Cognitive Approach Flashcards
Assumptions of the Cog Approach
Cognitive approach argues that internal mental processes - can and should be SCIENTIFICALLY studied.
cognitive approach has investigated those area of human behaviour - which were neglected by behaviourists
memory, perception, thinking - ‘private’ - they cannot be observed
Cog psychologists study them indirectly - through inferences
The role of the schema
Schema - packages of ideas and information developed through experience. They act as a mental framework for the interpretation of incoming information
helps you respond to information appropriately
Babies - born with simple innate schemas (sucking and grasping)
As we get older , schema gets more sophisticated and detailed
Schema enables us to process lots of information quickly which is useful - a mental shortcut preventing us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimulus
BUT - may distort our interpretations of sensory information , leading to perceptual errors
Theoretical and computer models
Cog psychologists use theoretical and computer models to understand internal mental processes
an important theoretical model - information processing approach - suggests that info flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages
- this includes input, storage and retrieval - for example - in the multi store model
Information processing approach - based on how computers work. Involve programming a computer to see if instructions produce a similar output
these computer models of the mind have been useful in the development of ‘thinking machines’ / AI
Emergence of cognitive neuroscience
Cog neuroscience - scientific study of the influence brain structures on mental processes.
mapping areas of the brain to cognitive functions have a long history:
- 1860 - Broca - damage to area on the frontal lobe could permanently impair speech production
technology advances - fmri, pet scans - scientists can systematically observe / describe the neurological basis of mental processes.
e.g. buckner and peterson were able to show how different types of long term memory may be located on opposite sides of the prefrontal cortex
braver - found that the system in overall charge of working memory - central executive is thought to be in a similar area
scanning techniques- have proved useful in identifying the neurological basis of some mental disorders - link between Para hippocampal gyrus and OCD
development of mind mapping techniques - ‘brain fingerprinting’ which could be used to analyse the brain wave patterns of eyewitness to determine whether they are lying.
Strength - A strength of the cognitve approach is objective scientific methods
Strength - use of objective, scientific methods.
Cog psychologists employ highly controlled and rigorous methods of study - researchers can infer cognitive processes at work
this involved use of lab studies - producing reliable, objective data.
emergence of cognitive neuroscience enabled two fields of biology and cognitive psychology to come together - enhancing the scientific basis of study.
this means that the study of the mind has a credible scientific basis.
counterpoint to objective scientific studies
Because cognitive psychology relies on inference of mental processes - not direct observation of behaviour, it can occasionally suffer from being too abstract / theoretical in nature
also research studies of mental processes often use artificial stimulus - which may not represent everyday experience
therefore, research on cognitive processes may lack external validity
Strength - A strength of the cognitive approach is practical application
I - strength - practical application
D - cog approach - most dominant approach today - applied to practical and theoretical context.
E.g. cog psychology has made an importnant contribution to AI and development of thinking machines (robots).
Cog principles have also been applied to treatment of depression + improved the reliability of eyewitness testimony.
E- this supports value of cognitive approach
Limitation - of the cognitive approach is that it is based on machine reductionism
I- limitation - based on machine reductionism
D- similarities between human mind and operations of ‘thinking machines’ such as a computer (inputs and outputs, storage systems, use of central processor)
BUT - the computer analogy has been criticised- it ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cog system and how this may affect our ability to process information
E - suggests that machine reductionism may weaken the validity of the cognitve approach
Soft determinism
Cognitive approach is founded on soft determinism - e.g. the view that human behaviour may be determined by internal and external factors but we also can exert our free will at times.
the hard determinism view says all our behaviour is determined by factors other than our will , such as conditioning and genes
