The Cognitive approach

Question 1

What is the cognitive approach?

Answer 1

It became popular in the 1950’s as a response to behaviourists failing to take mental processes into account

Question 2

What are internal mental processes?

Answer 2

Reasoning, perception, memory and language. They cannot be observed so have to be studied indirectly by making inferences

Question 3

What is a schema?

Answer 3

They are ‘little packages’ of information or ideas that are filled through experience and help us make sense of the world. they provide a framework for understanding and we refer to these when new incoming information is received

Question 4

Why are schema’s useful?

Answer 4

They help us to minimise our cognitive load as they aid with memory as mental shortcuts and stop us from becoming overloaded by environmental stimuli

Question 5

Why are schema’s not useful?

Answer 5

They can cause us to develop unhelpful stereotypes or recall a memory of an event which is what we would expect to happen in that situation rather than what actually did

Question 6

What did Bransford and Johnson do in 1972?

Answer 6

They gave the participants sentences to remember, e.g. a newspaper is better than a magazine. One set op people were given the schema ‘making a kite’, the other group had no schema. The group with the schema remembered significantly more, demonstrating how we use schema’s to organise information and to make sense of material

Question 7

What are theoretical and computer models?

Answer 7

They’re used to explain and make inferences about mental processes

Question 8

Why are theoretical and computer models used?

Answer 8

As we cannot see the types of internal mental processes that cognitive psychologists are interested in studying, the use of theoretical models and computer models are sometimes used to provide a stage by stage description of these processes.

Question 9

What is the multi store model of memory?

Answer 9

The information passing from store to store would be the ‘input’, the processes (attention, rehearsal) would be the ‘processing’ and the recall of information at a later date would be the ‘output’

Question 10

What is cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 10

It refers to the scientific study of the impact of brain structure on mental processes. By using technology to identify brain structures/ neurochemicals responsible for certain behaviours.

Question 11

What is a PET scan?

Answer 11

Radioactive substance being injected and tracing where it travels to show which areas of the brain are active when different tasks are completed.

Question 12

What are the methods and practical applications?

Answer 12

PET scans
EEG scans
MRI scans

Question 13

What did Smith et al do in 1996?

Answer 13

Provided evidence that spatial working memory is handled by a different part of the brain to verbal working memory through the use of PET scans.

Question 14

What is an EEG scan?

Answer 14

Involves sensors recording and measuring electrical activity in the brain and categorising them into different frequencies (alpha, beta, gamma, etc.)

Question 15

What did Klimesch do in 1999?

Answer 15

Had patients complete a task that used their semantic memory and then another task that used their episodic memory whilst being given an EEG scan. It was found that each task was processed differently, suggesting that episodic and semantic memory are two separate and discrete types of long term memory.

Question 16

What is an MRI scan?

Answer 16

Use of strong magnetic fields to produce a visual image of the brain.

Question 17

What did Maguire et al do in 2006?

Answer 17

Found that London taxi drivers had increased grey matter (i.e. neutral activity) in their hippocampus in comparison to London bus drivers. The hippocampus is involved in spatial navigation and, as bus drivers have to follow specific routes, this may indicate why taxi drivers have increased spatial awareness.

Question 18

What are two strengths of the cognitive approach?

Answer 18

1. It takes a scientific approach,it has objective measures. Uses experimental method (mainly lab studies) allowing us to infer cause and effect and more recently brain imaging techniques. Allows us to see which parts of the brain are responsible for which elements of though
2. Has a number of positive applications, CBT as treatment for mental illness. helped many people recover or reduce their symptoms of several illnesses so highlights its value

Question 19

What are two limitations of the cognitive approach?

Answer 19

1. Laboratory experiments makes the results of these studies often lack ecological validity, so may not be generalisable to the real world.
2. Reductionism, it reduces the complex human mind to that of a computer even though humans are driven by conscience, fear of consequences, emotion and motivation.