Cognitive Approach Flashcards
What is an inference?
Going beyond the immediate evidence and making assumptions about behaviour that cannot be directly observed
What are the keywords to do with the Cognitive Approach?
Observable, internal cognitive processes, inferences, inputs, outputs, limited capacity, theoretical model, computational model, schemas
What are schemas?
Schemas are mental frameworks of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing developed from past experiences being applied to new ones through generalisation and submission of stereotypes.
AO3 - Machine Reductionism
P: Too simplistic, is not accurate as humans do not always act rationally
E: An ‘input’ of the sound of a car engine backfire may receive different reactions due to past experiences
AO3 - Scientific
E: Miller (1956) and Jacobs (1887) found that the memory has a limited capacity of 7+/-2 items.
E: validates assumptions that the brain has a limited capacity, like a CPU, increases credibility in explaining behaviour due to empirical nature
AO3 - Not as scientific
P: behaviourist approach more scientific
E: Internal mental process cannot be observed and so inferences cannot be tested for
E: reduces theoretical validity, lack of scientific features reduces credibility in extrapolating research
AO1 - Cognitive neuroscience
- Miller (1956), study biological structures influencing mental processes, brain scanning techniques to look at the living brain
- Episodic and semantic memory located at different sites of prefrontal cortex
- Bridges gap between cognitive and biological approach, tributes behaviour to biological response in the brain
AO3 - Practical implications
E: Wixted et al (2018) association between degeneration of hippocampus and early stages of alzheimer’s.
E: findings can be used to produce medication and treatments to prevent diseases/disorders for worsening
