Cognitive Approach

Question 1

Describe one similarity and one difference between any two studies that take the cognitive approach

Answer 1

Similarity: Loftus and Palmer and Baron Cohen used laboratory experiments to investigate how cognitive processes influence behaviour.

Difference: Loftus and Palmer and Savage Rumbaugh used different samples.

Question 2

One strength

Answer 2

Strength 1: Useful applications. For example, when interviewing witnesses the police should avoid using leading questions. Loftus and Palmer demonstrated this in distorting eyewitness testimony. Simply changing the verb from hit to smashed in the critical question was sufficient to increase estimates.

Question 3

Second strength

Answer 3

It used scientific/objective methods which provide accurate unbiased data. For example, Baron Cohen was able to standardise extraneous variables such as the size of the photos. This meant he was able to isolate the effect of the independent variable (group membership) on the dependent variable (number of emotions correctly identified in the eyes task).

Question 4

One weakness

Answer 4

Often over simplistic and ignores the complexity of human functioning. For example, in making judgements about how someone else feels, we rarely use just the eyes to help us. We use a range of factors such as the tone of voice, body language and whole face expression.

Question 5

Second weakness

Answer 5

Raises ethical issues such as protection from harm. Loftus and Palmer asked undergraduate students to watch seven film clips of car crashes. This may have caused distress to the participants. Similarly, Savage Rumbaugh studied chimpanzees in captivity which raises issues concerning the use of animals in psychological experiments.

Question 6

Outline one assumption of the cognitive approach

Answer 6

The human mind works like a computer - it inputs, processes and responds to information and behaviour is influenced by the way information is received and processed.