Cognitive Approach Flashcards
What is assumption1 of the cognitive approach?
Internal mental processes
Internal mental processes
-cog
> humans are information processors
respond and interpret their environment to react appropriately
PERCEPTION
- notice object/event
ATTENTION
-pay attention using sensory stimuli
MEMORY
- search stores to find a “match”
LANGAUGE
- use knowledge to name
What is assumption 2 of the cognitive approach?
Schemas
Schemas
-cog
“mental shortcut”
> organised packs of information stored in memory
> built/expand through experience
> link concepts together- interpret and react to them
> predict from past experiences
> not always accurate- individual experiences
BARTLETT- war of ghosts
What is assumption 3 of the cognitive approach?
The computer analogy
The Computer Analogy
-cog
input, process, output
ATKINSON & SHIFFRIN - encoding
- The multistore memory model - capacity
SENSORY - duration
> sense
>1/4-1/2 a second
SHORT TERM
> acoustic
> 7 * or - 2 items
> 0-18s
LONG TERM
> semantic
> unlimited, lifetime
hardware/software
What is the therapy for the cognitive approach?
Cognitive behavioural therapy
What are the aims of CBT?
c
- to alter the process part of thinking as it is thought to be faulty if a person has a mental health disorder
- they do this by challenging thoughts and goal setting
- this should replace with healthy thinking
What is component one of CBT?
c
Dysfunctional thought diary
Dysfunctional thought diary
c
1) record emotions and rate belief in them
2) write a rational response
3) re-rate original automatic thought
What is component 2 of CBT?
c
Cognitive restructuring
Cognitive restructuring
c
‘therapy in therapy’
- therapist questions their thoughts with a counterstatement to challenge their beliefs
1) highlight false beliefs
2) avoid catastrophising ANT- auto- tho
3) results in rational response
What is component 3 of CBT?
c
Pleasant activity scheduling
Pleasant activity scheduling
c
BEHAVIOURAL PART
- plan for each day of the week
sense of achievement, break routine
- behavioural activation
help to change behaviour
-outcome
= maladaptive behaviour, move away from thinking, CAN control it
Applying internal mental processes to CBT
c
- dysfunctional thought diary
- CBT targets through cognitive restructuring
Applying schemas to CBT
c
- COGNITIVE TRIAD- self, world, future
- CBT challenges negative schemas
Applying the computer analogy to CBT
c
- therapist attempts to change process due to it being ‘faulty’
- think rationally
Effectiveness evaluation of CBT
1) RESEARCH SUPPORT
c
CAHILL ET AL
- adopted a healthier mindset
- 71% completed the session
- found significant symptom reduction
X only if fully completed
Effectiveness evaluation of CBT
2) Empowerment
c
- make their own choice, free will
- have their own part in the process
- not just told what to do they have their own say
- take control themselves
Effectiveness evaluation of CBT
4) X Individual differences
c
X requires motivation and commitment
X have to be willing to change - beliefs
SIMONS ET AL- less effective if the client has environmental triggers
Effectiveness evaluation of CBT
3) X Therapist competence
c
KUYKEN & TSIVIRIKOS
X 15% of variance in outcomes is attributable to therapist competence
X relies on their skill set- plan, help, organise, understand
X more harmful- vulnerable people are in the hands of others
Ethics evaluation of CBT
1) X Patient blame
c
X CBT assumes the client is responsible for disorder
X situational factors overlooked- family issues- not in a position to change- blaming isn’t helpful- feel worse
X may take other aspects to make them feel better
Ethics evaluation of CBT
2) X Psychological harm
c
X therapist’s subjective idea on what is rational thinking
X ALLOY/ABRAHAMSON- depressive realists= rational
X don’t distort positively like ‘normal’ people
- damage their self esteem
- sadder but wiser effect
What is the research of the cognitive approach and who conducted it?
Reconstruction of auto-mobile destruction
LOFTUS AND PALMER
What were the aims of Loftus and Palmer’s research?
c
- To investigate whether leading questions simply bias a persons response or actually alter the memory that is stored
How does the computer analogy link to eye witness testimonies in Loftus and Palmer’s research?
c
INPUT- witness encodes details of crime into their long term memory
PROCESS - over time, parts of the memory are forgotten or modified
OUTPUT - when witness retrieves memory from the storage the memory of event is reconstructed
What is experiment 1 in Loftus and Palmer’s research?
c
To see if speed estimates were influenced by the verbs used in the questions asked.
What is the methodology of experiment 1 in Loftus and Palmer’s research?
c
- lab experiment
- independent groups design
- 45 students- 5 groups of 9
- opportunity sampling
What is the procedure of experiment 1 in Loftus and Palmer’s research?
c
- watched the same 7 clips
- fill in the questionnaire
- how fast when the cars -smashed, hit ,bumped, contacted each other?
What are the findings of experiment 1 in Lofts and Palmer’s research?
c
- 40.8 smash - 31.8 contact
- memory is not always reliable
- leading questions can affect the accuracy of a persons memory
What are the conclusions of experiment 1 in Loftus and Palmer’s research?
c
- response bias
- memory is altered
What is the methodology of experiment 2 in Loftus and Palmer’s research?
c
- lab experiment
- independent groups design
- opportunity sample of 150 students- 3 groups of 50
What is the procedure of experiment 2 in Lofts and Palmer’s research?
c
- all watched short film
- group1- smash
- group2- hit
- group3- none control group
- did you see any broken glass?
