The cognitive approach Flashcards
What are the 5 things that mental processes include?
Reasoning, attention, analysing, remembering and decision making
What do cognitive psychologists believe that behaviour is influenced by?
Our mental processes and that the human mind actively processes information
What are the two theoretical models that are used to study internal processes?
The computer model and the information processing model
What is the computer model?
According to this model, the human mind works like a computer.
Using the concept that the brain is the central processing unit, the information is received and coded into a more usable format, then it is stored in designated components within the brain
What is the information processing model?
According to the information processing model the information flows through the cognitive system in a clear sequence of stages that include an input, storage and retrieval information
What do the input process do?
Input processes are concerned with the analysis of the stimuli
What do the storage processes do?
Storage processes cover everything that happens to stimuli internally in the brain. This can include coding and manipulation if the stimuli
What do the output processes do?
Output processes are responsible for preparing an appropriate response to a stimulus
What is a schema?
Schemas are mental packages of information based on previous experiences.
They are cognitive frameworks that help organise and interpret information, helping us to predict what will happen next and to process vast amounts of information quickly
Who conducted the Rat-man experiment?
Bugelski and Alampay
What was the procedure of the rat-man study?
Two groups of participants were shown a sequence of pictures either a number of different faces or different animals. They were then shown an ambiguous figure: the rat-man
What were the findings of the rat-man study?
Participants who saw a sequence of animals were more likely to perceive the figure as a rat
What was the conclusion of the rat-man study?
This shows that expectation affects perception, in other words, if we ‘switch on’ our schema for animals, it is more likely that we will see an animal. This supports the idea that our internal metal processes are affected by our schema
When can schemas have a negative impact on mental health?
If they’re faulty or negative
How can schemas cause biased recall?
In that we see only what we expect to see and can also distort perceptual processing, leading to the recall of inaccurate memories
