Assumption Flashcards
What is the cognitive approach concerned with?
It focuses on how thinking, beliefs, attitudes and mental processes influence and shape behaviour.
What is the computer analogy in the cognitive approach?
It compares the mind to a computer: receiving inputs, processing them, and producing outputs (behaviour).
What is the ‘hardware’ and ‘software’ in the computer analogy?
Hardware = the brain; Software = mental processes like memory, attention, perception, and thinking.
What does the computer analogy allow psychologists to do?
Build and test models of how the mind works through scientific experiments
Example of a psychological model based on this analogy?
The Multi-Store Memory Model (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968) – describes how information flows through short- and long-term memory.
What are internal mental processes?
Mental activities like attention, memory, perception, and language that help us understand the world and influence behaviour.
Why are internal mental processes important in psychology?
They shape our understanding, feelings, and actions—and faulty processing can lead to disorders like depression or anxiety.
Example of internal processes going wrong?
People with anorexia have distorted body perception; those with anxiety interpret situations as more threatening than they are.
What is a schema?
A mental framework or “packet of knowledge” built from past experiences, helping us interpret and respond to the world.
Why are schemas useful?
They guide behaviour in familiar situations, help us process information quickly, and help predict what to expect.
Example of how schemas affect mental health?
According to Beck’s Cognitive Triad, negative schemas about the self, world, and future can lead to depression.
