cognitive approach

Question 1

what are the assumptions of the cognitive approach

Answer 1

• thought processes can be, and should be studied scientifically
• the mind works like a computer
• stimulus and response is appropriate but only if the thought processes that occur between the stimulus and response are acknowledged

Question 2

what is the role of schemas in the cognitive approach

Answer 2

a mental framework that incorporates our ideas about a person of situation and helps the brain organise and interpret information. they allow us to process information quickly and take shortcuts when interpreting data

Question 3

how can we study internal mental processes in the cognitive approach

Answer 3

through the use of theoretical models- cognitive psychologists will use a model to describe a behaviour through a series of distinct steps which enables them to test the components individually and examine them in detail.

Question 4

what is the computer analogy in the cognitive approach

Answer 4

a computational model that suggests the human mind is like a computer. it uses the concepts of a central processing unit, coding, and the use of stores to hold information. the way a computer works is by a series of processing steps, and cognitive psychologists see no reason why behaviour shouldn’t be explained the same way

Question 5

discuss the emergence of cognitive neuroscience in the cognitive approach

Answer 5

cognitive neuroscience is the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes. its main focus is to look for a biological basis to thought and to understand the role of neurons within those processes.

Question 6

what has cognitive neuroscience lead to ?

Answer 6

the development of FMRI and PET scans

Question 7

what is a strength of the cognitive approach (treatment)

Answer 7

has produced CBT which aims to identify and challenge maladaptive thoughts and to alter dysfunctional behaviours. this treatment has found to be effective for treating a range of psychological abnormalities. this is a strength as it demonstrates the contribution the cognitive approach has made to psychology and as the treatment is based on the assumptions of the approach it must have some validity

Question 8

what is a strength of the cognitive approach (human ppts)

Answer 8

the assumptions stem from research that mostly used human ppts. this is different to the behaviourist and biological approach whose research mostly used animals. this is a strength as it is possible to generalise the results to human behaviour

Question 9

what is a strength of the cognitive approach ( soft determinism)

Answer 9

takes a soft determinism approach- the approach recognises that our cognitive systems can only operate within the limits of what we know but we are free to think before we respond to stimulus. this is a strength because it provides a more interactionist approach that the hard determinism approach put forward by behaviourism and the biological approach

Question 10

what is a limitation of the cognitive approach (reductionist)

Answer 10

may be reductionist and hence over simplistic- may demonstrate cognitive reductionism because it argued all behaviour no matter how complex can be reduced to simple cognitive processes like memory or perception. can also be argued to demonstrate machine reductionism when we treat the human mind as a computer, we fail to consider the impact of emotion on decisions. this is a limitation because the approach may not provide a complete explanation of human behaviour

Question 11

evaluate overall cognitive approach

Answer 11

successful treatment, stems from mostly human research, takes soft determinism side, reductionist