What are the findings of experiment 2 in Loftus and Palmer’s research?
c
31%- smash- saw glass
14%- hit- report seeing glass
6/44 said they saw glass- group3
What are the conclusions of experiment 2 in Loftus and Palmer’s research?
c
1) memory alteration
2) leading questions alter the persons memory of event
3) memory is reconstructed
Evaluation of Lofts and Palmer’s research
Methodology and Procedures
1) Research method
c
- establish cause and effect
- control variables
- gives internal validity
- controlled setting
Evaluation of Loftus and Palmer’s research
Methodology and Procedures
2) Experimental design
c
- independent groups design
- no order effects
- no participant variables
Evaluation of Loftus and Palmer’s research
Methodology and procedures
3) X Ecological validity
c
- watched film clips
- did not see the real accident
- FOSTER ET AL
Evaluation of Loftus and Palmer’s research
Methodology and procedures
4) X Sample students
c
- lack population validity
- all university students
- SCHALTER ET AL
Evaluation of Loftus and Palmer’s research
Internal validity
c
- operationalise variables
- standardised procedures
Evaluation of Loftus and Palmer’s research
External validity
c
- no population, ecological or temporal validity
Evaluation of Loftus and Palmer’s research
Internal reliability
c
- inter-rater reliability
- split half test
Evaluation of Loftus and Palmer’s research
External reliability
c
- test-retest method
- suggest to improve
Ethics evaluation of Loftus and Palmer’s research
Deception
c
- not serious, no refusal
X not told the aims of the study
Ethics evaluation of Loftus and Palmer’s research
Informed consent
c
- retrospective consent, given a debrief
X naive to aims so could not give
Ethics evaluations of Loftus and Palmer’s research
Right to withdraw
c
- not forced free to leave whenever
X Loftus was their professor so they may have felt obliged to continue or felt unable to refuse
Ethics evaluation of Loftus and Palmer’s research
Protection from harm
c
huge strength
- avoided any distress
- shown film clips
Scientific benefits to Loftus and Palmer’s research
c
- developed understanding of reliability of eye witness testimonies
- reduced emphasis placed on it in criminal trials
Social implications of Loftus and Palmer’s research
c
LAW
- financial cost of retrials & compensation paid to wrongly convicted (124 billion a year)
Alternative evidence to Loftus and Palmer’s research
c
BRUAN ET AL
Disneyland- recalled seeing characters that are not there
- false memories planted/ altered
What is the topic of the debate for the cognitive approach?
The reliability of eye witness testimonies
What is theme 1 of the cognitive approach?
Crimes are emotive experiences
Theme1 : Crimes are emotive experiences FOR argument
c
CAHILL AND MCGAUGH
- flash-bulb memory
= accurate, long-lasting
- adrenaline
= enhances storage of memory
- more reliable memory
= emotion surrounding crime
Theme1: Crimes are emotive experiences AGAINST argument
c
FREUD & YERK-DODSON
- law of stress- increase and decrease levels
- detrimental to memory
- trauma- forced into unconscious mind
- repression- ego defence mechanisms
- ‘motivated forgetting’
= not reliable - too traumatising crime memory
What is theme 2 for the cognitive debate?
Methods which can improve eye witness testimonies
Theme2: Methods which can improve EWT FOR argument
c
FISHER & GEISELMAN
-The Cognitive Interview
- done in response to ineffective police interviews
- enhance memory recall
1) context reinstatement
2) report everything
3) recall from changed perspective
4) recall in reverse order
‘reduce impact of leading questions’
Theme2: Methods which can improve EWT AGAINST argument
c
LOFTUS AND PALMER
- effect of leading questions
e1- response bias, memory is altered
e2- memory alteration
– memory reconstruction
– alter persons memory of event
What is theme 3 of the cognitive debate?
Child witnesses are not reliable
Theme3 : Child witnesses are not reliable FOR argument
c
DAVIES ET AL
-6&7, 10&11, accurate in their memory of event
- don’t make things up or deliberately lie when giving testimony
- not altered by adult suggestions after an event
- research uses ‘adult’ as ‘target’ individual
Theme3 : Child witnesses are not reliable AGAINST argument
c
POZZULO & LINDSAY
- prone to fantasy affected by suggestions
- LINE UPS- meta analysis
U15- less likely to identify
5-13- more incorrect choices in target absent condition as they feel they cannot day no so still give some answer
- do as asked
- FALSE POSITIVE
Is the cognitive approach deterministic or free will?
Deterministic
Deterministic
c
- proposes all behaviour is caused by proceeding factors= predictable
SCHEMA- humans develop interpretations of environment through social interactions
PIAGET- stereotypes through schemas - how you treat others is determined
X removes moral responsibility
Is the cognitive approach reductionist or holistic?
Reductionist
Reductionist
c
- reduces to construent parts- internal mental processes
- humans similar to computers
> explain and improve memory by pin pointing
How is the cognitive approach applied to society?
CBT is successful
- memory retrieval and mental health illness
- positive influence on law- reliability of EWT
- Loftus leadings Qs- police interviews
Is the cognitive approach idiographic or nomothetic?
Nomothetic
Nomothetic
c
- establish laws and generalisations
- process info in similar ways- compare humans to computers
X personal factors ignored
X overlooks the contribution of emotion
X fails to see other causes of the problem
Is the cognitive approach nature or nurture?
INTERACTIONIST
Interactionist
c
X does not consider either enough
- social and innate factors
schema- environment process in mind- internal
X PIAGET- influence of culture- development of thinking in children
X too simplistic
X don’t consider genetics, social or cultural factors
Is the cognitive approach scientific or unscientific?
- research carried out in a controlled environment
- objective, scientific method of research
- tends to be falsifiable
- establish cause and effect
- brain scanning techniques/lab based experiment
- reliable=replicable
- high levels of internal validity
