Cognitive Approach Flashcards
What does cognitive psychology focus on ?
Cognitive psychology focuses on how people perceive,store,manipulate and interpret information.
What is the problem with studying mental processes?
Mental processes cannot be studied directly as they are the ‘private’ operations of the mind. Therefore we must study things ‘indirectly’ through inferring what goes on as a result of measuring the observed behaviour.
What is an ‘inference’ in terms of psychology ?
An inference is a logical conclusion about mental processes based on evidence/behaviour/outcomes.
What are some examples of models used to represent mental processes ?
MSM- Multi story model
WMM- Working memory model
They are often in pictorial form and use arrows to indicate cause and effect or the stages of a mental process.
Computer models ?
The development of computers led to Cognitive psychologists to consider comparisons between computers and mental processes.
What is a schema ?
Schemas are cognitive frameworks that are used to organise knowledge and experience of the world into generic ‘templates’. These are used to make sense of objects, situations and people we encounter. They tell what to expect and how to behave in certain situations.
Why are schemas useful ?
They help to predict what will happen in our world based on our previous experience. They help us to process vast amounts of info rapidly. They also prevent us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli.
Why are schemas unhelpful ?
Schemas can distort our interpretation of sensory info. Negative schemas may have a negative effect on mental health. Their role in EWT can be negative.
Strengths of the Cognitive approach
It considers mental processes which are often overlooked in other approaches. It has had a big influence on the development of therapies eg CBT, real-life applications. It is scientific- concepts can be operationalised, rigorous and objective.
