The Cognitive Approach

What does the cognitive approach believe?

Internal mental processes should be studied scientifically

What does the cognitive approach study?

Areas of human behaviour neglected by behaviourists - the mind

How do cognitive psychologists study?

Indirectly by making inferences about what someone is thinking, as internal processes cannot be observed

What are schema?

Packages of information and ideas developed through experience

How do schema affect cognitive processing?

It affects a person’s beliefs and expectations

What are schema’s function?

Act as a mental framework for the interpretation of incoming information received by the cognitive system

What happens to schema as we get older?

They become more detailed and sophisticated

What do schema allow us to do?

• Process lots of information quickly so we are not overwhelmed by environmental stimuli

• May distort our interpretations of sensory information - leads to perceptual errors

What models do cognitive psychologist use to help them understand internal mental processes?

Theoretical and compute

What is a theoretical model?

Abstract

What is a cognitive model?

Concrete

What does the theoretical model ‘information processing approach’ say about the human mind?

Suggests information flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages (MSM)

How does the information processing approach compare the human mind to computer models?

Sees them as the same function wise but the computer requires extra programming to produce similar output to humans

How is AI similar to the human mind?

Mimics human thinking

What is cognitive neuroscience?

Scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes

What did Broca (1860s) find?

Damage to an area in the frontal lobe (Broca’s area) could permanently impair ability to talk

What has fMRIs and PET scans allowed cognitive scientists to do?

Systematically observe and describe the neurological basis of mental processes and disorders

What did Buckner and Peterson (1996) find through brain scans?

Different types of LTM are located on opposite sides of the prefrontal cortex

What did Braver et al. (1997) find through brain scans?

Central executive is found in the prefrontal cortex

What mental disorders has brain scans help find?

Link between OCD and parahippocampal gyrus - plays a role in processing unpleasant emotions

What has computer-generated models discovered in the brain?

• Mind-mapping techniques called ‘brain fingerprinting’

• May be used in the future to analyse brain wave patterns of eyewitnesses to determine if they are lying or not

What are the strengths of the cognitive approach?

• Uses objective scientific methods

• Real-world application

• Rooted in soft determinism

What are the limitations of the cognitive approach?

• Lacks external validity

• Machine reductionism

How is scientific methods a strength?

Highly controlled, rigorous lab studies - produces reliable objective data

How is real-world application?

Made important contributions to AI and robots, treatment of depression, improved reliability of EWT

How is the cognitive approach being rooted in soft determinism a strength?

Views human behaviour as determined by internal+external factors, but we can exert our free will at times

How does the cognitive approach lack external validity?

Relies on the inference of mental processes rather than direct observation - theories become abstract/theoretical as a result

How is machine reductionism a limitation

By comparing the human mind to a computer, it ignores the influence of human emotion and motive - EWT shows memory can be affected by emotions - weakens validity