cognitive approach Flashcards
what are the 3 types of mental processes
1)perception
2)attention
3)memory
assumptions of cognitive approach
-psychology must study mental processes
-the mind works like a computer as stimuli is like input, the mind then processes those inputs, and behaviour is like an output
inference refers to
reaching conclusions about mental processes, based on observations of behaviour
mental processes A01(knowledge)
-mental processes have a limited capacity
-mental processes usually occur in sequence, but sometimes occur in parallel
a schema is a
mental framework which we form from our experience which affect our behaviour
assimilation definition
-when an experience matches our schema, it is assimilated into our schema
accommodation definition
-when an experience doesn’t match our schema, we must accommodate our schema to make sense of this new experience
support for schemas:
Bartlett(1932) (the war of the ghosts)
-recruited English participants and asked them to read a native American folktale
-he then asked them to recall the story
-he then measured how many details they got wrong
-he found out that participants changed the details of the story to match their own schemas
strengths of cognitive approach
-highly scientific as psychologists make inferences based on observable behaviour, meaning that they rely on empirical evidence, this therefore means their theories are falsifiable
-they also conduct laboratory experiments where they have high control of extraneous variables and minimising the influence they have on dependant variables.
-can be used to understand and treat mental disorders(CBT)-cognitive behavioural therapy
limitations of cognitive approach
-experiments lack ecological validity as laboratory experiments may not reflect how we use mental processes in everyday life
-ignores the possibility of individual experiences in mental processes
-a nomothetic approach
assumptions of humanistic approach:
humans have free will- people can act the way they want and behaviour isn’t just a matter of stimulus and response
everyone is unique- this means we can never generalise the results of an experiment as everyone behaves differently
-psychology must focus on what makes us human as we should reject the scientific method as it doesn’t let us do that
Maslows hierarchy of needs:
1) self actualisation
2) self esteem needs
3) love and belonging needs
4) safety needs
5) physiological needs
self actualisation:
-fulfilling our human potential
-includes the need for creative expression, the need to experience beauty and the need for knowledge and understanding
-because everyone is unique, everyone will self actualise in different ways
theory of self: Rogers
-according to this theory, the self concept is what you think of yourself, whereas the ideal self is what you would like to be
-rogers argued that someone’s self concept is congruent with their ideal self, then they will feel happy, fulfilled and self-actualised
-on the other hand, if someone’s self concept and ideal self are not congruent(incongruent) than they would benefit from humanistic counselling to reach their full potential
