Cognitive Approach Flashcards
What does the cognitive approach focus on?
How the internal mind works to influence behaviour
Thoughts can be both _____ and ______ these stages are called _____ _______ ________
Conscious
Unconscious
Internal mental processes
What are internal mental processes?
Information processing completed by the mind
Or
Operations that occur in the mind
What are schemas?
Packets of information about experiences and expectations about the world and objects. These schemas are developed through experiences with the objects.
What are inferences??
Going beyond immediate evidence and making assumptions about mental processes which can be observed
What are the models used by cognitive psychologists?
Computer
Theoretical
What do models help us to do?
Produce testable theories that can be studied with scientific methods and inferences made from experiments
What do schemas do?
Stop us from getting overwhelmed with information and helps us to organise large amounts of info
How can schemas be changed?
Assimilate- add new info to an existing schema
Accommodate- when an old schema is adapted or a new schema has to be created
E.g knowing a chair but having to adapt it to finding out about a rocking chair
What can schemas lead us to?
Incorrect assumptions
Stereotypes
Prejudice
What is cognitive neuroscience?
Investigates how brain structure and chemistry affects cognitive processes
How do they test cognitive neuroscience?
Neuroimaging, through FMRI and PET scans
Weaknesses of cognitive approach
Machine reductionism:
Seen as overly mechanical, as they describe human thinking as if it’s a computer. This means the approach can’t explain human irrationality and emotions on behaviour
Inferences can be seen as none scientific as psychologists are jumping to conclusions, inferences can be wrong as they can’t be tested
Lacks mundane realism:
Tests are done in controlled environments meaning the tests may not reflect everyday life as they’re artificial.
Strengths of the approach
Highly scientific:
Tests are highly controlled
Computer models help us to understand mental processes
Has real world applications to AI and treatments for mental disorders (eg psychopathy)
Has been applied to other approaches helping to understand behaviour better
Who was cognitive neuroscience founded by?
Broca