The Cognitive Approach

Question 1

Outline the basic assumptions of the Cognitive Approach.

Answer 1

• argues that internal mental processes can, and should be studied scientifically
• study memory, thinking and perception
• think that the mind works like a computer, in that it has an input for our senses which it then processes and produces an output
• cognitive processing can often be affected by a person’s beliefs or expectations (schema)

Question 2

Define schema.

Answer 2

• schema are packages of ideas and information developed through experience that act as a mental framework for the interpretation of incoming information

Question 3

What is the role of schema?

Answer 3

• they are mental shortcuts to prevent us from becoming overwhelmed by environmental stimuli and to develop ways of dealing with them

Question 4

What are internal mental processes and how are they studied?

Answer 4

-‘private’ operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response
- psychologists study them indirectly by making inferences about what is going inside people’s minds based on their behaviour

Question 5

What are the theoretical and computer models?

Answer 5

• theoretical models are abstract
• computer models are concrete

Question 6

Outline a brief emergence of cognitive neuroscience.

Answer 6

• cognitive neuroscience is the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes
• it involves mapping brain areas to specific cognitive functions
• example: tan man and Paul Broca in 1860’s which resulted in Broca’s area
• led to advances in brain scanning techniques eg. PET and fMRI scans

Question 7

Outline the strengths of the Cognitive Approach.

Answer 7

• influenced and intergrated with many other approaches and areas of study to produce, for example, SLT, cognitive neuropsychology and AI
• research conducted in this area often has application to the real world eg. CBT for treating depression and anxiety

Question 8

Outline the limitations of the Cognitive Approach.

Answer 8

• reductionist; doesn’t always recognise physical and environmental factors in determining behaviour
• machine reductionism ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system and how this may affect our ability to process information
• the information processing belief system of cognitive psychology views minds in terms of a computer when processing information
• lacks ecological validity as most experiments are done in labs