Cognitive Approach Flashcards
State the 3 assumptions of the cognitive approach
- Internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically
- How our brains process the world affects how we behave
- The mind works like a computer
What does the cognitive approach focus on?
The impact of thought processes on our behaviour.
State the two theoretical models put forward by the cognitive approach
The computer analogy and the information-processing model
What is the information processing model?
Information flows through the cognitive system in three stages which influences our behaviour:
1. Input (senses)
2. Process (cognitive processes)
3. Output (behaviour)
What is the computer model?
The belief that the mind works like a computer in the way it processes information. Specifically, information is inputted through senses, encoded into memory and then combined with previous information to complete a task.
What is a schema?
A mental framework gained from experience which helps us to predict what happens in the world around us
State two advantages of schemas
- They help us to process a lot of information quickly and act as a mental short cut
- Help us to predict what will happen in our world based on our experiences
State two disadvantages of schemas
- They may distort our interpretations of sensory information leading to perceptual errors
- Can cause biased recall based on what we expect to happen
Define cognitive neuroscience and how it has evolved
The study of the brain to investigate the neurological basis of cognitive processes.
Early cognitive neuroscience was carried out using techniques such as post-mortem examinations which is how in the 1860’s Broca identified how damage to an area in the frontal lobe can lead to damaged speech production – the brain region is known as Broca’s area. Later brain scanning techniques such as PET and MRI allow cognitive neuroscientists to more precisely explain and describe the role of brain structures on our mental processes and investigate the neurological basis of disorders and behaviours.
Explain a practical application of cognitive neuroscience. Example?
Scientific credibility:
Employ rigorous and highly controlled experimental methods to enable researchers to infer cognitive processes at work. This produces reliable and objective data. Given the study of mind scientific rigour. Eg. Tulving et al. (1972) was able to use PET scans to show how episodic and semantic memory are located on opposite sides of the pre-frontal cortex
One limitation of cognitive neuroscience
Reductionist. Reduces the influences of behaviour to a biological basis such as different areas of the brain and neurotransmitters in the synapse. This ignores possible social influences on behaviour such as the role of observing and imitating other people, which is better outline by the SLT
2 Strengths (1 Counter) of the cognitive approach
Real-life application:
The cognitive approach has been applied to a wide range of practical and theoretical contexts.
For example, In psychopathology to understand dysfunctional behaviour and tracing it back to faulty thinking processes.
This has led to successful treatment of people suffering from depression. CBT for depression helps individuals challenge their negative schemas, leading to improvements in mood and functioning. March et al. (2007)- compared the effects of CBT with antidepressant drugs and found an 81% improvement after 36 weeks
Scientific credibility:
Use of rigorous and highly controlled experimental methods in order to enable researchers to infer cognitive processes
at work. This has given the study of the mind scientific rigour. (Cognitive neuroscience)
1 limitation of the Cognitive approach
Machine reductionism:
The information processing model of cognitive psychology views the minds in terms of a computer when processing information. However, the human mind is characterised by consciousness, subjective experience, and self-awareness, which are not present in computers. For example, research has shown that emotional factors, such an anxiety, have an impact on human memory, such as eyewitnesses recounting information.
