Approaches in Psychology - The Cognitive Approach Study Guide

What is the cognitive approach? - ANSWERSThe term 'cognitive' has come to mean 'mental processes', so this approach is focused on how our mental processes (e.g. thoughts, perceptions, attention) affect behaviour. What are internal mental processes? - ANSWERS'Private' operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response. What are schema? - ANSWERSA mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. They are developed from experience. What is inference? - ANSWERSThe process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behaviour. What is cognitive neuroscience? - ANSWERSThe scientific study of biological structures that underpin cognitive processes What are the assumptions of the cognitive approach? - ANSWERSContrasting to the behaviourist approach, the cognitive approach 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 behaviourists, such as memory, perception and thinking. These processes are 'private' and cannot be observed, so psychologists study them indirectly by making inferences about what is going on inside people's minds on the basis of their behaviour. What are theoretical models? - ANSWERSA way of studying internal processes. One important theoretical model is the information processing approach, which suggests that information flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages that include input, storage and retrieval, as in the multi-store model. What are computer models? - ANSWERSThis is where the mind is compared to a computer (the 'computer analogy') by suggesting that there are similarities in the way information is processed. These models use the concept of a central processing unit (the brain), the concept of coding (to turn information into a useable format) and the use of 'stores' to hold information. Such computational models of the mind have proved useful in the development of artificial intelligence. What is schema like for babies? - ANSWERSBabies are born with simple motor schema for innate behaviours such as sucking and grasping. For example, the grasping schema consists of moving a hand towards an object and shaping the hand around the object in co-ordination with visual input. How does schema change as we get older? - ANSWERSOur schema become more detailed and sophisticated. Adults have developed mental representations for everything from the concept of psychology to a schema for what happens in a restaurant. Why is schema useful? What problems are associated with schema? - ANSWERSIt enables us to process lots of information quickly and this is useful as a sort of mental short-cut that prevents us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli. However, schema may also distort our interpretations of sensory information, leading to perceptual errors. How has cognitive neuroscience emerged? - ANSWERSWith advances in brain scanning technology in the last twenty years, scientists have been able to describe the neurological basis of mental processing. This includes research in memory that has linked episodic and semantic memories to opposite sides of the prefrontal cortex in the brain. Scanning techniques have also proved useful in establishing the neurological basis of some disorders, e.g. OCD. What is a strength to the cognitive approach? - ANSWERSPOINT: A strength is that the cognitive approach uses scientific and objective methods. EVIDENCE: Cognitive psychologists have always employed controlled and rigorous methods of study, e.g. lab studies, in order to infer cognitive processes at work, enabling the two fields of biology and cognitive psychology to come together (cognitive neuroscience). EXPLAIN: This means that the study of the mind has established a credible, scientific basis. What is a limitation to the cognitive approach? - ANSWERSPOINT: A limitation is that the approach is based on machine reductionism. EVIDENCE: The computer analogy within the cognitive approach has been criticised. For instance, human emotion and motivation have shown to influence accuracy of recall, e.g. in eyewitness accounts. These factors are not considered within the computer analogy. EXPLAIN: Therefore, the cognitive approach oversimplifies human cognitive processing and ignores important aspects that influence performance. What is a further limitation to the cognitive approach? - ANSWERSPOINT: The approach is based on research that lacks external validity. EVIDENCE: Cognitive psychologists are only able to infer mental processes from the behaviour they observe, so the approach sometimes suffers from being too abstract and theoretical. EXPLAIN: Therefore, research into cognitive processes may lack external validity and can't be applied to everyday life.