cognitive approach

Question 1

what are the assumptions of the cognitive approach

Answer 1

cognitive processes such as thoughts, perceptions

Question 2

how should inner mental processes (thoughts and perceptions) be studied

Answer 2

in a scientific way, indirectly by making inferences about what is going on in people’s minds by their behaviour

Question 3

what can inner mental processes be inferred from

Answer 3

their external behaviour

Question 4

what are internal mental processes

Answer 4

private operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response

Question 5

what is one theoretical model

Answer 5

the information processing approach

Question 6

what does the information processing approach suggest

Answer 6

information flows through the cognitive system in a series of stages that include input, storage and retrieval.

Question 7

computer model

Answer 7

think of mental processes as analogous to computer processes

Question 8

computer model

input

Answer 8

from the environment via the senses

Question 9

computer model

processing

Answer 9

info is encoded and processed eg using a schema

Question 10

computer model

output

Answer 10

observable behaviour

Question 11

what are schema

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

what is cognitive neuroscience

Answer 12

the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes

Question 14

weakness of schema

Answer 14

can distort - problems for EWT

Question 15

strength of cognitive approach (scientific)

Answer 15

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

Question 16

strength of cognitive approach (practical application)

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

weakness of cognitive approach (machine reductionism)

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

weakness of cognitive approach (lacks external validity)

Answer 18

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