cognitive approach Flashcards
what are the assumptions of the cognitive approach
- internal mental processes can and should be studied
- memory, perception and thinking are key areas for investigation
- the mind works like a computer in that it has input from our senses which it then processes and produces and output
- mental processes are private and can’t be observed directly but we can study them indirectly by making inferences about what is going on inside people’s minds on the basis of their behaviours
what are cognitive psychologists interested in studying
internal mental processes and how mental processes are involved in behaviour
what are internal mental processes
private actions or processes of the mind that mediate between stimulus and response
give examples of mental processes
perception
memory
language
problem solving
attention
what did BF Skinner argue
because our mental processes are not something that can be directly observed, we cannot study them scientifically.
why was the cognitive approach developed
as a response to behaviourisms failure to acknowledge mental processes. they argued that mental processes can and should be studied scientifically.
how can mental processes be studied scientifically
through inferences
what is an inference
drawing a conclusion about the way mental processes work which we cannot directly observe by making assumptions based on behaviour we can observe
what is the stroop effect
the delay in reaction time between congruent and incongruent stimuli
give an example of the stroop effect
the 1st task
words were shown in different colours (not matching to the word) they had to say the WORD not the colour
the 2nd task
words were shown in different colours (not matching to the word) they had to say the COlOUR not the word
what were the results of the stroop effect
it takes people on average longer to say the 2nd list.
what was the behaviour observed (SE)
the time taken to complete the task. it wasn’t a subjective opinion but an objective measurement.
what did the results from the SE suggest
our minds have a preference for the processing of words over the colour of the word. a 7 yr old can complete the 2nd task faster.
the stroop effect suggests our mind wants to understand words first
what is the importance of our mind wanting to understand words first
we are educated early on in life emphasising the importance and priority of reading. this is why younger children with less reading experience can complete the 2nd task faster.
what did George Miller propose
the magical number Seven Plus Or Minus Two
what was the 7+/-2 theory
the average capacity for short term memory was between 5 and 9 items or “7+/-2”
what did development of the first computers give cognitive psychologists
a metaphor for describing mental processes. they suggested the way our mind processes information is similar to the way a computer operates
what are computer models
the process of using computer analogies as a representation of human thinking
why are computer models used
allows mental processes to be thought of as inputting information, processing information, then storing it and then finally retrieving it.
give an example of a computer model
INPUT (senses) —-> PROCESSED (brain) —-> STORED (memory) —-> OUTPUT (retrieval)
what else do cognitive psychologists use
theoretical models
what is a theory
a system of ideas intended to explain something
what are theoretical models
they try to explain the way our mental processes work. they are simplified representations based on current research
what do theoretical models show
the stages of a particular mental process. because mental processes can’t be seen directly models help to represent different aspects of the cognitive system
give an example of a theoretical model
the multi store model of memory
how does the multi store model represent the way our mental processes work
information goes through these stores in a linear pattern
describe the multi store model of memory
- memory enters through our senses
- passed to STM if paid attention to
- through rehearsal, we can temporarily keep it in our minds for a short period of time
- further rehearsal for info to go into LTM
- retrieve info from LTM to STM to be temporarily used
what do theoretical models allow cognitive psychologists to do
to provide testable theories about mental processes so they can be studied scientifically
what is a schema
organised units of knowledge that we have developed through experiences.
how do schemas affect memory
mental processes like perception and memory can often be affected by our expectations and beliefs
what do schemas allow us to do
help us to make sense of the world so we can predict what is going to happen and know how to respond appropiately
it is a framework through which we can interpret information
we know what to expect at certain situations because we have built up through experience an organised unit of knowledge
why can schemas be useful
they enable us to process lots of information quickly
mental shortcut that prevents us being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli so we work on the basis that we try and process stimuli in the simplest and most economical route as possible
they help us predict what will happen based on past experiences.
what are the disadvantages of schemas
they can distort interpretation of sensory information. research into perception has found that participants interpretation of what they may see or hear is influenced by their expectations. you can miss things out that are right in front of your eyes.
why are schemas a problem in EWT
when recalling events we have witnessed, memories work by being reconstructed in our minds and during this reconstruction, they are influenced by our schemas (expectations of events)
what can schemas have an impact on
mental health because we can develop a negative schema about ourselves leading to depression
what was the Bugelski and Alampay study
the “ratman”
what did the ratman study involve
two groups of participants were shown a sequence of pictures either a number of different faces or a number of different animals. they were then shown the ambiguous figure (the ratman). participants who saw a sequence of faces were more likely to percieve the figure as a man whereas participants who saw a sequence of animals were more likely to percieve the figure as a rat.
what is cognitive neuroscience
the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes
what does cognitive neuroscience combine
the brain and nervous system with mental processes (combines cognition and biological factors)
what did Paul Brucker do a study on
on patient tan
what happened to Patient Tan
he lost ability in speech production but had no problems hearing and comprehending speech. after Tan died Brucker conducted a post mortem examination of his brain and discovered a lesion in his left frontal lobe.
what did Brucker conclude from Patient Tan’s post mortem
concluded that specific areas of the brain must be responsible for speech production linking cognitive process of language with a biological structure
what do brain scanning techniques help with
cognitive neuroscience
what are fMRI scans
functional magnetic resonance imaging - they observe an activity of the brain at the same time someone is performing a mental process
what did Endel Tulving do
he reported data from studies that use PET (positron emission topography) scans to monitor the blood flow of the brain and found that when participants thought of episodic memories, a different part of the brain was activated compared to when participants thought of semantic memories
what did researchers at Stanford Univeristy conduct
the love competition
what was the love competition
they invited different people of varying ages to think about the people they love the most in the world whilst their brain was being scanned in an fMRI scan. they identified which individuals loved more deeply by measuring the levels of activity in the dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin pathways in the brain - linking emotion to a biological process.
