Cognitive approach Flashcards
What is The cognitive approach
Meaning ‘mental processes’ so approach focuses on how our mental processes (thoughts perceptions, Attention) Affect behaviour
What are internal mental processes
‘Private’ operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response.
What is a schema?
A metal framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. They are developed by experience
What is inference?
The process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operated on the basis of observed behaviour
Assumptions of the cognitive approach
-Direct contrast to behaviourist approach,
-Investigates areas they neglected (memory perception, thinking)
-Process is Private cannot be observed
Studied indirectly by making inferences based on the persons behaviour.
Role of schemas
-Beliefs/expectations and develop through experience and very basic as infant become more complex
-Packages of info
-Act as mental ‘short cuts’ allowing info to be processed quickly
-Can lead to distortions in our interpretation if expectations don’t match with reality
Theoretical models
private mental processes
Psychologists study behaviour to make inferences about mental processes
One way is THEORETICAL MODELS
A simplified representation of what is going on
Often Diagrams and pictures
What are Computer models
Software simulations of internal mental processes that are created in collaboration with computer scientists.
Program a computer to carry out the mental processes to be able to see an outcome
Computer analogies - Comparing mental processes to computer process
The emergence of cognitive neuroscience
Explains how mental functions are undertaken within the brain. This combined the study of brain damage, neuropsychology, cognitive psychology and computer modelling. Pet scans and Mri scans are used to understand how the brain supports the different parts for emotions and functions when asked to perform different tasks. Burrnett et al found that when someone feels guilt it is active in serval different pats of the brain e.g prefrontal cortex which is responsible for social emotions.
Strengths of the cognitive approach
SCIENTIFIC METHODS- involved lab studies to produce reliable obj data,Enables biology and cog psych to enhance scientific basis of study,Controlled and rigourous methods
REAL WORLD APPLICATION- Contribiutes to artificial intelligence and dev of thinking machines, applied to treat depression
SOFT DETERMINISM- the view human behaviour is determined by internal/external mental processes
Limitations of the cognitive approach
MACHINE REDUCTIONISM- Comparing to a computer means that emotional factors arent considered , memory can be affected by anxiety
Issues of SOFT DETERMINISM- little room for processes other than internal mental events affecting behaviour eg biology
