cognitive approach 1960s Flashcards
how to cognitive psychologists try to explain behaviour
by looking at our perception, language, attention and memory
is this a reductionist approach?
yes duh
principles of the cognitive approach
our mental systems have a limited capacity - the amount of information that can be processed will be influenced by how demanding the task is and how much other information is being processed
a control mechanism oversees all mental processes - this will require more processing power for new tasks - leaving less available for everything else
there is a two-way flow of information - we take in information from the world, process it and react to it - we also use our knowledge and experiences to understand the world
computer model
the brain is described as a processor - it has data input into it and output from it - some parts of the brain form networks
some parts can work sequentially - one process must finish before another starts - this occurs in more demanding, or unknown tasks
and some can work in parallel - more likely to occur for tasks that are familiar
differences between humans and computers
humans are often influenced by emotional and motivational factors
humans have an unlimited and unreliable memory - whereas computers have limited but reliable
humans also have free will which computers do not
role schemas
these are ideas about the behaviour which is expected from someone in a certain role, setting or situation
event schema
also called scripts
they contain information about what happens in a situation
self schemas
information about ourselves based on physical characteristics and personality as well as beliefs and values
self schemas can affect how you act - eg if your self-schema says that you are health-conscious, you are likely to eat well and exercise regularly
problems with schemas
schemas can stop people from learning new information
- prejudice and stereotypes can be an outcome of schemas
bartlett - method
english participants - asked to read a native american folk tale - the war of the ghosts
- unfamiliar story, unusual names, ideas and objects
participants were asked to recall the story after different lengths of time
bartlett - results
all of the participants changed the story to fit their own schemas - details of the story became more english eg containing elements of english culture, also adding details and emotions
- as the length of time between hearing and recalling the story increased, the amount of information remembered became a lot less
bartlett - conclusion
people use their own schemas to help interpret and remember the world around them
bartlett evaluation
lab - lacks ecological validity
influential - paved the way for further cognitive research
stengths
considers mental processes which are overlooked in the other approaches
it has had a big influence on the development of therapies eg cognitive behaviour therapy
weaknesses
research is often carried out in artificial situations (laboratories, using computer models) and the role of emotion and influence from other people is often ignored - for these reasons some argue that the results aren’t valid in the real world
cognitive psychology fails to take in individual differences into account by assuming that all of us process stuff in exactly the same way
