Cognitive - Main componentsd + eval Flashcards
What are the three assumptions of the cognitive approach?
1) Computer analogy
2) Internal mental processes
3) Schemas
What is the computer analogy with psychological example
This analogy compares how we take information as an input and then recall it when necessary, as an output.
During the stages of processing information, we actively use the cognitive processes of: perception, attention and memory. Making the mind similar to the hardware of a computer.
Psychological Example
(Shiffrin 1968) Proposed the Multistore memory model which suggests information is INPUT to the brain through our senses (eyes, ears etc.) and then moves to the short term memory (STM) and if required moved to the Long Term Memory
Describe relationship formation of the Computer Analogy
Thibaut & Kelly (1959) proposed that when deciding on a potential partner, we make a cost benefit analysis. this theory suggest we are attracted to those whose benefits outweigh the costs.
For example, a potential partner may be funny (benefit) but they may be lazy (cost). An individual would weigh up these before making a final decision.
What is Internal mental processes with psychological example
Suggests we use cognitive processes to make sense of the world around us. The approach suggests we use our sense to collect information and then use internal mental processes to interpret that information.
An example of this would be. We our sense (sight / eyes) to see a dog such as (4 legs, tail, fur etc) and then search our internal mental processes to recall if we have seen it before to put a name to it.
Psychological Example
Griffths (1994) had participants playing on a fruit gambling machine with a control group of non-gamblers and experimental group gamblers who were both told to play on the fruit machine and speak aloud any and all thoughts that went through their head while playing no matter what they were.
Results found that the gamblers said more irritational things than non-gamblers.
Describe Schemas with psy example
Schemas can be described as knowledge packets of information with associate with the words we know. Schemas can change with experience and stored within our long-term memory. For instance when we think of the word ‘burglar’ we have an idea in our mind of what one looks like such as male wearing a mask ect, and they are derived from our past experiences.
Schemas do not necessarily represent reality as they are built up from our social exchanges rather than our personal experiences. (have you ever seen a burglar?)
Schemas were seen in Bartlett et al where participants were asked to read an unusual Native American folk tale and then recall it later. Bartlett observed that as participants recalled the story over time, they tended to distort details to fit more closely with their own cultural schemas, showing that memory is influenced by our pre-existing mental frameworks.
What is the relationship formation of Schemas
The halo effect suggests if our schemas for an individual contain positive impressions such as ‘friendly’ we are most likely to believe that they are also contain other good attributes such as ‘intelligent’ this could help explain why we are more inclined to enter romantic relationships with people we find physically attractive.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the cognitive approach?
Strengths:
Scientific (loftus and palmer)
application (Jarett, Loftus and Paigett)
Weaknesses:
Reductionist
Deterministic (Schemas)
Strength of the cognitive approach to do with science?
(2 things)
A strength of the cognitive approach of psychology it that it uses scientific and objective measures in their research. For instance most research into memory has been conducted under strict laboratory conditions, minimising the possibility of extraneous variables such as Loftus and Palmer
Additionally, brain scans such as PET scans have been used to pinpoint areas of the brain used in short and long term memory - this field is known as cognitive neuroscience where we look at which brain structures and involved in different cognitive processes.
The cognitive approach can therefore be considered an extremely scientific field in psychology where casual relationships between emotions, cognitions and behaviours can be confidently predicted.
Strength of the cognitive approach to do with application (3 APPLICATIONS)
The cognitive approach to psychology has had major influence in our day to day life, one way the cognitive approach has been applied is in therapy. CBT is one of the most commonly used and effective treatments for mental health disorders such as depression. Its effectiveness has been proved in studies such as Jarett et al where he compared the effectiveness of CBT with antidepressants (specifically Phenelzine) in 108 patients with severe depression and found it to be extremely effective on patients that had relapsed 3 or more times.
Another way the cognitive approach has been applied is in the criminal justice system and memory research, for example the work of Elizibeth Loftus has shown has eye-witness testimony accounts are not always accurate and can be easily distorted by post-events information. This research has impacted the way police will conduct interviews in the use of cognitive interviews to help minimise leading questions.
Yet another way the cognitive approach has been applied is in education, for example cognitive theories on children’s thinking has been applied to help children’s education in schools, in the research of Piaget, he found that children aged younger than 10 learn much better when learning is in a physical form. For instance in maths using counting sticks to help represent the numbers.
Piaget’s ideas have had major effect on teaching in Primary schools showing the application of cognitive theories in our world.
Give a weakness of the Cognitive approach in relation to Nature and Nurture
Even though the cognitive approach could be considered less reductionist as it does consider the influences of both internal factors (internal mental processes) and external processes (schemas)
The approach fails to consider the effects of both nature and nurture. For example, the cognitive approach ignores the role of genes in human cognition yet research into intelligence has found a consistent correlation between the two in the form of twin and family studies.
Additionally, the cognitive approach largely ignores the role of social and cultural factors, this is seen in key studies like Piaget where the influence of culture and gender in the development are not considered - e.g do some cultures develop faster than others?
Give a weakness of the Cognitive approach in relation to Determinism
Another weakness of the congitive approach is that it could be considered determinisic. For example the schemas assumption of the approach says we learn assosiations to certain words though our direct experiences. However, this could be considered deterministic as it means we will naturally develop sterotypes of certain people such as blond women are stupid or people with glasses are smart, these are cultural sterotypes and these schemas may determine the way we interpret social situations against our will.
