The Cognitive Approach to Psychology Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key assumptions, models, and theories of the cognitive approach in psychology based on the lecture transcript.

Cognitive approach

A response to behaviorism based on the assumptions that mental processes must be studied beyond stimulus and response, and that the mind operates like a computer.

Information processing model

A model describing how the mind works by treating stimuli as inputs, mental processing as the stage where the mind operates on those inputs, and behavior as the output.

Mental processes

Functions such as perception, attention, and memory that have limited capacity and usually occur in sequence but can occur in parallel.

Theoretical models

Frameworks used to make inferences about how mental processes work, which are then tested by measuring behavior.

Schema theory

A theoretical model focused on mental frameworks called schemas that are formed from experiences and influence expectations and behavior.

Schema

A mental framework formed from experiences that affects how we perceive, remember, and interact with the world.

Assimilation

The process that occurs when an experience matches a schema, leading the individual to potentially change details of the experience to fit it.

Accommodation

The process of changing or adjusting a schema to make sense of a new experience that does not match existing mental frameworks.

Bartlett (1932)

A study where English participants read a Navajo folktale and changed details during recall to match their own schemas, providing support for schema theory.