Assumption 1&2- Internal mental processes and the computer analogy Flashcards
How does internal mental processes help us make sense of the word.
If you are in a bakery solving the problem of trying to decide which cake to buy. You focus your attention on one cake in particular and perceive it as a round shape with a certain colour and texture. You use your memory to recall the name of the cake, a doughnut, and your problem solving skills to consider the virtues if the doughnut over the other cakes on display
How can internal mental processes go wrong?
Internal mental processes can sometimes go wrong and result in abnormal behaviour such as depression, phobia and eating disorders, they can all be explained by thought processes that have become irrational or distorted
What is a cognitive deficiency?
When an individual does not think or plan sufficiently leading to negative behaviours. Cognitive distortions are a result of the cognitive system inaccurately processing information. Cognitive deficiencies can offer an explanation for the symptoms of depression. Individuals who do not fully think a problem through may come up with an inappropriate solution
How can cognitive distortions can explain the thought processes of individuals?
With an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa. Anorexics perceive themselves to be overweight but when other people look at them they see someone who is severely underweight the accurate perception of the individual. However, the information the individual with anorexia has received by looking at themselves in the mirror has become distorted.
According to the cognitive approach how can a human mind be compared to a computer?
We take in information via our senses, processes it and then generates an output for our behaviour. We cannot directly see the processes taking place but we can assume that the way a person behaves is a reflection of these processes working in the background
