Cognitive

Question 1

Cognitive assumption

Answer 1

• Mind = computer in processing/storing/outputting info as behaviour through cognitions (e.g. language)
• Baron-Cohen shoes how a lack of theory of mind in autistics prevents efficient processing of info, making it hard to understand other’s mental states

Question 2

What is the following an assumption of?

“The mind is like a computer in processing information”

Answer 2

The cognitive approach

Question 3

Give a similarity between two cognitive studies.

Answer 3

Baron-Cohen and Loftus & Palmer are both criticised for lacking ecological validity

• Baron-Cohen: in real life we judge mental states by looking at whole, moving faces rather than still photo of set of eyes
• Loftus & Palmer: in real life we are not forewarned that an accident will happen rather than being told in advance as in this study

Question 4

Give a difference between two cognitive studies.

Answer 4

Loftus & Palmer and Savage-Rumbaugh are ethically different

• Loftus & Palmer: More ethical bc showed pts artificial films from driver education
• Savage-Rumbaugh: Less ethical bc chimps were not protected (showed distress by scratching; couldn’t return to the wild)

Question 5

Give a similarity and a difference between two cognitive studies.

Answer 5

Baron-Cohen and Loftus & Palmer are both criticised for lacking ecological validity

• Baron-Cohen: in real life we judge mental states by looking at whole, moving faces rather than still photo of set of eyes
• Loftus & Palmer: in real life we are not forewarned that an accident will happen rather than being told in advance as in this study

Loftus & Palmer and Savage-Rumbaugh are ethically different

• Loftus & Palmer: More ethical bc showed pts artificial films from driver education
• Savage-Rumbaugh: Less ethical bc chimps were not protected (showed distress by scratching; couldn’t return to the wild)

Question 6

Give a similarity between the Baron-Cohen study and the Loftus & Palmer study in the cognitive approach.

Answer 6

Both criticised for lacking ecological validity

• Baron-Cohen: in real life we judge mental states by looking at whole, moving faces rather than still photo of set of eyes
• Loftus & Palmer: in real life we are not forewarned that an accident will happen rather than being told in advance as in this study

Question 7

Give a difference between the Loftus & Palmer study and the Savage-Rumbaugh study in the cognitive approach.

Answer 7

ethically different

• Loftus & Palmer: More ethical bc showed pts artificial films from driver education
• Savage-Rumbaugh: Less ethical bc chimps were not protected (showed distress by scratching; couldn’t return to the wild)

Question 8

Give 2 brief strengths of the cognitive approach using an example from a cognitive study.

Answer 8

• Useful applications to see how cognitions can influence behaviour (L&P showed how memory can be manipulated)
• Lab conditions mean control over confounding variables (B-C controlled how IQ and age could affect t.o.m ability, so differences were down to being autistic alone) so cause and effect can be established

Question 9

Explain how useful applications is a strength of the cognitive approach (using P.E.C).

Answer 9

One strength of the cognitive approach is that it has provided insights into cognitive processes, having useful applications in helping us see how cognitions can influence behaviour. For example, in Loftus & Palmer’s research it was shown how memory can be easily manipulated by leading questions, whereby findings were collated into the Devlin report. This recommended that no-one should be convicted based on eye-witness testimony and the police should refrain from using leading questions in their answers.

Question 10

Explain how control over confounding variables is a strength of the cognitive approach (using P.E.C).

Answer 10

One strength of the cognitive approach is that because cognitions are frequently tested under laboratory conditions, there is often control over confounding variables. For example, Baron-Cohen was able to control IQ from having an effect on theory of mind ability as he chose participants whose IQ was all in the normal range, meaning that differences in the Eyes Task could not be attributed to differences in IQ but down to being autistic. This means we can see which independent variables are affecting the cognitive process more precisely, allowing us to establish cause and effect.

Question 11

Give two strengths of the cognitive approach.

Answer 11

One strength of the cognitive approach is that it has provided insights into cognitive processes, having useful applications in helping us see how cognitions can influence behaviour. For example, in Loftus & Palmer’s research it was shown how memory can be easily manipulated by leading questions, whereby findings were collated into the Devlin report. This recommended that no-one should be convicted based on eye-witness testimony and the police should refrain from using leading questions in their answers.

One strength of the cognitive approach is that because cognitions are frequently tested under laboratory conditions, there is often control over confounding variables. For example, Baron-Cohen was able to control IQ from having an effect on theory of mind ability as he chose participants whose IQ was all in the normal range, meaning that differences in the Eyes Task could not be attributed to differences in IQ but down to being autistic. This means we can see which independent variables are affecting the cognitive process more precisely, allowing us to establish cause and effect.

