cognitive approach Flashcards
assumptions of cognitive approach
- mental processes should be studied scientifically
- internal processes are private and cant be observed
- cognitive psychologists use infurance to read minds
what is an internal mental process?
private operations of the mind which we cant observe e.g thinking , these mediate between stimulus and response
what is a schema?
mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive decision making and are developed from experience.
as we get older they become more detailed but we form them rom birth
are babies born with schemas ?
yes - simple schemas the form a basis for behaviour
advantages of schemas
schema help us predict what will happen in our world based on our experiences
schema enable us to process vast amounts of information rapidly
schema prevent us from becoming overwhelmed by environmental stimuli.
limits of schemas
schema can distort our interpretation of sensory information
schema lead to perceptual errors or inaccurate EWT/memories
schema can cause biased recall/see what we expect
negative/faulty schema may have a negative impact on mental health
define cognitive neuroscience
- scientific study of the influence of brain/biological structures on cognitive processes
- researched using brain scanning techniques such as fMRI.
strengths of cognitive approach
- one strength of the cognitive aproach is that it uses highly controlled rigorous research studies to enable researches to infer cognitive processes of the mind. For example, lab studies which provide objective reliable data. It has established a credible basis.
- one strength is practical applications. CBT - from knowing to understand human behaviour we must infer from cognition - cognitve behavioural therapists have been able to treat depression through understanding cogtnive thoughts - this means it has real life applications
weaknesses of cognitive approach
- one disadvantage of the cognitve approach is that its machine reductionist. it compares human behaviour to a computer model and fuction. This neglects emotions infuence on cognition for example how anxiety can effect memory, It reduces behaviour to a machine which is not refelect or a complete understanding of it.
- A second disadvanatage of the cognitive approach is its abstract nature. INferenc and artifical materials (testing memory by learning a list) This is not represent of how cognitive processes occure in the real world and may lack external validity
what did tulving do to aid the emergence of cognitive neuroscience ?
showed different types of long term memory may be located on opposite sides of the brain - 1997
what advancement in the 2000s aided the emergence of cognitive neuroscience ?
brain scanning techniques improved e.g FMRI
what did Broca do to aid the emergence of cognitive neuroscience ?
identified damage to the frontal lobe (brocas area) links to impaired speech production
what present day technology aided the emergence of cognitive neuroscience ?
brain fingerprinting - a computer can read the mind and is used in court to decide if someone is lying
what is inference ?
cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behaviour
describe the role of computer and theoretical models in cognitive psychology
they help understand internal mental processes since there are overlaps between the models.
Except, theoretical = abstract and computer = concrete
