The Cognitive Approach Flashcards
How does this approach contrast to the Behaviourist approach?
It involves the studying on mental processes, i.e perception and memory
How are mental processes studied by Cognitive Psychologists and why are they studied in this way?
They are studied by making inferences about what is occuring in someone’s brain based off their behaviour.
They are studied this way as they are ‘private’ and cannot be observed
What are schema and what do they act as?
Packages of information developed through experience
They act as a ‘mental framework’ for the interpreation of incoming info to the cognitive system.
How do scheme develop through life, from being a baby to being an adult?
Babies are born with simple motor scheme for the innate of i.e sucking/ grasping
As we age, scheme become more sophisticated and developed.
What do therotical models suggest about the information processing system?
That it flows through a sequence of stages that include input, storage + retrieval in the multi-store model.
What do computer models suggest about the information processing system?
By running such a program, what does this enable psychologists to do?
These refer to programmes that can be run on a computer to imitate the functions of a human brain, i.e memory and communication.
Psychologists can test their ideas about information processing.
What is cognitive neuroscience?
It is the scientific study of the influence of brain structures (neuro) on mental processes (cognition)
What have been the recent advances in neuroscience and how are these useful?
- Brain-scanning technology has advanced in last 20 years, meaning scientists can describe the neurological basis of mental processing.
- Scanning techniques have improved and are useful in establishing the basis of some disorders, i.e the parahippocampul gyrus and OCD
What are the two strengths to The Cognitive Approach?
- Uses scientific / objective methods
- Application to everyday life
Explain the strength to this approach of ‘it uses scientific/ objective methods’
Cognitive psychologists have always used controlled methods, i.e lab studies to infer cognitive processes
Biology + Cognitive psychology have come together to form cognitive neuroscience– (a more advanced/ enhanced basis of study)
Explain the strength to this approach of ‘it has Application to everyday life’
Provide examples
The Cognitive approach is a dominant method tofay and has been applied to a wide range of practical/ theoretical contexts
E.g AI + the development of robots, treating depression, improving eye witness testimony.
Explain the counterpoint issue of the Cognitive Approach that regards inference, what does this then lead to (validity) ?
Using inference can mean this approach can be too abstract/ practical, with research also sometimes using artificial stimuli.
Research therefore may lack ecological valdity- it doesn’t represent everyday life.
What is the main limitation to The Cognitive Approach?
The approach is based on machine reductionism
Explain the issue of machine reductionism, provide examples and what does this issue suggest.
Despite the similarities between the human brain’s functions and computers (inputs/outputs, central processing, storage) the computer analogy has been criticised.
E.g emotion/ motivation cannot be replicated in computing as they are commonly used in human eye-witnessing accounts.
Suggests machine deductionism may weaken the validity of this approach.
Define soft determinism
This is where we are free to make decisions before responding to a stimulus, with this approach recognising the cognitive system operates within limits.
How does soft determinism contrast to The Behaviourist Approach?
It states we are passive ‘slaves’ to the environment, but soft determinism takes a more flexible position and recognises the element of free will.