Question 12

Give 3 brief limitations of the cognitive approach using an example from a cognitive study.

Answer 12

• Use of lab studies = lack of ecological validity thus cognitions are being tested artificially (e.g. L&P car crash on video clips rather than real life) so results can’t be generalised
• Reductionist as ignores affect of other processes (e.g. B-C physiological could affect performance bc. gender task proved women to be better than men)
• Hypothetical constructs can be subjective (e.g. S-R: K’s aptitude for learning could be because of stimulus-response rather than with a real understanding of language) so lacks validity

Question 13

Explain how lack of ecological validity is a weakness of the cognitive approach (using P.E.C).

Answer 13

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that as lab studies are used, there is a lack of ecological validity as cognitions are being tested in artificial situations. For example, in Loftus & Palmer, participants had to answer questions on a crash they had seen from a video clip rather than in real life, whereby realistically there would likely be more of an emotional involvement in the situtation, affecting testimonies potentially. This is a weakness because we cannot generalise results from such research to predict how cognitive processes are affected in real life.

Question 14

Explain how reductionism is a weakness of the cognitive approach (using P.E.C).

Answer 14

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that it is reductionist in that it ignores the possible influence of other psychological approaches, such as physiological or behaviourist, and assumes behaviour can only be the result of cognitions. For example, in Baron-Cohen’s study, one result was that women displayed better theory of mind abilities than men, suggesting physiological factors must have a role in determining cognitions and how they influence behaviour. This is a weakness as it ignores how behaviour in real life can be affected by approaches other than cognitions, thus perhaps we need to be more holistic in our approach to psychology, incorporating other approach’s idea and theories to gain a more valid and well-rounded view.

Question 15

Explain how hypothetical constructs are a weakness of the cognitive approach (using P.E.C).

Answer 15

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that cognitions are hypothetical constructs that cannot be seen, making them difficult and subjective to analyse. For example, the results from Savage-Rumbaugh’s study may suggest that Kanzi had a greater aptitude for language acquisition because he was able to identify the correct photograph when spoken to. However, this could be a result of stimulus-response, without a real understanding of language. Therefore it is very difficult to identify whether or not a cognition, such as language, is being measured, thus the validity of the cognitive approach can be questioned.

Question 16

Give two limitations of the cognitive approach.

Answer 16

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that as lab studies are used, there is a lack of ecological validity as cognitions are being tested in artificial situations. For example, in Loftus & Palmer, participants had to answer questions on a crash they had seen from a video clip rather than in real life, whereby realistically there would likely be more of an emotional involvement in the situtation, affecting testimonies potentially. This is a weakness because we cannot generalise results from such research to predict how cognitive processes are affected in real life.

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that it is reductionist in that it ignores the possible influence of other psychological approaches, such as physiological or behaviourist, and assumes behaviour can only be the result of cognitions. For example, in Baron-Cohen’s study, one result was that women displayed better theory of mind abilities than men, suggesting physiological factors must have a role in determining cognitions and how they influence behaviour. This is a weakness as it ignores how behaviour in real life can be affected by approaches other than cognitions, thus perhaps we need to be more holistic in our approach to psychology, incorporating other approach’s idea and theories to gain a more valid and well-rounded view.

Question 17

Give three limitations of the cognitive approach.

Answer 17

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that as lab studies are used, there is a lack of ecological validity as cognitions are being tested in artificial situations. For example, in Loftus & Palmer, participants had to answer questions on a crash they had seen from a video clip rather than in real life, whereby realistically there would likely be more of an emotional involvement in the situtation, affecting testimonies potentially. This is a weakness because we cannot generalise results from such research to predict how cognitive processes are affected in real life.

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that it is reductionist in that it ignores the possible influence of other psychological approaches, such as physiological or behaviourist, and assumes behaviour can only be the result of cognitions. For example, in Baron-Cohen’s study, one result was that women displayed better theory of mind abilities than men, suggesting physiological factors must have a role in determining cognitions and how they influence behaviour. This is a weakness as it ignores how behaviour in real life can be affected by approaches other than cognitions, thus perhaps we need to be more holistic in our approach to psychology, incorporating other approach’s idea and theories to gain a more valid and well-rounded view.

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that cognitions are hypothetical constructs that cannot be seen, making them difficult and subjective to analyse. For example, the results from Savage-Rumbaugh’s study may suggest that Kanzi had a greater aptitude for language acquisition because he was able to identify the correct photograph when spoken to. However, this could be a result of stimulus-response, without a real understanding of language. Therefore it is very difficult to identify whether or not a cognition, such as language, is being measured, thus the validity of the cognitive approach can be questioned.

