Cognitive Psychology Flashcards
Define cognitive psychology
The study of mental processes in order to help explain behaviour. Psychologists may look at a persons perception, language, memory and attention
When was the approach created?
1950s
What are internal mental processes?
Private operations of the mind e.g. attention and perception that meditate between stimulus and response
What can a humans thinking process be compared to?
A computer
Humans are treated as information processors (computer)
Behaviour can be explained in terms of computer processing ( how computers deal with the info)
Why are computer models used?
To explain and make inferences about the mental processes which lead to particular behaviours
What is an example of how a computer model is used?
Memory can be divided into STM and LTM based on studies that show primacy effect and recency effect leading to models such as the multi store
What are the 3 principles of the cognitive approach?
Our mental systems have a limited capacity
A control mechanism oversees all mental processes
There is a two way flow of information
What are the differences between humans and computers?
Humans have unlimited but unreliable memory, computers have limited but reliable
Humans are often influenced by emotional and motivational factors
Humans have free will
How is the mind like a computer?
The brain is like a processor it has an input and an output
Parts of the brain can form networks
Some parts can work sequentially- one process must finish before another starts (occurs during more difficult tasks)
They can work in parallel too (occurs in more familiar tasks)
What route do both the mind and computers follow?
Data input, processing and data output
How does a computer follow this route?
Information comes in via the key board Signals passed through wires Computer processor Signals passed through wires Information output to a monitor
How does the brain follow this route?
Information coming in from outside world through sense organs Signals passed through neurons Brain Signals passed through neurons Information passed back out for action
