Cognitive Appraoch Flashcards
Give the 2 main assumptions of the cognitive approach
1)There are similarités between the way that people and computers process information. Both employ electrical impulses, have memory, collect and transmit information. Cognitive Psychology is concerned with attention, encoding, storing and retrieval of information.
2) Similarités and differences between people can help to explain our differing behaviors and emotions. This can be understood in terms of individual patterns of cognition that include attention, language development, thinking and memory.
State who proposed the working memory model,
Baddeley and Hitch-(1974)
Why was the working memory model formed
formed as an improvement of the multi store model of short term memory, because of the idea that we must be able to hold onto all types of information
Give a description of what the working memory model is
Working memory is a part of short term memory that allows one to temporarily make sense of information for tasks in daily life,
and is a multi component system, so assumes that short term memory has different components such as auditory and visual
Give 2 advantges of the working memory model
-makes sense of the range of cognitive tasks that one can complete, such as verbal reasoning, comprehension and spatial processing
-it is based on evidence from lab experiments, so variables can be controlled to produce reliable results
Give 2 Disadvantages of the working memory model
-too simple and vague, because eg it is unclear exactly where the central executive is
-results from lab experiments have low ecological validity because tasks such as repeating the,the the, are not represnetive of real life
Who made the multi store model and what date
Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)
Give a short description of what the multi store model is
Described as an information processing unit like a computer, what sun input, process and output.
And it is a unitary system, so assumes that there is only one type of short term memory
What is the main difference between the WMM and the MSM
WMM assumes that short term memory is a multi component system consisting of auditory and visual components, whereas the MSM assumes a unitary system where there is only one type of short term memory
Give an advantage of the multi store model
Gives a simple basic understanding of short term memory, allowing researchers to be able to expand upon this
Give 2 limitations of the multi store model
-oversimplified model, bc assumes that short term memory and long term memory operates ina uniform fashion, but WMM has proved that it has different components
-Clive wearing, who was a brain damaged patient had some long term memories but not others, proving that there is not only one store for long term memory
Name and Describe the main model synonymous to the cognitive approach
The computer processing model
that mental process are analogous to computer processes,
Where there is an input-sense data
Processing- cognition
Output-behaviour
Give three strengths of the cognitive approach
-acknowledges mental processes because it is bvious that thoughts and reflections have an effect on behaviour
-scientific bc uses reigouros experiments based on observable data to infer details
-use of practical applications such as cognitive therapy have given positive results
Give 2 limitations of the cognitive approach
-reductive , bc assuming that mental processes are analogous to a computer ignores hat humans have emotions that can affect behaviour, eg in eye witness testimony anxiety can affect the evidence
-low ecological validity, bc theories based on the approach are often from lab studies and do not necessarily relate to real life, eg in Baddeleys test of the capital of the central executive is an unusual task not really carried out in real life
What is cognitive dissonance
-when being faced with new information that contradicts existing information, individuals are faced with a sense of discomfort, consisting of confusion and logical conflict,
Therefore to return to a state of equilibrium they aim to change a certain action or belief.