Question 18

Give two strengths and two limitations of the cognitive approach.

Answer 18

One strength of the cognitive approach is that it has provided insights into cognitive processes, having useful applications in helping us see how cognitions can influence behaviour. For example, in Loftus & Palmer’s research it was shown how memory can be easily manipulated by leading questions, whereby findings were collated into the Devlin report. This recommended that no-one should be convicted based on eye-witness testimony and the police should refrain from using leading questions in their answers.

One strength of the cognitive approach is that because cognitions are frequently tested under laboratory conditions, there is often control over confounding variables. For example, Baron-Cohen was able to control IQ from having an effect on theory of mind ability as he chose participants whose IQ was all in the normal range, meaning that differences in the Eyes Task could not be attributed to differences in IQ but down to being autistic. This means we can see which independent variables are affecting the cognitive process more precisely, allowing us to establish cause and effect.

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that as lab studies are used, there is a lack of ecological validity as cognitions are being tested in artificial situations. For example, in Loftus & Palmer, participants had to answer questions on a crash they had seen from a video clip rather than in real life, whereby realistically there would likely be more of an emotional involvement in the situtation, affecting testimonies potentially. This is a weakness because we cannot generalise results from such research to predict how cognitive processes are affected in real life.

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that it is reductionist in that it ignores the possible influence of other psychological approaches, such as physiological or behaviourist, and assumes behaviour can only be the result of cognitions. For example, in Baron-Cohen’s study, one result was that women displayed better theory of mind abilities than men, suggesting physiological factors must have a role in determining cognitions and how they influence behaviour. This is a weakness as it ignores how behaviour in real life can be affected by approaches other than cognitions, thus perhaps we need to be more holistic in our approach to psychology, incorporating other approach’s idea and theories to gain a more valid and well-rounded view.

Question 19

Discuss strenghts and weaknesses of the cognitive approach.

Answer 19

One strength of the cognitive approach is that it has provided insights into cognitive processes, having useful applications in helping us see how cognitions can influence behaviour. For example, in Loftus & Palmer’s research it was shown how memory can be easily manipulated by leading questions, whereby findings were collated into the Devlin report. This recommended that no-one should be convicted based on eye-witness testimony and the police should refrain from using leading questions in their answers.

One strength of the cognitive approach is that because cognitions are frequently tested under laboratory conditions, there is often control over confounding variables. For example, Baron-Cohen was able to control IQ from having an effect on theory of mind ability as he chose participants whose IQ was all in the normal range, meaning that differences in the Eyes Task could not be attributed to differences in IQ but down to being autistic. This means we can see which independent variables are affecting the cognitive process more precisely, allowing us to establish cause and effect.

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that as lab studies are used, there is a lack of ecological validity as cognitions are being tested in artificial situations. For example, in Loftus & Palmer, participants had to answer questions on a crash they had seen from a video clip rather than in real life, whereby realistically there would likely be more of an emotional involvement in the situtation, affecting testimonies potentially. This is a weakness because we cannot generalise results from such research to predict how cognitive processes are affected in real life.

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that it is reductionist in that it ignores the possible influence of other psychological approaches, such as physiological or behaviourist, and assumes behaviour can only be the result of cognitions. For example, in Baron-Cohen’s study, one result was that women displayed better theory of mind abilities than men, suggesting physiological factors must have a role in determining cognitions and how they influence behaviour. This is a weakness as it ignores how behaviour in real life can be affected by approaches other than cognitions, thus perhaps we need to be more holistic in our approach to psychology, incorporating other approach’s idea and theories to gain a more valid and well-rounded view.

A weakness of the cognitive approach is that cognitions are hypothetical constructs that cannot be seen, making them difficult and subjective to analyse. For example, the results from Savage-Rumbaugh’s study may suggest that Kanzi had a greater aptitude for language acquisition because he was able to identify the correct photograph when spoken to. However, this could be a result of stimulus-response, without a real understanding of language. Therefore it is very difficult to identify whether or not a cognition, such as language, is being measured, thus the validity of the cognitive approach can be questioned.

Question 20

Describe how the cognitive approach could explain the inaccuracy of eyewitness testimony.

Answer 20

• Cognitive psychologists argue eyewitness testimony can be made inaccurate by being exposed to additional information after the event - called reconstructive hypothesis theory
• Add. info (e.g. leading q.s) is merged with our version of events
• E.g. L&P ‘smashed’ suggested faster speed than ‘collided’ according to results