Cognitive Approach Flashcards
What are the cognitive approach main assumption?
- internal mental processes should be studied scientifically. This approach argues introspection is to unscientific
- The mind works like a computer, input from our sense, which it then processes and produces and produces and output from (such as a behaviour or language)
What internal mental processes do we have?
Memory Attention Perception Language Problem solving
What is a schema?
A schema is a cognitive framework that helps organise and interpret information in the brain.
What schemas do we have?
- role schema
- event schema
- self schema
What is a theoretical model?
It is a simplified representation of a particular mental process such as memory which is based on research evidence.
What do theoretical models allow us to do?
It allows us to make inferences which is drawing a conclusion on human behaviour based on evidence and reasoning.
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The scientific process of studying how brain structure affects internal mental thought processes.
AO3 for theoretical model
- It is reductionist and does not take into account biological factors only mental processes. For example Becks cognitive theory of depression.
- theoretical models are developed based on previous models and their weaknesses are removed and the new ones provide new strengths as it is more representative of a particular mental processes. Example(working memory and multi store model)
AO3 for cognitive neuroscience
- Ecological validity
- Holistic (internal mental processes and innate biological factors are taken into account)
- Objective and scientific (control)
AO3 for the cognitive approach
- Gorrilas in the midst
- Bartlets war of the ghosts
- CBT
Outline Gorillas in the Midst research
Aim: To investigate the role of cognition we are unaware of
Method: Participants were asked to observe people pass a basketball in a video and had to count how many times the people wearing white passed the basketball instead of counting the passes of the people wearing black. A person wearing a gorilla costume walked into the middle of the video while the passes were occurring. They were then asked to recall how many passes had occurred and if they saw anything strange occur in the video.
Findings: 54% of participants noticed the gorilla
Conclusion: We miss details in our visual field due to placing our attention on a specific stimulus demonstrating inaccuracies in cognitive processing.
Outline Bartletts war of the ghosts
Aim: To investigate the effect schemas have on our cognitive processing
Method: Participants were told an old Native American folk story, it used words with unfamiliar strange names, ideas and objects using older use of language compared to modern day English. They were then asked to recall details of the story.
Findings: They found that the participants replaced the old English nouns with modern English, they also found that if participants were asked to recall the event at a further longer period instead of instantly recall of the story was inaccurate.
Conclusion: People use schemas to interpret and understand the environment around them leading to an inaccuracy of recall.
