AQA Psychology (A-Level) - Approaches - The Cognitive Approach Already Passed

AQA Psychology (A-Level) - Approaches - The Cognitive Approach Already Passed What does the cognitive approach do? Studies information processing, ways we in which we extract, store and retrieve the information that helps in guiding our behavior. What does the cognitive approach recognize? That these mental processes are unable to be studied directly but must be studied indirectly using inferences, which allows cognitive psychologists to develop theories regarding the mental processes that led to any observed behavior. Cognitive Relates to mental processes such as memory, perception and reasoning. Cognitive neuroscience The area of psychology decidcated to the underlying neural bases of cognitive functions. Inference/inferring The process of reaching a logical conclusion on the basis of evidence and reasoning. Internal mental processes The private operations of the mind (e.g. perception and attention) that mediate between stimulus and response. Model A hypothetical structure of how the brain operates and works. Computer model The process of using computer analogies as a representation of human cognition. Theoretical models Simplified, usually pictorial, representations of a specific mental process, based on current research evidence Roles Each internal mental process has a role that contributes to the way we process information Schemas Cognitive frameworks that help to organize and interepret information in the brain, to help an individual make sense of new information. (Expand using sheet) Emergence of cognitive neuroscience Advances in cognitive neuroscience mean that we can now see which areas of the brain are involved in specific cognitive functions. Positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) aid psychologists in their quest to understand how the brain supports different cognitive emotions and activities by showing what parts of the brain activate in certain circumstances. Such techniques allow us an insight into the brain's functionality. Exemplifying the emergency of cognitive neuroscience Burnett et al, in 2009, found that when people feel guilty, several brain regions are active, such as the media prefrontal cortex, which is associated with social emotions. and we now aware that Broca's area is significant for speech, and any damage to this area seriously impairs it.