the cognitive approach Flashcards
what are some assumptions of the cognitive approach?
argues that internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically. cognitive approach has investigated those areas that were neglected by behaviourists, such as memory, perception and thinking. these processes cannot be observed so psychologist study them indirectly by making inferences.
whats an inference?
the process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behaviour.
what is a schema?
a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing, the are developed from expieriece.
whats an internal mental process?
‘private’ operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response.
what is the role of the schema?
schema are packages of ideas and information developed through experience. they act as mental framework for the interpretation of incoming information received by the cognitive system.
babies are born with simple motor schemas for innate behaviours such as sucking and grasping. as we get older our schemas become more sophisticated and detailed. adults have developed mental representations for everything.
schemas allow us to process lots of information quickly, acts as a mental short cut that prevents us from being overwhelmed by enviromental stimuli
what are the theoretical and computer models?
theoretical models are abstract whereas computer models are concrete things.
whats an important theoretical model?
information processing approach- suggest info flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages, input–>storage–>retrieval
this is the multi-store model. this is based on the way computes funtion.
what is a cognitive model?
same as theoretical, but would involve actually programming the computer to see if such instructions produce a similar output to humans. if they do then we can suggest processes are going to be the same in the human mind.
whats cognitive neuroscience?
the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes. mapping brain areas to specific cognitive functions has a long history in psychcology.
what did paul broca identify?
how damage to an area of the frontal lobe (brocas area) could permanently impair speech production.
evaluate cognitive approach
S- uses objective scientific methods, employ highly controlled methods of study so researchers are able to infer cognitive processes at work, this has involved the use of lab studies. in addition the emergence of cognitive neuroscience ha enabled the two fields of biology and cognitive psychology to come together and enhance the scientific basis of study, the study of the mind has a credible scientific basis.
counterpoint- as it relies of the inference of mental processes, rather than direct observations, it can occasionally suffer from being too abstract and theoretical in nature, research may lack external validity.
s- real world applications, can be applied to a wide range of practical and theoretical contexts; eg, important contribution in the field of artificial intelligence. cognitive principles have also been applied to the treatment of depression and improved the reliability of eyewitness testimonies.
supports value of the approach.
c- machine reductionism, computer analogy has been criticised, it ignores the influence of human emotions and motivation and how these my effect our ability to process information, research shows memory may be affected by emotional factors such as the influence of anxiety on eyewitnesses. machine reduction may weaken the validity of the cognitive approach.
