The Cognitive Approach

What are some assumptions of the cognitive approach?

- behaviour can be explained by internal mental processes i.e perception, memory

- the mind works like a computer, processes info through input then outputs

- these processes are studied indirectly using inferences from behaviour and lab experiments

What is the computer analogy?

comparing the mind to a computer

How does the computer analogy work?

- brain is the CPU

- the concept of coding in turning information into a useable format

- use of stores to hold information

What is the role of schema?

-package of information developed through experience

-a mental framework for how we view the world

-enables us to process information quickly

-can lead to interpretation being distorted

What is cognitive neuroscience?

The scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes

How are advancements in technology benefiting cognitive neuroscience?

New tech allows researchers to explain the neurological basis of mental processes

For example, in Maguire et al they used MRIs to identify that London taxi drivers have an increased volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampus

How can computer models of the brain benefit healthcare?

It can be used to determine the best surgical approach to remove brain tumours and diagnose and treat traumatic brain injuries

Cognitive Neuroscience has also been successfully implemented in the quest to understand mental disorders

How do tightly controlled studies act as a strength of the cognitive approach?

- the cognitive approach has always employed highly controlled methods when studying mental processes

- for example, lab experiments use standardised procedures and objective measures i.e memory tests by Loftus and Palmer on EWT

- the use of brain imaging techniques also provides reliable and scientific data

- this means the cognitive approach has high scientific credibility and produces valid findings

What is reductionism?

The approach of reducing complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable to study.

How does the computer model being reductionist act as a weakness of the cognitive approach?

- although there are similarities between the human mind and the operations of a computer, this explanation is reductionist

- the computer model simplifies complex human processes by ignoring the role of human emotion and motivation

- for instance, emotions like anxiety can influence memory, which can't be accounted for and in a strict computer analogy

- this means the approach may oversimplify human behaviour and not fully capture the richness of human experience

How do practical applications act as a strength of the cognitive approach?

- the cognitive approach is the dominant approach in psychology today and can be applied to a variety of practical and theoretical contexts

- for example, it had been applied in AI and in understanding cognitive biases in decision-making

- it has also led to successful treatments for mental disorders, such as CBT

- this shows that the approach has real-world applications and is useful in improving people's quality of life

How is the cognitive approach being founded on soft determinism a benefit of the approach?

- the cognitive approach is founded on soft determinism

- it recognises that cognitive processes operate within the limits of what we know, but that the individuals still have free will to respond in different ways

- for example, people can choose to override automatic thought processes through conscious decision-making

- this is a more balanced view than hard determinism and is consistent with our experience of having some control over our behaviour