cognitive approach

Question 1

what does the cognitive approach look at?

Answer 1

the internal workings of the mind and explains behaviour through cognitive processes

Question 2

what does cognition mean?

Answer 2

knowing

Question 3

what kind of research methods do cognitive psychologists use?

Answer 3

• lab experiments
• field experiments
• natural experiments
• case studies

Question 4

2 assumptions of the cognitive approach

Answer 4

• the mind works in a similar way to a computer - inputting, processing, storing and retrieving data
• focuses on the way humans process information, looking at how we treat information that comes into the person and how this treatment leads to responses

Question 5

3 general principles of the cognitive approach

Answer 5

• our mental systems have a limited capacity
• a control mechanism oversees all mental processes
• there is a two-way flow of information

Question 6

THEORETICAL AND COMPUTER MODELS

Question 7

what is one way used to study mental processes?

Answer 7

through the use of an information processing approach

Question 8

what is an information processing approach?

Answer 8

suggests that information flows through the cognitive system in stages including input, storage/processing a retrieval, as suggested by the MSM

Question 9

what are theoretical models?

Answer 9

simplified representations based on research

Question 10

what are theoretical models based on and why?

Answer 10

inference, since mental processes cannot be directly observed

Question 11

what are inferences?

Answer 11

when you draw a conclusion based on evidence and reasoning

Question 12

what are computer models?

Answer 12

comparing the mind to a computer

Question 13

what do computer models work on the principle of?

Answer 13

input/coding —> storage/processing —> output/response

Question 14

similarities between the mind and a computer

Answer 14

• processes information
• input (data/senses)
• output (printout/behaviour)
• memory

Question 15

differences between the mind and a computer

Answer 15

• humans are often influenced by emotional and motivational factors
• humans have an unlimited and unreliable memory, whereas computers have a limited but reliable memory
• humans have free will which computers dont

Question 16

SCHEMA

Question 17

what is a schema?

Answer 17

a cognitve framework that helps organise and interpret information in the world around us, based on our beliefs, expectations and experiences

Question 18

what do schemas act to do?

Answer 18

interpret informatin received by the cognitive system, for example, the schema for a car is a vehicle made of metal with four wheel driven by a person

Question 19

what does this help with?

Answer 19

helps you respond to the object appropriately, for example, you get in a car to travel somewhere

Question 20

what happens when information is consistent with a schema?

Answer 20

it is assimilated into the schema, for example, a child’s schema for an apple may be an edible green sphere. every time the child sees a green apple, the experience is assimilated and the schema is strengthened

Question 21

what happens with information is inconsistent with a schema?

Answer 21

accomodation occurs and the schema has to change in order to resolve the problem. for example, if a child sees a red apple their schema has to accomodate this new information

Question 22

3 types of schema

Answer 22

1. role schemas
2. event schemas
3. self schemas

Question 23

what are role schemas?

Answer 23

the ideas about the behaviour which is expected from someone in a certain role, setting or situation. for example, your schema for a doctor may be someone intelligent, sensible, respectable

Question 24

what are event schemas?

Answer 24

they contain information about what happens in a situation. for example, when you go to a restaurant you’ll need to read a menu and place an order

Question 25

what are self schemas?

Answer 25

contain information about ourselves based on physical characteristsics, personality, beliefs and values. these can affect how you act

Question 26

what may be a problem with schemas?

Answer 26

they can stop people from learning new information, for example, prejudice and stereotypes can be an outcome of schemas. schema which holds expectations or beliefs about a certain group of people may bias the way we process incoming information

Question 27

COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE

Question 28

when did the influence of cognitive neuroscience take hold?

Answer 28

1970s

Question 29

what is cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 29

an approach in psychology that maps human behaviour to brain function

Question 30

what techniques are used?

Answer 30

brain-imaging techniques

Question 31

what do brain-imaging techniques allow psychologists to do?

Answer 31

discover when and where things happen in the brain in relation to people’s behaviour at the time

Question 32

3 methods cognitive neuroscientists use to study cognition

Answer 32

1. lesion studies
2. electrophysiology
3. neuroimaging

Question 33

what are lesion studies?

Answer 33

looking at people with brain damage to see how behaviour is affected

Question 34

what is electrophysiology?

Answer 34

using electric and magnetic fields to measure brain activity and brain wave

Question 35

what is neuroimaging?

Answer 35

pinpointing areas of the brain which are active when a task is performed

Question 36

2 strengths of the cognitive approach

Answer 36

• it considers mental processes that are often overlooked in the other approaches
• it has had a big influece on the development of therapies, for example, CBT

Question 37

2 weaknesses of the cognitive approach

Answer 37

• research is often carried out in artificial situations, e.g., laboratories, computer models, and the role of emotion and influence fom other people is often ignored. therefore, it may not be valid in the real world
• cognitive psychology fails to take individual differences into account by assuming that all of us process information in exactly the same way