cognitive approach Flashcards
name the four key assumptions of the cognitive approach.
Internal mental processes.
Inference.
Schema.
Computer models and information processing.
describe the cognitive approach.
In direct contrast to the behaviourist approach, the cognitive approach argues that internal mental processes can, and should, be studied scientifically.
As a result, the cognitive approach has investigated those areas of human behaviour that were neglected by behaviourists such as memory, perception and thinking.
These processes are ‘private’ and cannot be observed so cognitive psychologists study them indirectly by making inferences about what is going on inside people’s minds on the basis of their behaviour.
Cognitive psychologists think the mind works like a computer in that it has an input from our senses which it then processes and produces an output such as language or specific behaviours.
outline the key assumption - internal mental processes.
private operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response.
outline the key assumption - inference.
going beyond the immediate evidence of observed behaviour to make assumptions about mental processes that cannot be directly observed.
outline the key assumption - schema.
packages of information developed from experience.
a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing.
outline the key assumption - computer models.
Cognitive psychologists think the mind works like a computer in that it has an input from our senses which it then processes and produces an output such as language or specific behaviours.
describe the role of schema.
Cognitive processing can often by affected by a person’s beliefs or expectations, often referred to as 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 - for example, you have a schema for a chair - something with legs that you can sit on.
This is a package of information learned through experience that helps you to respond to an object appropriately.
As we get older schemas become more detailed and sophisticated and as adults we have developed mental representations for every concept.
Schema enable us to process lots of information quickly and this is useful as a sort of mental short-cut that prevents us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli.
however, schema may also distort interpretations of sensory info, leading to perceptual errors.
could lead to issues - e.g. inaccurate EWT.
describe the use of theoretical and computer models to explain and make inferences about mental processes.
The cognitive approach uses computer models, where the mind is compared to a computer by suggesting that there are similarities in the way information is processed.
These models use the concepts of a central processing unit (the brain), the concept of coding (to turn information into a useable format) and the use of ‘stores’ to hold information.
The use of theoretical models is part of the assumption that the mind functions like a computer. The way a computer works is by a series of processing steps, and cognitive psychologists see no reason why behaviours should not be explained the same way. Theoretical and computer models allow them to do this.
e.g. the information processing approach, suggests info flows through stages that include input - storage - retrieval, as in the multi-store model of memory.
Such computational models of the mind have proved useful in the development of ‘thinking machines’ or artificial intelligence.
discuss scientific credibility as a strength of the cognitive approach.
one strength of the cognitive approach is that it has always employed highly controlled and rigorous methods of study in order to enable researchers to infer cognitive processes at work.
This has involved the use of lab experiments to produce reliable, objective data.
In addition, the emergence of cognitive neuroscience has enabled the two fields of biology and cognitive psychology to come together.
This means that the study of the mind has established a credible scientific basis.
HOWEVER - Most of the research for the cognitive approach has been conducted in lab settings therefore it is less valid because participant’s responses will not be accurate due to demand characteristics.
The focus on detail of exactly what can be recalled by participants in controlled environments with artificial stimuli (e.g. tests of memory involving word lists) means an understanding of everyday use of memory, for example, is missing from explanations. This leads to issues of generalisation.
discuss real world application as a strength of the cognitive approach.
a strength of the cognitive approach is that it is probably the most dominant approach in psychology today and has been applied to a wide range of practical and theoretical contexts.
For example, cognitive psychology has made an important contribution in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and the development of thinking machines (robots), advances that may revolutionise how we live in the future.
it has also been applied to the treatment of depression and improved the reliability of eyewitness testimony.
this supports the value of the cognitive approach.
discuss reductionism as a limitation of the cognitive approach.
a limitation of the cognitive approach - id that it is based in machine reductionism.
Although there are similarities between the human mind and the operations of a computer (inputs and outputs, storage systems, the use of a central processor) the computer analogy has been criticised by many.
Such machine reductionism ignores 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 human memory may be affected by emotional factors, such as the influence of anxiety on eyewitness testimony.
this suggests that machine reductionism may weaken the validity of the cognitive approach.
outline other issues and debates in the cognitive approach.
nomothetic approach - Scientific and objective methods, such as lab experiments used to make general laws of cognitive processing - such as models of memory and schema. HOWEVER - case studies sometimes used (e.g. KF, HM) utilising idiographic approaches.
soft determinism – behaviour is determined by the schemas that have been learned and processed, HOWEVER humans can choose what information they attend too.
both nature and nurture – born with the hardware (brain) and the software are our life experiences.
culture bias – the samples of ptp have been from western, industrialised, educated, rich demographic.
not socially sensitive or gender bias.
