cognitive approach Flashcards
1
Q
What is the cognitive approach?
A
- believes that internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically.
- all behaviour is a direct result of schemas and scripts.
- revels in the work of Wundt
- internal mental processes are what are studied in cognitive psychology. They are essentially “thoughts” or “thinking processes”.
2
Q
What are inferences?
A
- guesses or judgements we make about what is going on inside the mind based on behaviour.
- Thoughts are private and cannot be studied directly so psychologists make inferences about them.
3
Q
What is a schema?
A
- a mental framework of beliefs- a packet of information- that you hold about the world that helps you make sense of it
- They develop through experience
- They are at the root of all mental processes.
- Adults have an entrenched schemas they’ve been present for so many years and are hard to change - This can cause all kinds of information processing/memory problems.
4
Q
What is a script?
A
a set of schemas
5
Q
What is computer models?
A
- Cognitive Psychologists sometimes view the mind as a computer- with inputs and outputs.
- e.g. when you get your computer to perform too many tasks… it crashes/freezes/gets too hot and shuts down.
- The mind is similar- if we are trying to process too much, our brains are overwhelmed and do not function well.
- the computer analogy led to the explanation of coding in memory.
- Think of how your computer formats information. Information has got to be stored internally in our brains.
- Coding establishes whether information is acoustic, visual or semantic in the same way.
6
Q
What is theoretical models?
A
- Cognitive psychologists use models such as the MSM to represent how internal mental processes work - this is helpful as it makes it simple for us to understand
- It allows psychologists to develop ways of intervening as when viewed in this visual format issues and patterns can be clearly identified - so it helps in application
7
Q
What are the positives for the cognitive approach?
A
- Less determinist
- Application (1)
- Application (2) (CBT)
8
Q
expand on the +ve AO3 point, Less determinist, for the cognitive approach
A
- The Cognitive Approach is founded on soft determinism.
- it is empowering for the person concerned. We are not totally at the mercy of our thoughts, but have the power to change them.
- Through treatments such as CBT we can learn to have more control over automatic thoughts and we can decide how to respond to them.
- We can change the way we behave by building self-esteem through working on our thoughts and responses.
9
Q
expand on the +ve AO3 point, application (1), for the cognitive approach
A
- Cognitive psychology has been applied in a vast array of contexts and huge amounts of research support have been found that cognition massively influences behaviour.
- Examples are: cognitive differences in gambling (Griffiths) and cognitive differences contributing to depression (Terry- pregnant women)
10
Q
expand on the +ve AO3 point, application (CBT), for the cognitive approach
A
- The cognitive approach has produced CBT- the most widely used and successful psychological treatment for mental disorders offered internationally.
- CBT has been used to treat and cure millions of individuals world wide.
- It operates on the premise that thoughts cause maladaptive behaviour, so through changing thinking, we can manage and cure mental disorders.
- The high success rate of this treatment is testament to the validity of the cognitive approach
11
Q
What are the limitations for the cognitive approach?
A
- Over simplified machine reductionism
- doesn’t give us answers why
12
Q
expand on the -ve AO3 point, over simplified machine reductionism, for the cognitive approach
A
- Comparing the human mind to a computer is useful in certain circumstances, but hugely oversimplified.
- Computers do not have emotions, for instance, which have been demonstrated to massively effect memory in EWT.
- A computer analogy lacks any validity in these circumstances.
13
Q
expand on the -ve AO3 point, doesn’t give us answers why, for the cognitive approach
A
- research only tends to confirm that there are cognitive differences in particular groups of people but does not explain why.
- All other approaches offer us explanations of human behaviour- this approach does not (until it is combined with biology to create cognitive neuroscience).