PAPER 2 - APPROACHES - the cognitive approach

Question 1

what is the fundamental belief of the cognitive approach?

Answer 1

behaviour is the result of internal mental processes that operate together e.g. schemas, attention etc.

Question 2

what is the cognitive approach?

Answer 2

approach includes areas like memory, perception, solving and thinking, it considers mental processes and refers to information processing models

Question 3

what are schemas?

Answer 3

• framework in the brain that helps organise & interpret information
• allows shortcuts through mass stimuli
• can exclude things that don’t conform to ideas and fill in gaps

Question 4

what are theoretical models?

Answer 4

• models that explain how we process information e.g. MSM, WMM
• predict behaviour
• tools for exploring implications of ideas

Question 5

what are computer models?

Answer 5

• analogy for the way sensory info is encoded as it passes through a system
• used to establish how the mind works - encoding, storing, and retrieving inputs

Question 6

what is involved in the study of cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 6

• study of brain structures involved in mental processing through mental imaging techniques e.g. PET/MRI scans
• shows which parts of the brain are involved in specific circumstances

Question 7

what techniques are used to show how different parts of the brain become active?

Answer 7

PET & MRI scans

Question 8

what is a study involved in the emergence of cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 8

Burnett 2009, areas in medial prefrontal cortex activated when participant felt guilt

Question 9

what are the strengths of the cognitive approach?

Answer 9

• many applications
• scientific approach

Question 10

how is ‘many applications’ a strength of the cognitive approach?

Answer 10

• applied to many areas of psychology, research into social cognition
• explains dysfunctional behaviour
• not restrictive
• leads to effective treatments of disorders

Question 11

how is ‘scientific approach’ a strength of the cognitive approach?

Answer 11

• provides researchers with precise method for collecting evidence - drawing accurate conclusions
• mind works on introspection/ common sense - gives misleading picture of mental processes that arent consciously available

Question 12

what are the limitations of the cognitive approach?

Answer 12

• computer models have limited explanatory powers
• ignore emotion and motivation
• lacks ecological validity

Question 13

how is the fact that ‘computer models have limited explanatory powers’ a limitation of the cognitive approach?

Answer 13

• processing takes place in the human mind, computers don’t make mistakes, don’t ignore information and don’t forget anything
• not representative

Question 14

how is ‘ignores emotion and motivation’ a limitation of the cognitive approach?

Answer 14

• tells us HOW processes happen but not WHY
• emotion & motivation largely ignored, over dependence on information processing analogies
• motivation irrelevant to a computer, not a human

Question 15

how is ‘lacks ecological validity’ a limitation of the cognitive approach?

Answer 15

• little in common with everyday experiences
• artificial test materials, meaningless in real life
• unable to generalise findings