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Psychology approaches > Cognitive approach > Flashcards

Cognitive approach Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the cognitive approach?

A

Explains human behavior through internal mental processes

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2
Q

What are the 4 assumptions of the cognitive approach?

A

-look at internal mental processes to understand behavior
-Thought processes should be studied in a lab
-Mental processes should be studied indirectly by making inferences as they cannot be observed
-we should focus on the flow of information

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3
Q

What does cognition mean?

A

mental processes

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4
Q

How is the cognitive approach different from SLT and behaviorism?

A

Behaviorism and SLT considers external environmental influences

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5
Q

What is an internal mental process?

A

Operations that occur in the mind, but can be studied scientifically.

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6
Q

What are 4 examples of internal mental processes?

A

Attention
Memory
Perception
Thinking

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7
Q

What is an inference?

A

reaching a logical conclusion about what process is occurring based on evidence

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8
Q

What is in between the SR unit?

A

Internal mental processes

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9
Q

Why do we have to make inferences in the cognitive approach?

A

Because mental processes are private as we cant see thoughts however we can see the inputs and outputs and can guess what happens

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10
Q

What are theoretical models?
Give an example

A

Simplified representations of the mind’s internal mental processes based on current evidence
Computer models

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11
Q

How are computer models used to make inferences

A

Computers and the mind process information in a similar way.
Input —–> processing —–> output

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12
Q

Why might there be different (processing) stages?
eg) You wave at a friend and she doesnt wave back

A

Because people could think of different things, she could be ignoring you or didn’t see you

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13
Q

What is a schema?

A

a mental package of beliefs and expectations on a topic that comes from experience

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14
Q

What do schemas help us do?

A

-make shortcuts in thinking
-organize and interpret info

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15
Q

What are we born with?
(schema)

A

Were born with a motor schema for innate behavior then they develop from experience

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16
Q

What can schemas lead to?

A

Faulty conclusions

17
Q

What are the 2 processes of how we build our schema?
(Piaget’s theory)

A

Assimilation and accommodation

18
Q

What is Assimilation?

A

Adding more info to our schemas that we didn’t have

19
Q

What is accommodation?

A

Changing info in our schemas that contradicts previous info

20
Q

What 2 ways can schemas be useful?

A

-Help us predict what will happen in the world based on our experience
(know how to behave in a restaurant)

-Prevents us being overwhelmed by our environmental stimuli
(airports, where to put bag)

21
Q

How can a schema lead to stereotypes and prejudice?

A

If we have a pre-conceived idea about something, it may cloud our judgment
(eg if you had a bad experience with colored people we automatically think they’re all bad)

22
Q

How can schemas lead to inaccurate eyewitnesses?

A

They can distort unfamiliar information to ‘fit in’ with our existing knowledge
(eg. if we can’t remember a criminal we automatically think it is a man)

23
Q

What is cognitive neuroscience?

A

Scientific study of how the brain influences mental processes

24
Q

How did the cognitive approach originate through Paul Broca?

A

-A man was transferred to Broca hospital with an infection, and could only mutter the word tan
-Found a lesion in his left frontal lobe
-Named it Brocas area which is responsible for speech production

25
Q

What 3 things do cognitive neuroscience study?

A

Neural processes
Social cognition
Impairments

26
Q

What is cognitive neuroscience- 4 mark example

A

-Scientific study of how the brain influences mental processes
-Uses brain scanning techniques such as fMRI
-Studies Neural processes, social cognition, Impairments
-Tells us how the brain functions and achieves performance

27
Q

What are the 3 strengths of the cognitive approach?

A

-Real-life application
-Scientific and objective
-Soft determinism

28
Q

How can the cognitive approach be a real-life application?

A

It led to the development of psychopathy
Explains depression through faulty info processing
Led to CBT which has helped many

29
Q

How can the cognitive approach be Scientific and objective?

A

Scientific- Investigated IMPs in a lab with high control for extraneous variables and high internal validity
Objective-the emergence of cog neuroscience used biological techniques so it was more scientific and reliable

30
Q

How can the cognitive approach be soft determinism?

A

-A cognitive system can only operate with stuff we already know
-BUT we are free to think before we respond in situations (the processing stage)
-This gives us an element of choice, so it’s a popular

31
Q

What are the 2 limitations of the cognitive approach?

A

Low external validity
Machine reductionism

32
Q

How can the cognitive approach have low external validity?

A

-It’s too theoretical as we can only infer about mental processes
-Uses artificial stimuli (eg the rat man study) as in real life we know the difference between a rat and a man so it does not represents real-life

33
Q

How is the cognitive approach machine reductionist?

A

-The computer analogy
-Ignores the complexity of humans to its most simplistic form that we process the same as a computer
-It ignores emotion and motivation

Psychology approaches (8 decks)

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