Cognitive Approach Flashcards
What does the Cognitive Approach study?
Internal mental processes (IMP)
Examples of IMP include memory, thinking, attention, and perception.
What are internal mental processes (IMP)?
Processes that psychologists know are happening but cannot be directly observed
Unlike biological processes such as brain structures.
How do researchers investigate internal mental processes?
By running research and making inferences from their findings
For example, studies like Peterson & Peterson (1959).
What is Beck’s cognitive triad related to?
Dysfunctional thought processes associated with depression
There is no absolute proof for this inference.
What do cognitive psychologists use to understand internal mental processes?
Theoretical and computer models
These models help in providing testable theories.
What is the purpose of models in cognitive psychology?
To provide testable theories about mental processes
This allows for scientific investigation.
What methodology do cognitive psychologists use to investigate internal mental processes?
Scientific methodology
A theory is considered scientific if it is testable.
What are theoretical models?
Diagrammatic representations of information processing
They work similarly to flow charts used in computer programming.
What is the Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM)?
A linear model outlining the stages involved in memory
It demonstrates the flow of information systematically as input-storage-retrieval.
What approach does the MSM exemplify?
The information-processing approach
It illustrates how information flows through the cognitive system in stages.
What happens to sensory information in the MSM?
It enters memory via the sensory register
This is the first stage of memory processing.
What is required for information to transfer from short-term memory to long-term memory?
Rehearsal
If information is not rehearsed, it is displaced (forgotten).
What analogy is used to describe information processing in the mind?
The ‘computer analogy’
It compares the mind’s processing to that of a computer.
What do computers use to complete specific actions?
Alphanumeric codes
This is similar to how the mind interprets environmental stimuli.
What is the equivalent of a computer’s hard drive in the mind?
Long-term memory
It serves as the storage system for information.
What does a computer’s output include?
Text, music, images, video
This parallels the mind’s output, which includes speech and behavioral responses.
How have computer models contributed to artificial intelligence?
They are the basis for its development
This highlights the role of computational modeling in understanding brain functions.
What functions of the brain have been highlighted by computational modeling?
Anticipating a reward, planning, and problem-solving
These are examples of complex cognitive processes modeled by computer systems.
What is a significant contribution of the cognitive approach?
Development of AI due to its use of theoretical and computer models
This highlights the usefulness of the cognitive theory in practical applications.
How does the cognitive approach compare to the behaviorist approach in terms of determinism?
The cognitive approach exemplifies soft determinism, while the behaviorist approach exemplifies hard determinism
Soft determinism acknowledges the existence of free will, contrasting with the rigidity of hard determinism.
What does the cognitive approach acknowledge about human behavior?
The existence of free will
This represents a more flexible view of human behavior compared to other approaches.
What is a limitation of the cognitive approach related to machine reductionism?
The study of Information Processing Model (IMP) is an example of machine reductionism
This suggests an oversimplification of human cognition by comparing it directly to a computer.
Why is the comparison between a computer and the human mind considered artificial?
It is overly contrived and seems artificial and forced
Human cognition is unpredictable, multi-faceted, and emotional, unlike a computer.
What does the limited application of the computer analogy suggest about cognition?
The computer analogy has only limited application to cognition
This indicates that human cognition cannot be fully captured by computational models.
What does it mean that IMP can only be inferred?
The cognitive approach to explaining behavior is overly abstract and detached from real-life
This results in a lack of external validity.
Fill in the blank: The cognitive approach’s view of human behavior is characterized as _______.
soft determinism
True or False: The cognitive approach takes a rigid view of human behavior.
False
The cognitive approach acknowledges free will and is thus more flexible.
