1.4: Cognitive approach

Internal mental processes

The human process of collecting and processing information to understand the world.

Schemas

Collections of information about a subject, collated from mainly experience.

Irrational thoughts

Also called dysfunctional thoughts. In Ellis's model and therapy, these are defined as thoughts that are likely to interfere with a person's happiness. Such dysfunctional thoughts lead to mental disorders such as depression.

ABCDE

In REBT, a model for understanding and recording the impact of cognitions on emotions.

Activating event

The A in ABCDE model of cognitive therapy.

Irrational beliefs

The B in ABCDE model of cognitive therapy.

Consquences

The C in ABCDE model of cognitive therapy.

Disputing

The D in ABCDE model of cognitive therapy.

Effects of disputing

The E in ABCDE model of cognitive therapy.

Logical

Self-defeating beliefs do not follow logically from the information available.

Empirical

Self-defeating beliefs are not consistent with reality.

Pragmatic

Emphasising the uselessness of self-defeating beliefs.

Musturbatory thinking

Thinking that certain ideas or assumptions must be true in order for an individual to be happy.

Unconditional positive regard

How a therapist should treat an REBT patient - with unconditional respect.

90

The success rate Ellis claimed for REBT.

Silverman et al

Concluded from a review of 89 studies that REBT is more effective or equal to other forms of therapy.

Irrational environments

Term for abusive environments that cannot be overcome with REBT; they are the direct cause of negative thinking.

Client distress

The issue with the forcefulness of the therapists in cognitive therapies.

Non-clinical

No diagnosed illness but still dealing with issues, e.g: stress.

40.8

Mean speed of: "About how fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other".

39.3

Mean speed of: "About how fast were the cars going when they collided into each other".

38.1

Mean speed of: "About how fast were the cars going when they bumped into each other".

34.0

Mean speed of: "About how fast were the cars going when they hit each other".

31.8

Mean speed of: "About how fast were the cars going when they contacted into each other".

Loftus and Palmer

Psychologists who conducted the 'reconstruction of automobile destruction' study.

Response-bias factor

Responses become biased due to leading questions.

Altered memory representation

Leading questions alter a person's memory, which therefore changes their responses.

Experiment 1

The experiment that asks the speed of the car using different verbs.

Experiment 2

Experiment that asked leading questions, with a follow up about broken glass.

16

How many in the smashed condition reported broken glass?

7

How many in the hit condition reported broken glass?

6

How many in the control condition reported broken glass?

Psychological harm

Damage and distress caused an experience, such as witnessing a car crash or robbery.

Idiographic approaches

A focus on individual cases to understand behaviour.

Nomothetic approaches

A focus on forming general rules of understanding behaviour.

Holism

Looking into all factors instead of focusing on specific parts.

SCBHC

Smashed, collided, bumped, hit, contacted.

Computer analogy

Human information processing may be similar to the steps and operations in a computer program, similar to the flow of information from input to output.

Depressive realists

Group of people seen to view the world more accurately than those more optimistic.

Religious people

Group of people who may have thoughts considered irrational by their therapist.

Foster et al

Found that those who witnessed a real robbery gave a more accurate description than those who didn’t.