cognitive approach Flashcards
what are the assumptions of the cognitive approach
cognitive processes such as thoughts, perceptions
how should inner mental processes (thoughts and perceptions) be studied
in a scientific way, indirectly by making inferences about what is going on in people’s minds by their behaviour
what can inner mental processes be inferred from
their external behaviour
what are internal mental processes
private operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response
what is one theoretical model
the information processing approach
what does the information processing approach suggest
information flows through the cognitive system in a series of stages that include input, storage and retrieval.
computer model
think of mental processes as analogous to computer processes
computer model
input
from the environment via the senses
computer model
processing
info is encoded and processed eg using a schema
computer model
output
observable behaviour
what are schema
schema are packages of ideas and information developed through experience. They act as a mental framework for the interpretation of incoming information received by the cognitive system. Schema enable us to process lots of information quickly and prevents us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli.
what is cognitive neuroscience
the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes
weakness of schema
can distort - problems for EWT
strength of cognitive approach (scientific)
uses highly controlled methods of study to enable researchers to infer cognitive processes. They have used lab experiments to produce reliable, objective data. Additionally, the fields of biology and cognitive psychology come together to enhance the scientific basis of the study
strength of cognitive approach (practical application)
therapies based on the cognitive approach such as cognitive behavioural therapy have shown to produce positive results eg improve symptoms of depression. or the cognitive interview in improving eyewitness memory recall.
weakness of cognitive approach (machine reductionism)
the computer analogy has been criticised for ignoring the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system, and how this may affect our ability to process information. For example, research has found that emotions have an influence on memory , such as anxiety on eyewitnesses.
weakness of cognitive approach (lacks external validity)
cognitive psychologists are only able to infer mental processes from behaviour they can observe in their research. experimental studies of mental processes are often carried out using artificial stimuli that may not represent everyday memory experience. Therefore research on cognitive processes may lack external validity
