Cognitive Approach A01

Question 1

Main assumptions

Answer 1

Behaviour can be largely explained through internal mental processes such as thought
Conscious Thought can influence behaviour
Mediational processes occur between stimulus and response.
The information processing approach suggests the mind works in a way similar to a computer: inputting, storing and retrieving data.
• Mental processes can be scientifically studied using laboratory
experiments

Question 2

Inference

Answer 2

Inference
To understand behaviour Cognitive Psychology focus on how people perceive, store, manipulate and interpret information and research processes like perception, memory, thinking and problem solving
However these mental processes cannot be studied directly as they cannot be observed (they are happening internally). Therefore they must be studied indirectly by inferring what goes on as a result of directly observed behaviour. Inference leads to Psychologists developing theories and models about mental processes.
For example Gathercole and Baddeley rely on inference from dual task experiments (e.g. describing angles of letter F while simultaneously following a light or doing a verbal task) to suggest that the working memory has independent slave systems, and that whilst limited in capacity can process information simultaneously if the nature of those tasks are different (visual and verbal).

Question 3

Theoretical models

Answer 3

Theoretical models are descriptive versions of how some aspect of the human mind and behaviour works, which
The multi-store model of memory
(Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968)
may be represented visually. One important theoretical model is the information processing approach which suggests information flows through the cognitive system in a
Encoding of
sUlsOry
Information
maninulation
Output (e.g. behaviour,
sequence of stages including input, storage and retrieval. The Multistore
model is an example of this. Further examples of
theoretical models include Ellis ABC model and Becks Cognitive triad which have both been used to explain the role of cognition in the onset of mood disorders such as depression.

Question 4

Schemas

Answer 4

Schemas refer to our understanding of the world. They are mental representations of what we know. There are generally 4 types of schemas
1. Objects
E.g. - what a tree looks like.
2. The Self
E.g. who we are, what we are capable of
3. Roles
E.g. how people are supposed to behave in certain situations
4. Events
E.g. knowing what type of greeting you should do in a certain culture