The Cognitive Approach Flashcards
What is the cognitive approach?
this approach focuses on how internal mental processes such as perception, attention and thoughts affect behaviour.
What assumptions are made within the cognitive approach?
- behaviour is influenced by internal mental processes.
- it is possible to make inferences about mental processes.
What is the computer analogy?
We take information (input) in through the senses, which influences behaviour (output). This is like the input, process, and output of a computer.
What are schema?
Schema are the mental representations of experience, knowledge, and understanding. They are ‘packets’ of information, developed through experience, which influence cognitive processing.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of schema?
+ schema can influence cognitive processing in a beneficial way by acting as a shortcut to prevent us being completely overwhelmed.
- they can also distort how we interpret sensory information.
How does FMRI work?
(functional magnetic resonance imaging)
works by detecting the changes in blood oxygenation and flow that occur in response to neural activity. when a brain area is more active, it consumes more oxygen, and to meet this increased demand, blood flow increases to the active area.
How do PET scans work?
(positron emission tomography)
uses a radioactive substance called a tracer to look for disease in the body. a PET scan shows how organs and tissues are working. it can show the chemical and functional changes within the brain.
What are the strengths of the cognitive approach?
- real world application.
- scientific rigour.
What are the weaknesses of the cognitive approach?
- research often lacks ecological validity.
- relies on the inference of mental processes.
- machine reductionism.
- oversimplistic as focus often on individual mental processes.