what research methods does the cognitive approach use
case studies
brain scans
lab studies
give an example of a lab study that supports the cognitive approach
jacobs (1887)
what did jacobs do
he conducted experiments into STM. participants were presented with a digit span task which required them to repeat back a series of numbers or letters with the length of the numbers or letters increasing by one each time.
what did jacobs find out
the average capacity of STM in his participants for letters was 7.3 and for number 9.3. similar to Millers magic number “7+/-2”
this research demonstrates how internal mental prcoesses such as the capacity of our STM can be scientifically studied and measured
what are case studies
in depth analysis of an individual or small groups of people
how does patient HM provide support for the MSM (theoretical model)
during his childhood, HM was involved in a bicycle accident which resulted in him developing epilepsy. many of the seizures he experienced worsened to the point where medication was having no impact and left him with the option of surgery.
how did surgery affect HM
when HM had specific parts of his brain removed, it helped reduce his seizures but left him with problems with his memory. he was unable to form any LTM. he could remember things before surgery but couldn’t form memories after the surgery. his STM was fine but he couldn’t transfer any of his information to LTM
how did the case study of HM help cognitive psychologists
provided supporting evidence for the MSM as it showed there are separate stores for STM and LTM
how is the approach praised
for its use of lab experiments
- they have a high degree of control over variables so cause and effect could be established
- high control allows for standardisation of procedures so the way the study is conducted is kept the same way each time
–> enables research into mental processes to be replicated in order to check the reliability of the findings
this adds credibility to the cognitive approach’s explanation of human behaviour because it is based on highly scientific evidence
what is the CA criticised for
the artificial tasks used in their experiments
- in trying to study memory in a way that is measurable and controlled means that the tasks participants are given are very different from our memory typically functions.
for e.g Jacobs use of a random series of numbers that increased in length by one each time is not a task we do on a daily basis.
why do the use of artificial tasks limit the CA
it limits the extent to which the findings from such research can be generalised betond laboratory settings. perhaps in real life, the capacity of STM could be longer than the magic number 7 Miller suggested particulary when it comes to more personal and important information
therefore, the cognitive explanation of human behaviour could be questioned because its based on research that lacks ecological validity
how can case studies be criticised
case studies are investigations into individual people which means the findings from such people may not apply to the wider population. HM’s epilepsy and seizures followed by brain surgery and the subsequent impact on his memory is a very rare and unusual set of circumstances. it can be argued that the CA explanation of human behaviour particulary if its based on evidence like HM are hard to generalise to others.
give a real life application of the cognitive approach
the cognitive interview
why do schemas have a negative impact on our memory
it distorts our interpretation of the world. recall of events happens not by simply replaying the memory like a video in your mind but the memories are reconstructed in our minds and during this piecing together of information they are sometimes influenced by our schemas - our expectations of the event.
why was the cognitive interview developed
during EWT where there is the danger of inaccurate information being provided when they are interviewed by police. to reduce this, cognitive psychologists have developed the CI which involves a number of techniques that are designed to gather more accurate and reliable information which try to prevent the negative influence of schemas.
name one technique of the CI that reduces the influence of schemas
reverse the order
by starting with the last thing that happened and then working back to the beginning. this often makes it harder for the eyewitness to reconstruct a story of events based on their schemas and be more likely to report what actually happened.
helps police record more accurate EWT
how has the development of cognitive neuroscience led to practical applications
brain scanning technology has enabled researchers to identify specific parts of the brain involved in specific mental processes.
how can knowing the location of different types of memory help with treatment of mental disorders
the location of different types of memory has been identified in the brain which can then be useful in terms of identifying and specifically diagnosing individuals with memory problems which can then inform how to best treat and support those people
what is cognitive behavioural therapy
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) assumes that those suffering with depression often have faulty thinking which affects the way they think and behave. it focuses on challenging those irrational thoughts that sufferers of depression may have and turning these into more rational, logical thoughts
how does CBT help treat depression and how is this effective
it is combined with a coping strategy to help people improve. the effectiveness of this treatment can be seen in how commonly is is used by the NHS to treat depression
what is reductionism
explains human behaviour by reducing or breaking down behaviour to its simplest component parts
what is holism
explaining human behaviour as a whole
why is the CA seen as reductionist
it emphasises the use of computer models and information processing. this means the view of the human mind can often be described as mechanical and machine like.
why is machine reductionism of human behaviour a problem
much of human behaviour and thought is unlike the logical and linear process of a computer. humans can be irrational and unpredictable at times and additionally much of human behaviour and thought can be shaped by emotions.
what had research shown about emotions
emotions such as anxiety and fear can affect your recall of events particulary as an eyewitness to a crime
why is breaking down behaviour to a set of computer processes a bad thing
it could be argued that it loses what it means to be human and questions the extent to which the CA is fully accounting for and explaining human behaviour
compare the cognitive approach with behaviourism (1)
cognitive
- studies minds indirectly through inferences
behaviourism
- only directly observable behaviour can be studied scientifically. it criticises inferences (not a truly objective study of the mind) we cannot know for certian that what they infer in their mind is actually what is going on in the mind because we can’t directly observe it
compare the cognitive approach with behaviourism (2)
cognitive
- less objective
- does not study animal behaviour because of its focus on mental processes
- more generalisable
behaviourism
- more objective
- conducted study on animals
- less generalisable
