the cognitive approaches Flashcards
what are the assumptions in the cognitive approach
in direct contrast to the behaviourist approach, the cognitive argues that internal mental processes can, and should be studied scientifically
As a result, the cognitive approach has investigated those areas of human behaviour that were neglected by behaviourist, such as memory perception and thinking
how do cognitive psychologists study these “private” processes
as these processes are “private” and cannot be observed, cognitive psychologists study them indirectly by making inferences about what is going on inside people’s minds on the basis of their behaviour
how do psychologists understand mental processes
cognitive psychologists use both theoretical and computer models to help them understand internal mental processes
there are overlaps between these two models but basically theoretical models are abstract whereas computer models are concrete things
name one important theoretical model
the info processing approach which suggests that info flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages that include:
- input
- storage
- retrieval similar to the multi - store model
what is the information processing approach
the info processing approach is based on the way that computers function but a computer model would involve actually programming a computer to see if such instructions produce a similar output in humans
-if they do this suggests similar processes are going on in the human mind
Such computational models of the minds have proved useful in the development of “thinking machines”/artificial intelligence
what is the schema
the schema is a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing
They are developed from experiences
e.g we have a schema for a chair - something with legs that can sit on - that package of info learned through experience helps us to respond to the object appropriately
how can cognitive processes be affected by the schema
cognitive processing can often be affected by a person’s beliefs expectations, often referred to as schema
Schema enables us to store a lot of useful data/info quickly and this is useful as a sort of mental short - cut that prevents is from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli
However, the schema may distort our interpretations of sensory info leading to perceptual errors
e.g. misperceiving lyrics
what happens to our schema as we get older
babies are born with simple motor schema for innate behaviours such as sucking and grasping
e.g. thee grasping schema consitsof moving a hand towards on object and shaping the hand around the object in co ordination with visual input
As we get older, our schema becomes more detailed and sophisticated
Adults have developed a schema for everything
e.g. concept of psychology, what zombies looks like
what is cognitive neuroscience
cognitive neuroscience is the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes
why is cognitive neuroscience important
as early as the 1860s Paul Broca had identified how damage to am area of the frontal lobe (came to be known as Brocas Area) could impair speech production
In the last 20 years, advances in brain imaging techniques such as FMRI and PET scans,
that scientists have been able to systematically observe and describe the neurological basis of mental processes
e.g research memory
scanning techniques also provided useful in establishing the neurological basis of some mental disorders e.g. the link between the parahippocampal gyrus and OCD
