Cognitive Approach

Question 1

Cognitive approach

Answer 1

Focused on how our mental processes (thoughts, perceptions) affect behaviour.

Question 2

Internal mental processes

Answer 2

Private operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response. It suggeststhat information flows through in a sequence of stages. (Input, storage and retrieval).

Question 3

Computer models

Answer 3

The mind is compared to a computer by suggesting that there are similarities in the way information is processed.

Question 4

Schema

Answer 4

A mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. They are from experience.

Question 5

Inference

Answer 5

The process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behaviour.

Question 6

Cognitive neuroscience

Answer 6

The scientific study of biological structures that underpin cognitive processes. Use fMRI and PET scans.

Question 7

Role of schema

Answer 7

Babies born with simple motor schema for innate behaviours such as sucking and grasping. As we get older our schema’s become more detailed and sophisticated. However, schemas may also distort our interpretations of sensory information, leading to errors.

Question 8

Cognitive approach evaluation

Answer 8

Real life application- made important contribution into artificial intelligence.
Highly controlled- reliable objective data.
Lacks external validity- use artificial stimuli that may not represent everyday memory experience.
Machine reductionism- ignores the influnce of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system. Memory may be effected by anxiety/emotional factors as seen by eyewitness testimonies.