Section 5 : The Approaches in Psychology - The Cognitive Approach Flashcards
What does cognitive psychology look at
How we interpret the world
The cognitive approach observed what
Observes the internal workings of the mind and explains behaviours through cognitive process
How do cognitive psychologists try to explain behaviour
By looking at :
Perception
Language
Attention
Memory
What does cognitive psychology use to test behaviour scientifically
Experimental procedures and methods
What type of approach is cognitive psychology
A reductionist approach
The mind can be compared to…
A computer
What are often used to explain how we think and how we behave
Computer and computer models
Humans are treated as…
Information processors (computers)
Behaviour is explained in terms of ….
Information processing (how computers deal with information)
What are used to explain and make inferences about the mental processes that lead to particular behaviours
Computers and theoretical models
What are the three main research methods used for cognitive psychologists
-Lab experiments
-Field experiments
-Natural experiments
Give advantages of lab experiments
-scientific and reliable - possible to have great control over variables
Give disadvantages of lab experiments
-Doesn’t tell much of the real world - has low ecological validity
Give advantages of field experiments
-takes place in natural situation - more ecological validity
Give disadvantages of field experiments
Less control of most of the variables - not as reliable and scientific as lab experiments
Give advantages of natural experiments
-High ecological validity - tells a lot about outside world
Give disadvantages of natural experiments
-little control of variables- not massively reliable
-uncontrolled variables can affect results
What are the 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 is meant by the phrase ‘our mental systems have a limited capacity’
The amount of information that can be processed will be influenced by how demanding the task is and how much other information is being processed
What is meant by the phrase ‘a control mechanism oversees all mental processes’
This will require more processing power for new tasks, leaving less available for everything else
What is meant by the phrase ‘ there is a two way flow of information’
We take in information from the world, process it and react to it. We also use our knowledge and experiences to understand the world
Cognitive psychology developed in parallel with what
Computer age
What do cognitive psychologists use to represent particular features of the human mind
Computer models
What is the brain described as
Described as a processor, it has data input into it and output from it
Some parts of the brain form…
Networks
Some parts can work…
Sequentially. This occurs in more demanding, or unknown tasks.
What does working sequentially mean
One process must finish before the another starts
Some parts of the brain can work…
In parallel. This is mark likely to happen for tasks which are familiar
What is meant by working in parallel
Info travels to and fro along lots of paths at the same tkme
What is the route in which humans process information
Data input -> processing -> data output
What make computer models less useful
-Humans are affected by emotional and motivational factors
-Humans have unlimited and unreliable memory vice versa for computers (limited but reliable)
-Humans have free will computers don’t
What is a schema
A schema contains all the information you know about an object, action or concept
What do schemas help you with
Organising and interpreting information and experiences
What happens to information with a schema when it is consistent
It is assimilated into the schema
What happens to information with a schema when it is inconsistent
Accommodation occurs and the schema has to change in order to resolve the problem
What are the different types of schemas
Role schemas
Event schemas
Self schemas
What is a role schema
Ideas about behaviours which is expected from someone in a certain role setting or situation
Give an example of a role schema
Your schema for a doctor is that they are intelligent, respectable, sensible
What are event schemas
also called scripts, they contain info about what happens in a situation
Give an example of an event schema
You know you’ll usually need to rad a menu and place an order when at a restaurant
What is a self schema
Schemas that contain info about ourselves based on physical characteristics and personality as well as beliefs and values
What do self schemas affect
How you act
Give an example of self schema
If your self schema says your health conscious you are likely to eat well and exercise regularly
What are the problems with schemas
-may stop people from learning new info
-prejudice and stereotypes can be an outcome of schemas
-may bias the way we process info about certain subgroups due to expectations it holds
-means may be more likely to pay attention to info we can easily assimilate and ingot info that involve accommodating our schemas
Who tested the ideas of schemas
Bartlett 1932 - the war of the ghosts
What was the method of Bartlett
-English participants asked to read folk tale ‘The war if the ghosts’
-unfamiliar story, full of strange names ideas and objects
-different structure to average English story
-participants asked to recall story after different length of time
What were the results of Bartlett 1932
-All participants changed story to fit in their own schemas
-details in the story became more English and started to contain elements of English culture
-details and emotions were added
-as the length of time between hearing and recalling the story increased the amount of information remembered became a lot less
What is the conclusion of Bartlett 1932
People use their own schemas to help interpret and remember the world around them
Give the evaluations of Bartlett 1932
-lacks ecological validity because it is lab experiment
-highly influential as it paved the way further for cognitive research
When did the influence of neuroscience hit the cognitive approach
1970s
What did cognitive neuroscience emerge with
Modern brain imaging techniques and procedures
What is cognitive neuroscience
An approach in psychology which maps human behaviour to brain function
What allows psychologists to discover when and where things happen in the brain in relation to people’s behaviour at the time
Brain imaging techniques
What methods does cognitive neuroscience use to study cognition
-Lesion studies
-electrophysiology
-neuroimaging
What is lesion studies
Looking at people with brain damage to see how behaviour is affected
What is electrophysiology
Using electric and magnetic fields to measure brain activity and brain waves
What is neuroimaging
Pinpointing area of the brain which are active when a task is performed
What are the strengths of the cognitive approach
-Considers mental processes which are often overlooked in other approaches
-Had a big influences on the development of therapies E.g. CBT
What are the weaknesses of the cognitive approach
-Research is often carried out in artificial situations (labs) and the role of emotion and influence from other people is often ignored
-cognitive psychology fails to take individual differences into account by assuming that all of us process stuff exactly the same
