cognitive

Question 1

What are the key assumptions/ points of the Cognitive Approach

Answer 1

• behaviour is influenced by both conscious and unconscious thoughts
• Internal Mental Processes mediate between stimulus and response
• Humans are information processors that can be compared to computers

Question 2

What is a schema?

Answer 2

-a cognitive framework of beliefs and expectations
-developed from experience that helps us organize and interpret information in the brain
-used as a reference to help us behave appropriately

Question 3

What are the advantages of a schema?

Answer 3

-Help us process lots of information quickly
-Stops us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli

Question 4

What are the disadvantages of a schema?

Answer 4

-May develop stereotypes that are difficult to disconfirm
-can distort our interpretations of sensory information leading to perceptual errors

Question 5

What are theoretical/ computer models?

Answer 5

Simplified, usually pictorial representation of a particular mental process
Based on available evidence

Question 6

Similarities between humans and computers?

Answer 6

-Both recall and process information
-take data from the outside word and transform it

Question 7

Differences between humans and computers?

Answer 7

Computers have no emotion
Computers may misinterpret instructions/ have processing errors
Humans have selective memory/ attention

Question 8

What is cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 8

-scientific study of biological structures that underpin cognitive processes
-interested in which brain regions are involved when we interact, human cognition, attention, how impairments in brain regions may characterise different psych conditions etc

Question 9

What are the strengths of the cognitive approach?

Answer 9

-Has many applications
-Scientific- use of models

Question 10

What are the weaknesses of the cognitive approach?

Answer 10

-use of computer models
-Ignores important factors

Question 11

Explain the strength of the cognitive approach that it has many applications?

Answer 11

-E.g the cognitive approach to psychopathology has been able to explain dysfunctional behaviour in terms of faulty thinking processes
-This has led to the development of treatments for illnesses such as depression with cognitive based therapies
-These treatments, which aim to change dysfunctional ways of thinking, have been shown to be successful in some mental disorders
-This suggests that the emphasis on mental processes for explaining mental disorders is valid

Question 12

Explain the strength of the cognitive approach that it is scientific?

Answer 12

-Although cognitive psychologists create theories and models on behaviour, they do this as a result of experimentation with human participants
-This means that their conclusions are based in far more than common sense and introspection which can give a misleading picture
-As such, the approach can be seen as a systematic, objective and rigorous way for reaching accurate conclusions about how the mind works

Question 13

Explain the limitation of the cognitive approach that it uses computer models?

Answer 13

For example it uses terms such as ‘encoding’ and ‘storage’ for the mind which are borrowed from this field
-However there are important differences between the human mind and computer programmes
-For example humans make mistakes and are able to ignore available information when necessary.
-These are all fundamental differences that can impact the way a human behaves.

Question 14

Explain the limitation of the cognitive approach that it ignores important factors?

Answer 14

-Although the cognitive approach tells us how cognitive processes take place. It doesn’t tell us why they take place.
-This may be the result of the computer analogy and the over-dependence of this approach on information processing analogies
-Humans possess motivation and emotion, whereas information processing machines don’t