Cognitive Approach (approchaes) Flashcards
Why did cognitive psychology gain more importance in the mid 1950’s?
Dissatisfaction with the behaviourist approach and its simple emphasis on external behaviour rather than internal processes
The development of better experimental methods
Comparison between human and computer processing information
Key assumptions of the cognitive approach
Mediational processes occur between stimulus and response
Psychology should be seen as a science
Humans are information processors
What is meant by ‘mediational processes occur between stimulus and response’?
Behaviourists rejected the idea of studying the mind because internal and mental processes cannot be observed and objectively measured
However, cognitive psychologists regard it as essential to look at the mental processes of an organism and how these influence behaviour
What is meant by ‘psychology should be seen as a science’?
Cognitive psychologists follow the example of the behaviourists in preferring objective, controlled, scientific methods for investigating behaviour
They use the results of their investigation as the basis for making inferences about mental processes
What is meant by ‘humans are information processors’?
Information processing in humans resembles that in computers, and is based on transforming information, storing information, and retrieving information from memory
Information processing models of cognitive processes such as memory and attention assume that mental processes follow a clear sequence
Key features of the cognitive appraoach
Behaviour is impacted by processing between the stimulus and response
Mental processes can be inferred from observable behaviours
Psychology is a science and should use experimental methods
Humans are information-processors and as such functions can be modelled in a way that resembles computers
The computer method
Input/acquisition
Processing and storage
Output/behaviour
Similarities between the computer method and humans
They both take data from outside and encode it
They are both capable of storage and retrieval (memory)
They both have the capacity to work on or process material e.g. working memory
Both liable to memory corruption of some kind
They can both be hacked
Differences between the computer metaphor and humans
Computer coding is not affected by emotions e.g. anxiety
Computer code has been directly inputted but humans add meaning to the input they receive through senses
Computers can be quickly uploaded with exact copies of information
Computers always pay attention to inputs, however, humans can direct their attention away from one input and to another e.g. when someone else is having a more interesting conversation
The inputs that humans receive are via various senses while those from computers are via keyboards or through microphones etc
What are schemas?
Mental templates or frameworks that organise knowledge and experience
They feed into beliefs, expectations and memories and allow us to add to incomplete information/memories and process information quickly
They are learned and adapt with experience, but there is debate about whether we are born with crucial ones
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The study of the biological structures and processes that underpin/relate to cognition
The emergence of cognitive neuroscience
Developments over the 20th century allow us to study the brain at work
They use techniques such as fMRI and PET to image the brain (this can be functional or structural)
Research has led to improvements in our understanding of brain function and investigating the structure of memory
