cognitive approach

Question 1

what is the cognitive approach?

Answer 1

study of how our mental processes affect behaviour
cognitive psychologists indirectly make inferences about what is going on inside people’s mind based on behaviour

Question 2

name a significant cognitive psychologist

Answer 2

Bartlett

Question 3

assumptions of the cognitive approach

Answer 3

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

Question 4

what are the 3 main research methods used?

Answer 4

lab experiments - scientific, reliable, controlled
field experiments - natural, valid
natural experiments - making observations in a naturally occurring situation

Question 5

what are internal mental processes?

Answer 5

how information is used (processed) in the mind, including all conscious and unconscious thoughts
typical areas of research for cognitive psychologists are attention, perception and memory

Question 6

what is a schema

Answer 6

mental frameworks, collections of connected basic knowledge about a concept or object from previous experience with the world

Question 7

how do schemas work?

Answer 7

work as mental shortcuts
we use them to quickly understand and navigate the world and interact with people and objects so we don’t take too much mental energy to decide how to respond to a range of situations

Question 8

what are the 3 types of schema?

Answer 8

role schemas
event schemas
self schemas

Question 9

what are role schemas?

Answer 9

ideas about the behaviour expected from someone in a certain role, setting or situation

Question 10

what are event schemas

Answer 10

contain information about what happens in a situation

Question 11

what are self schemas?

Answer 11

contain information about ourselves based on physical characteristics, personality, beliefs and values - can influence how you act and see yourself

Question 12

research into schemas

Answer 12

Bartlett (1932)
Method: English participants were asked to read a Native American folk tale, called ‘The War of the Ghosts’. It was an unfamiliar story, full of strange and unusual names, ideas and objects. It also had a different structure to an average English story. The participants were asked to recall the story after different lengths of time.
Results: All of the participants changed the story to fit their own schemas. The details in the story became more ‘English’, the story started to contain elements of English culture and details and emotions were added. As the length of time between hearing and recalling the story increased, the amount of information remembered decreased.
Conclusion: People use their own schema’s to help interpret and remember the world around them.

Question 13

advantages of schemas

Answer 13

+ processing environmental information: schemas allow us to engage with the world without being overwhelmed by sensory information, assigning objects to a schema means we do not have to consciously work out exactly what each object is
+ predict the future: schemas are based on previous experiences so allow us to make assumptions about what objects and people will do in similar situations which are often accurate as others act according to similar schemas
+ Bartlett’s study was highly influential at the time as it paved the way for further cognitive research.

Question 14

disadvantages of schemas

Answer 14

• leads to inaccurate recall: assumptions due to schemas can influence memory which is a problem for EWT, people may feel they are remembering accurately however their recall has been altered by leading questions
• negative schemas can lead to poor mental health: Beck argues people with depression have faulty schemas that bias their thinking about themselves, others and the future
• can stop people from learning new information: prejudice and stereotypes can be an outcomes as schemas hole expectations or beliefs about certain people which may bias the way we process info
• Bartlett’s study was conducted in a laboratory, so it lacks ecological validity

Question 15

what models do cognitive psychologists use to explain and make inferences about mental processes

Answer 15

theoretical models
computer models

Question 16

what is the computer model?

Answer 16

an analogy between the operation of a computer’s central processing unit (CPU) running software programs and the human brain conducting internal mental processes
this comparison suggests both systems receive inputs and generate outputs
the computer and mind both process information through a sequence of programmed steps

Question 17

what is the theoretical model?

Answer 17

flow chart representations of the steps of a specific mental process e.g. MSM shows how sensory input progresses from STM to LTM

Question 18

disadvantage of the computer model

Answer 18

criticised for being over simplistic (machine reductionism)
human brain is more complex than a computer
mind is capable of consciousness and emotions, which can lead to irrational behaviours
computers and humans share certain features but the nature of these features are different e.g. memory is flawed and reconstructive whereas computer memory can store and recall information perfectly

Question 19

advantage of theoretical model

Answer 19

generates testable hypotheses and allows each assumption to be systematically and scientifically tested
if observed behaviour matches model’s predicted - suggests model is valid
if behaviour contradicts model - model can be adjusted or rejected

Question 20

what is cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 20

aims to scientifically identify and examine the neurological structures and chemical processes in the brain that are linked to internal mental processes
by integrating principles from both cognitive psych and neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience seeks to understand how the brain’s physical and chemical structure influences thoughts, memories, emotions and behaviours

Question 21

how did cognitive neuroscience emerge?

Answer 21

due to the development of brain scanning techniques, PET and fMRI scanners allow researchers to give participants cognitive tasks and observe activity in different areas of the brain

Question 22

case study for cognitive neuroscience

Answer 22

Tan had a unique brain injury and could only say ‘tan’ due to speech production issues
an autopsy showed damage to Broca’s area - affects speech production
today, imaging shows that Broca’s area activates in neurotypical brains during language production
this direct observation using scientific and objective tools verifies Broca’s area’s role in speech

Question 23

research using cognitive neuroscience

Answer 23

Tulving’s PET research revealed specific brain activity patterns for different LTM types (episodic, semantic, procedural)
this supports the idea of multiple, distinct LTM systems each with a unique brain processing system
findings emphasise the complexity of memory and demonstrate how neuroscience can uncover how the brain produces various cognitive functions

Question 24

strengths of the cognitive approach

Answer 24

+ scientific approach due to highly controlled experiments - conducted in lab setting, with large sample sizes an used standardised materials - high internal validity
+ practical, real-world applications in CBT to improve negative thought patterns and EWTs to prevent wrongful convictions
+ lead to emergence of cognitive neuroscience - aids in creating treatments for language and memory disorders
+ soft determinism - partly determined by biology and environment - suggests thought processes provide personal control over actions

Question 25

limitations of cognitive approach

Answer 25

• relies on inferences as internal mental processes cannot be directly observed so is less scientific than behaviourism or biological psych - assumptions may be incorrect
• research methods can be artificial and lack external validity - hard to generalise to everyday cognitive tasks and real-life memory usage