Cognitive Approach

Question 1

What is cognitive psychology?

Answer 1

The study of memory and other processes in the brain.

Question 2

How did cognitive psychology arise?

Answer 2

After WW2, there was a need for deeper understanding of humans and with the developments in computer science leading to new technology it allowed us to study cognitive function.

Question 3

What was the first method of investigating cognitive psychology?

Answer 3

Through observation of people.

Question 4

How can cognitive function be measured in modern day?

Answer 4

Through brain scanning.

Question 5

What are the key assumptions of cognitive psychology?

Answer 5

• The brain functions like a computer and processes information in a linear fashion
• Nature and nurture interact to affect memory

Question 6

What did Newell and Simon (1956) introduce?

Answer 6

The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) being comparable to human brains as computers.

Question 7

Use the ‘computer analogy’ to describe processes in the brain.

Answer 7

The brain processes information like a linear storage system with inputs and outputs that encodes information that is then stored and retrieved when necessary.

Question 8

What is mainly studied when looking at cognitive psychology, give 2 examples within this.

Answer 8

Those with cognitive impairments, such as:

• Dementia patients
• Brain damage patients

Question 9

Give 2 strengths of the cognitive approach.

Answer 9

P - Scientific
E - Uses brain scanning techniques, such as PET scans
E - Therefore it has high control and data is objective and can be replicated and compared easily
P - Has practical application
E - Can help to understand things like dementia, like with Clive Wearing
E - Therefore research into impairments can help to provide solutions

Question 10

Give 2 problems of the cognitive approach.

Answer 10

P - The computer analogy doesn’t resemble the human brain
E - It suggests that people given the same input would produce the same output
E - Therefore emotional influences on cognitive processes are ignored
P - It is hard to operationalise memory
E - Tasks such as recalling word lists doesn’t reflect the complexity of remembering everyday things, such as people’s birthdays
E - Therefore doesn’t have mundane realism and so loses credibility in its explanation of memory