the cognitive approach Flashcards
what is the cognitive approach?
the term ‘cognitive’ has come to mean ‘mental processes’, so this approach is focused on how our mental processes (thoughts, perceptions, attention) affect behaviour
what are the assumptions?
•internal mental processes can, and should, be studied scientifically
•these processes (memory, perception and thinking) are ‘private’ and cannot be observed
•cognitive psychologists study them indirectly by making inferences about what is going on inside people’s minds on the basis of their behaviour
what are internal mental processes?
‘private’ operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response
what are theoretical models?
pictorial representations that can be used to represent and study internal mental processes
what are some examples of theoretical models?
the working memory model and the multi store model of memory (the information processing approach)
what is a computer model?
they are used to model cognitive processes, where the mind is compared to a computer
they are similar as both have inputs or outputs, both code, process and store information
but humans are influenced by emotional and motivational factors
what are schemas?
•a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing
•we have schemas for everything
•they are developed from experience and allow us for take mental shortcuts, but these can lead to mistakes (perceptual errors, stereotyping, inaccurate eyewitness testimonies)
what is inference?
the process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behaviour
what is the definition of cognitive neuroscience?
the scientific study of biological structures that underpin cognitive processes
what is the emergence of cognitive neuroscience?
studying scientific structures (brain scans, identifying localisation of function) to understand human behaviour
evaluation points
+scientific and objective methods
-machine reductionism
+application to everyday life, real life application
+less determinist that other approaches
scientific and objective methods
they have involved lab experiments (with high control over variables) to produce reliable, objective data that conclusions can be drawn from
also brings together the fields of biology and cognitive psychology
this means that the study of the mind has established a credible scientific basis
machine reductionism
the computer analogy has been criticised (the comparisons between a computer and the mind)
such machine reductionism ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation of the cognitive system and how this may affect our ability to process cognitive information
for instance, memory is affected by emotional factors like anxiety
means conclusions about human behaviour/ the mind cannot be drawn from computer models
application to everyday life
cognitive psychology is often criticised for being too abstract and theoretical in nature. experimental studies are often carried out with artificial stimuli. may lack external validity
however advances in cognitive psychology has influenced the development of AI and robots that complete human like tasks
less determinist than other approaches
the cognitive approach is founded on soft determinism- it recognises that our cognitive system can only operate within the limits of what we know, but that we are free to think before responding to a stimulus
this is a more reasonable interactionist position than hard determinism suggested by other approaches
what study did bandura conduct?
the Bobo Doll experiment
what was the aim of Bandura’s study?
to investigate if social behaviours (aggression) can be acquired by observation and imitation
what was Bandura’s sample?
•an equal number of girls and boys from Stanford university nursery
•the children were pre-tested to see how aggressive they were through an observation
•they were rated by two independent observers, when then compared results. very high inter-rated reliability
•he then used a matched pairs design
what was Bandura’s method?
(stage 1)
•he used a controlled lab experiment
•stage 1 modelling, children were split into 3 groups- either shown a model being aggressive (hitting with a mallet, throwing) towards the Bobo doll, being non-aggressive and playing it with it in a subdued manner or no model
•the children were either shown a model of the same sex or the opposite
what was stage 2?
aggression arousal
•all the children were subjected to ‘mild aggression arousal’ and taken into a room with attractive toys then told they couldn’t play with them
what was stage 3?
the next room contained some aggressive and non aggressive toys
•the child was asked to play with the Bobo doll
•the child was observed every 5 seconds for 20 minutes through a one-way mirror
•other behaviours that didn’t imitate that of the model were also recorded
what were the results of the Bobo Doll study?
•children who observed the aggressive model made far more imitative aggressive responses than those who were in the non-aggressive or on tell groups
•boys were more likely to imitate same-sex models than girls
what was Bandura’s conclusions from the Bobo doll experiment?
it demonstrated that children are able to learn social behaviour (such as aggression) through the process of observational learning, through watching the behaviour of another person. these findings support Bandura’s social learning theory
evaluation of the Bobo Doll experiment
+lab experiment, cause and effect can be established, precise control of variables, procedures were standardised which allows for replicability
-lab study means it could lack ecological validity
-the model and the child are strangers, meaning it is unlike ‘normal’ modelling which often takes place within the family
-the demonstrations are measured almost immediately. with such snapshot studies, we cannot discover if a single exposure can have long term effects
