Cognitive Approach

Question 1

What are the assumptions of the cognitive approach?

Answer 1

Behaviour is influenced by thought that can be conscious and unconscious

Humans are information processors with our mental processes extracting, storing, and retrieving information that helps to guide our behaviour

Processes are not directly studied because they are private so are studied indirectly and inferences are made on the basis of observed behaviours

Question 2

Schemas

Answer 2

A cognitive framework of beliefs and expectations that help us to organise and interpret information in the brain. They are developed from experience and help us to make sense of new information.

Question 3

Internal Mental Processes

Answer 3

Operations of the mind that mediate between the stimulus and response. They are private and cannot be observed directly.

Question 4

Inference

Answer 4

Going beyond the immediate evidence to make assumptions about mental processes that cannot be directly observed.

Question 5

Cognitive Neuroscience

Answer 5

• The scientific study of the brain/ neurological structure that are responsible for cognitive/ mental/ thinking processes
• It has became prevalent over the latter half of the twentieth century, incorporating neuroscience techniques such as brain scanning to study the impact of brain structures on cognitive processes

Question 6

Theoretical and Computer Model

Answer 6

-Proposed to attempt to explain and infer information about mental processes

• For example, the Information-Processing Model describes the mind as if a computer, in terms of the relationship between incoming information to be encoded, manipulating this mentally and consequently directing an output