Evaluation Flashcards
How is the cognitive approach interactionist in explaining behaviour?
Nature: Innate internal mental processes (e.g., brain as hardware in the MSM).
Nurture: Schemas develop through environmental interaction and learning
What are the real-world applications of the cognitive approach?
Led to therapies like CBT, effective in treating depression (e.g., Jarrett et al.: CBT = as effective as antidepressants in 10 weeks).
Influenced police interview techniques (e.g., Loftus’s work on EWT and memory distortion).
Why is the cognitive approach considered scientific?
Uses controlled lab research (e.g., memory studies).
Incorporates cognitive neuroscience (e.g., PET scans), identifying biological mechanisms behind thought.
Enables causal conclusions, making it more reliable and widely accepted.
What is the issue with determinism in the cognitive approach?
Suggests behaviour is predictable based on internal processes and schemas.
May conflict with ideas of free will, responsibility, and moral/legal accountability.
However, it is soft determinism, acknowledging some control over thoughts and behaviour.
Weakness – Why is the computer analogy (mechanistic view) a limitation?
Oversimplifies human behaviour by treating the brain like a computer.
Ignores emotions, social context, and subjective experience.
Lacks the ability to fully explain complex, rich human experiences
