the cognitive approach

Question 1

cognitive approach definition

Answer 1

the term ‘cognitive’ as come to mean ‘mental processes’, so this approach is focused on how mental processes affect behaviour

Question 2

internal mental structure definition

Answer 2

private operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response

Question 3

schema definition

Answer 3

a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. they are developed from experience

Question 4

cognitive neuroscience definition

Answer 4

the scientific study of those biological structures that underpin cognitive processes

Question 5

which approach does cognitive approach contrast

Answer 5

behaviourist as cognitive approach argues internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically

Question 6

assumptions of cognitive approach

Answer 6

internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically

Question 7

how has assumption of cognitive approach internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically effected research

Answer 7

investigated those areas of human behaviour that were neglected by behaviourists, such as memory, perception and thinking. these are private processes and cannot be observed, so they are studied indirectly by making inferences about what is going on inside people’s minds on the basis of their behaviour

Question 8

what can cognitive processing be affected by

Answer 8

a person’s belief or expectations which are often referred to a schema

Question 9

schema

Answer 9

‘packages’ of ideas and information developed through experience. they act as a metal framework for the interpretation of incoming information received by cognitive system

Question 10

example of a schema

Answer 10

schema for a chair being something you sit on

Question 11

babies schema

Answer 11

born with a simple motor schema for innate behaviours such as sucking and grasping

Question 12

example of schema- what does grasping involve

Answer 12

moving a hand towards an object and shaping the hand around the object in co-ordination with visual input

Question 13

schema in adults

Answer 13

as we get older our schema becomes more detailed and sophisticated. adults have developed mental representation for everything such as what as a zombie looks like

Question 14

what does schema enable us to do

Answer 14

process lots of information quickly and this is useful as a sort of mental shortcut that prevents us form being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli

Question 15

schema distortion

Answer 15

may distort interpretations of sensory information, leading to perceptual errors

Question 16

2 models used in cognitive approach

Answer 16

-theoretical
-computer

Question 17

what are theoretical models for

Answer 17

abstract things

Question 18

what are computer models for

Answer 18

concrete things

Question 19

what helps understand metal processes

Answer 19

theoretical and computer models

Question 20

an important theoretical model

Answer 20

information processing approach

Question 21

information processing approach (theoretical model)

Answer 21

suggests information flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages. these include input, storage and retrieval (multi-store model)

Question 22

what is information processing approach based on

Answer 22

they way a computer functions but a computer model would involve actually programming a computer to see if instructions produce a similar output to humans. if they do we can suggest that similar processes are going on in the human mind.

Question 23

computer models

Answer 23

involve actually programming a computer to see if instructions produce a similar output to humans. if they do we can suggest that similar processes are going on in the human mind.

Question 24

use of computer models

Answer 24

have been useful in the development of artificial intelligence

Question 25

cognitive neuroscience

Answer 25

scientific study of the influence brain structures on metal progresses

Question 26

mapping brain areas to specific cognitive functions history in psychology

Answer 26

as early as the 1860s Broca had identified how damage to an area of the frontal lobe could permanently impair speech production. in the last 25 years there has been advances on brain scanning technology so scientists have been able to systematically observe and describe neurological basis of mental processes, such as research involving tasks requiring use of episodic and semantic memory. Buckener and peterson were able to show how these different types of long-term memory may be located on opposite sides of the prefrontal cortex, the central executive is thought to be in overall charge of working memory is thought to be in a similar area

Question 27

use of scanning techniques

Answer 27

been useful in establishing neurological basis of some disorders. the link between parahippocampal gyrus and OCD, it appears to play a role in processing unpleasant emotions

Question 28

focus on cognitive neuroscience expanding to include use of computer models

Answer 28

the focus of cognitive neuroscience expanding to include use of computer models that are designed to ‘read’ the brain. this has lead to development of mind mapping techniques known as ‘brain fingerprinting’. one possible future application of this could be to analyse the brain wave patterns of eyewitness to determine if they are lying in court

Question 29

strength of the cognitive approach - scientific method

Answer 29

-uses objective and scientific methods
-cognitive psychologists employ highly controlled and rigorous methods of study so researchers can infer cognitive processes at work. this involves use of lab studies to produce reliable, objective data. in addition, the emergence of cognitive neuroscience has enabled the two fields of biology and cognitive psychology to come together to enhance the scientific basis of the study –> this means the study of the mind has a credible scientific basis

Question 30

limitation of cognitive approach - counterpoint to scientific methods

Answer 30

as cognitive psychology relies on the inference of mental processes, rather than direct observation of behaviour, it can occasionally suffer form being too abstract and theoretical in nature. similarly, research studies of mental processes are often carried out using artificial stimuli (such as word lists) so may not represent everyday life –> research on cognitive processes may lack external validity

Question 31

strength of cognitive approach - real-world application

Answer 31

-has practical application
-the cognitive approach is probably the dominant approach in psychology today and has been applied to a wide range of practical and theoretical context. for example, cognitive psychology has made contribution to artificial intelligence and robots. these are exciting advances that may revolutionise how we live in the future. cognitive principles have also improved the reliability of eyewitness testimony –> supports the value of the cognitive approach

Question 32

limitation of the cognitive approach -machine reductionism

Answer 32

-based on machine reductionism
-there are similarities between the human ,ind and the operations of a ‘thinking machine’ such as computers. however, the computer analogy has been criticised. such machine reductionism ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system, and how this may effect our ability to processes information. for instance, research has found that human memory can be affected by emotional factors, such as anxiety in eyewitness testimony –> suggests that machine reductionism may weaken the validity of the cognitive approach

Question 33

evaluation of the cognitive approach

Answer 33

-the cognitive approach is founded on soft determinism, the view that human behvaiour may be determined by internal and external factors but we can also exert free will at times
-the hard determinism view all behaviour is determined by factors other than our will, such as conditioning and genes