produced
Biology and cognitive psychology now work together
Credible scientific basis
Negative evaluation for cognitive approach: machine reductionism
Ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system and how this may affect our ability to process information.
Human have an unreliable and unlimited memory – computers have a limit but it is reliable
Asks the question “ do humans have free will “
Negative evaluation for cognitive approach: application to everyday life
Only able to infer mental processes from behaviours observed
Too abstract and theoretical in nature
Use artificial stimuli that may not represent everyday memory experience.
May lack external validity
Positive evaluation for cognitive approach: treatment for mental health
Cognitive behavioural theory where patients learn to notice negative/ fault thought cognitions and test how accurate they are
Goals can be set to think positively/ adapt thoughts
Positive evaluation for cognitive approach: real - life application
Cognitive psychology has made important contributions to the study of artificial intelligence (AI) and the development of thinking machines (robots)
Positive evaluation for cognitive approach: less determinist than other approaches
Determinism- all physical events occur in cause and effect relationships:
All determined by past events and causes
Used to predict future behaviour.
CA- soft determinism: recognises that our cognitive system can only operate within the limits of what we know, but that we are free to think before responding to a stimulus.
This is a reasonable ‘interactionist’ position.
