The Cognitive Approach

Cognitive Approach: The term ‘cognitive’ has come to mean ‘mental processes’, so this approach is focused on how our mental processes affect behaviour.

Internal Mental Processes: ‘Private’ operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response.

Schema: A mental framework of beliefs and explanations that influence cognitive processing. They are developed from experience and enable us to process lots of information quickly which is useful as a mental shortcut to prevent being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli. They may however distort out interpretations of sensory information, leading to perceptual errors.

Theoretical Models: Abstract models to help understand internal mental processes. For example the information processing approach suggests information flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages, such as input, storage and retrieval.

Computer Models: Concrete models that involve programming a computer to see if such instructions produce a similar output to humans and if they do we can suggest that similar processes are going on in the human mind. These have been useful in the development of AI.

Inference: The process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behaviour.

Cognitive Neuroscience: The scientific study of those biological structures that underpin cognitive processes.

Use of Brain Imaging Techniques: Using the fMRI and PET scans, scientists have been able to systematically observe and describe the neurological basis of mental processes such as the Broca’s area in speech production or the link between the parahippocampal gyrus and OCD.

Scientific Methods: Cognitive psychologists use controlled methods so they can infer cognitive processes at work. This involves the use of lab studies to produce reliable, objective data. The emergence of cognitive neuroscience has enabled the two fields of biology and cognitive psychology to come together to enhance the scientific basis of study.

Real-World Application: The cognitive approach has been applied to a wide range of practical and theoretical contexts. For example, it has made an important contribution to the field of artificial intelligence and the development of thinking machines which are advances that may revolutionise how we live int the future. These principles have also been applied to the treatment of depression and improved the reliability of EWTs.

Machine Reductionism: The computer analogy has been criticised as such machine reductionism ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system and how that may affect our ability to process information, for example emotional stress may affect memory.