Cognitive approach

Explain the role of internal mental processes within the cognitive approach

• as mental processes aren’t observable psychologists can only make inferences about them

  • These inferences usually come from performance in experiments

• Internal processes explain why behaviour occurs

What’s schema

• a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing

• Schema may involve stereotypes

Identify 2 things that theoretical models identify

• structures

• Processes

Explain 2 ways in which cognitive psychologists make inferences related to theoretical models

• models are based on inferences which are made from behaviour in studies

• They can infer testable predictions about behaviour from models

Explain how computer models are used within the cognitive approach o explain and make inferences about internal mental processes

• computers and minds are information processors

• They process information in similar ways e.g. inputs, stores, processors, outputs

• Researches construct computer programs which simulate human cognitive processes

  • If results from computers and humans are similar

  • We can infer that the computer models how humans think

Explain the key ideas in the emergence of cognitive neuroscience

• cognitive neuroscience synthesises the biological and cognitive approaches

• They see the mind as the software, which is investigated through experiments (cognitive)

• They see the brain as the hardware, which is investigated by biological psychologists

• This provides a more complete explanation of the mind, brain and behaviour