The Cognitive Approach Flashcards
How does the approach say mental processes should be studied?
Using highly scientific methods.
What inanimate object have humans said to be similar to?
Computers
How do psychologists describe processes such as perception and thinking? How should these processes be studied?
Private.
Psychologists make inferences about what is going on in people’s minds.
The integration of which two subjects has lead to the emergence of what field?
Integration of cognitive psychology and biology has lead to the development of cognitive neuroscience.
What are schemas and what do they do?
Cognitive frameworks of beliefs, instructions and ideas that allow information coming into the brain to be processed quickly. They automatically allow us to respond to situations without us having to think.
How are schema’s developed?
They develop through experience.
Give one advantage of schemas.
Allow us to respond quickly to environmental stimuli without us getting overwhelmed.
Give one limitation of schemas.
They cause us to form stereotypes which can be hard to disconfirm, even when presented with conflicting information.
What are theoretical models? Give an example of one.
Simple pictorial diagrams that provide a basic analogy as to how a mental process works. For example, the multi store model.
What are computer models?
Models that suggest the human brain behaves similar to a computer. For example, we extract, store, process, remember etc information
Define cognitive neuroscience.
The scientific study of biological structures that underpin cognitive processes.
Give 2 examples of brain imaging techniques that cognitive neuroscientists use.
PET scans, fMRI scans
What type of experiments do cognitive psychologists use and why?
Lab experiments, they are highly scientific which allows cause and effect to be established.
Explain the strength of cognitive psychologists using scientific methods, using the examples of inferences and neuroscience.
Explain the counterpoint of inferences potentially making the approach abstract.
By using scientific methods, the inferences psychologists make about mental processes are more likely to be reliable. In addition to this, the emergence of cognitive neuroscience allows us to objectively observe what is happening in the brain, enhancing the scientific nature of the approach.
However, inferences may appear as too abstract as we cannot scientifically show exactly what we think, perceive etc. This may reduce the scientific credibility of the approach.
Explain the strength of the approach having practical application to AI and EWT.
For example, the approach has contributed to the development of AI and thinking machines, which will revolutionise the way we live in the future. Cognitive principles have also helped improve the reliability of EWT, leading to fairer trials in court. This shows the value of the approach.
