Cognitive Approach

Question 1

What does the cognitive approach believe which differs from behaviourist approach

Answer 1

That mental processes can be studied scientifically which leads to behaviours such as memory, perception and thinking it be studied which was ignored by behaviorists

Question 2

What does the cognitive model use

Answer 2

The cognitive mdoel uses inferences, these are assumptions about internal mental processes which cannot be observed or measured directly -> these inferences are made based on behaviour and data

Question 3

What are internal mental processes

Answer 3

Internal mental processes refer to our operations whilst thinking for example what we choose to think about (attention) how we convert information from the eye to useable information (perception)

Question 4

What do cognitive psychologist use to study internal mental processes

Answer 4

• theoretical models
• computer models

Question 5

What is a theoretical mdoel (ipa)

Answer 5

An important theoretical model is the information processing apprahc which suggests that information flows through a cognitive sequence of stages such as input, storage and retrieval such as the msm
- these models are pictorial in nature and characterised by arrows and boxes to show cause and effect or different stages

Question 6

What is the computer mdoel

Answer 6

• computer mdoel assumes that the human mind is like a computer
• has similarities in the way it processes information such as a central processing unit (the brain) and stores for information

Question 7

What else can cognitive processing be affected by

Answer 7

Schemas

Question 8

What is a schema

Answer 8

A schema is a bundle of information which we gain through experience which acts as a mental framework for interpreting incoming information
- babies have simple motor schemas such as sucking and grabbing hwiever adults as they develop develop more developed schemas and have a schema for almost everything
- schemas can help with processing large amounts of information at once

Question 9

Hwiever what can schemas do

Answer 9

Help process lots of information at once but can also distort our interpretation leading to perpetual errors

Question 10

Outline study into schemas

Answer 10

Bartlett conducted a study into schemas
- Bartlett got English participants to read a Native American folk tale which was very different to British culture and had an unusual structure to English stories
- they read it and had to recall after different periods of time
- it was found that the participant left out details about ghosts
- replaced ships with car and bows with guns
- changed the structure of the Story and as more time went on the less they recalled
- shows how schemas can affect our interpretation