Cognitive Approach

The Cognitive Approach

Overview

The cognitive approach in psychology focuses on understanding how internal processes such as thoughts, memories, and perceptions influence behavior. It stands in contrast to behaviorism, which concentrates solely on observable behaviors.

Main Themes

  1. Definition of Cognitive Approach
    The cognitive approach examines the internal mind, contrasting with approaches that focus solely on observable behaviors.

  2. Behaviorism vs. Cognition

    • Behaviorism:
      • Focuses on observable behavior.
      • Emphasizes the stimulus-response relationship without considering mental processes.
    • Cognitive Approach:
      • Investigates internal mental processes.
      • Facilitates a deeper understanding of behavior through mental processes.

Principles of the Cognitive Approach

  • The cognitive approach emerged as a reaction to behaviorism, which viewed behavior as merely a response to environmental stimuli.
  • Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding behavior requires studying the mental processes that underlie it. Reportedly, events within a person must be examined to understand behavior comprehensively.
  • They posit that internal mental processes can be studied objectively, and behavioral observations provide insights into these processes.

Internal Mental Processes

  • The cognitive approach centers on how thinking and knowledge shape behavior, conceptualizing humans as information processors.
  • This perspective emphasizes how sensory information is received, processed by the brain, and ultimately influences behavior.

Key Concepts in Cognitive Psychology

The cognitive approach heavily relies on two main ideas:

  1. Schemas:
    • Defined as frameworks that organize and interpret information from multiple experiences.
    • Schemas enable predictions about future interactions based on previous knowledge.
  2. Theoretical and Computer Models:
    • Seek to emulate cognitive processes analogous to how computers function, suggesting that the mind operates somewhat like software on hardware.

Types of Schemas

  1. Role Schema:
    • Represents expected behaviors associated with specific roles, such as:
      • Well-mannered
      • Tea-drinking
      • Fit & built
      • Energetic
  2. Event Schema:
    • Dictates expectations in particular situations, guiding behaviors based on context.
  3. Self Schema:
    • Comprises characteristics pertaining to one’s appearance, personality, and values (e.g., student, sibling, friend, tea-lover).

Schematic Processes and Memory

Bartlett’s Experiment (1932)

  • Investigated whether existing schemas influenced memory of unusual events.
  • British participants retold a story after varying time intervals, revealing that:
    • Participants altered the story to fit their schemas.
    • Increased time delays resulted in greater schema influence on the retelling of the story.

Bugelski and Alampay’s Experiment (1962)

  • Demonstrated schema's role in perception with a study titled "the rat-man".
  • Participants exposed to images of faces or animals perceived an ambiguous figure differently, depending on their prior exposure:
    • Those shown faces were more inclined to see a man, whereas those shown animals were more likely to see a rat.

Computer Analogy in Cognitive Psychology

  • The brain is likened to a computer to draw parallels between information processing in both systems.

Breakdown of Computer Analogy

  1. Input Processes:
    • How information enters the system (brain/computer).
  2. Information Manipulation Processes:
    • How that information is processed and transformed.
  3. Output Processes:
    • The resultant behaviors or actions taken based on the processing.
  4. Information Storage:
    • How the brain stores information akin to data storage in computers.

The Multi-Store Model (Atkinson and Shiffrin)

  • Incoming sensory information enters sensory memory, with rehearsal allowing retention in short-term memory (STM).
  • Rehearsal extends memory duration in STM, while long-term memory (LTM) serves as a repository:
    • Information not encoded fades quickly from STM.
    • STM contains limited capacity, leading to information displacement.
    • Retrieval allows for access to LTM; memories remain unless forgotten.
    • Example given: knowledge of an ongoing EastEnders plotline captured in LTM.

Applications and Evaluations of the Cognitive Approach

  • The cognitive approach serves as a bridge between scientific and non-scientific disciplines, with notable implications in various fields including psychology and artificial intelligence.
  • Evaluation points to consider:
    1. Scientific Validity:
    • Emphasizes the scientific study of mental processes through controlled experiments.
    1. Reductionism:
    • Critics argue it reduces behavior complexities to mere cognitive processes, neglecting emotional and social influences.
    1. Nature vs. Nurture:
    • Explores the balance between innate mental processes and learned experiences.
  • Exam Question Example:
    • "Outline one or more features of the cognitive approach (3 marks)" which can assess understanding by requiring descriptions of cognitive processes or the role of schemas.

Summary of Key Features

  • Cognitive processes are influenced by both conscious and non-conscious internal mechanisms.
  • Mental processes, while internal and unobservable, can be inferred through behavior utilizing indirect studies.
  • Schema formation impacts cognitive processing and serves as a core concept.
  • The brain's functioning can be analogized to computers, creating testable models that yield insights into human cognition. Overall, cognitive psychology allows for scientific investigations into the complexities of the mind, impacting psychological theories and practices significantly.

Conclusion

The cognitive approach constitutes a pivotal framework within psychology that prioritizes the understanding of mental processes as they relate to behavior. By identifying and examining schemas, computer models, and theoretical constructs, cognitive psychology has evolved to influence various realms of cognition, behavior, and artificial intelligence.