The Cognitive Approach Flashcards
what is the cognitive approach?
a theory which focusses on how our mental processes affect behaviour.
what are internal mental processes?
‘private’ operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response.
what is a schema?
a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. they allow us to process a lot of information quickly to
prevent us from being overwhelmed with environmental stimuli.
what is inference?
the process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behaviour.
what is cognitive neuroscience?
the scientific study of biological structures that underpin cognitive functions processes.
what is the theoretical model?
a way of studying internal processes which suggests that information flows through the cognitive system in stages (e.g input, output, storage)
what is the computer model?
the structure of the brain is compared to something already understood such as computers to explain how the brain works.
who identified how damage to the frontal lobe could impair speech production?
Paul Broca
advances in technology such as; fMRI and PET scans have allowed scientists to do what?
systematically observe and describe the neurological basis of mental processes.
Tulving et al
were able to show how episodic and semantic memory reside in opposite sides of the pre-frontal cortex.
what is a recent development in cognitive neuroscience?
scanning techniques have been used to locate different types of memory in different parts of the brain leading to treatment for memory problems.
one strength of the cognitive approach?
credible scientific basis because it uses highly controlled and rigorous methods like lab experiments which produce reliable and valid data which help us understand unobservable mental processes.
another strength of cognitive approach
it can be integrated into other approaches. this means it is greatly useful for improving people behaviour as therapies can be used to bring out positive results. For example, CBT is a combination of the cognitive and behavioural approach
one limitation of the cognitive approach
comparing humans to computers (machine reductionism) is simplistic and ignores human traits such as; emotion, self-awareness and motivation and how they may influence our ability to process information
another limitation of the cognitive approach
lacks ecological validity. this means that researchers within cognitive psychology often conduct their studies within a ‘false setting’ or one which does not represent the real world
