Cognitive Approach

Cognitive Approach

1. Focuses on mediational processes SOR

   • e.g. memory, thinking, decision making, attention
   • Can be studied scientifically like behaviourist...can't see what's in our heads, but can make inferences based on behaviour
   • Believe mental processes to be as important as environmental stimuli when learning
   • Lie between stimulus and response...SOR

2. We actively organise and manipulate info - choose what to pay attention to

3. Believe mental processes change over time

   • Thinking becomes more sophisticated

4. Assumes people process information like computers - information processors

   • Stimulus: mouse, keyboard, microphone, USB. Ears, eyes, nose, touch
   • Output: monitor, sound etc. Behaviour

5. Uses models to explain unobservable mental processes

   • Information processing approach (IPA)
     • Stimulus
       • Sensory input
         • Perception
           • Ball coming towards left hand
     • Organism
       • Processing
         • Decision making
           • Decide to catch in left hand
     • Response
       • Output
         • Behaviour
           • Catch ball

6. Strengths

   • Highly controlled lab experiments
     • Has considered areas ignored by behaviourists
       • Advanced understanding of human functions e.g. memory research
         • Developed practical applications including cognitive therapy and interviews

7. Weaknesses

   • Experiments are artificial tasks - lack ecological validity. Can't be generalised to real life situations.
     • IPA - info can be passed between computers but not humans
       • IPA - mechanistic. Does not consider emotions or motivation
         • Reductionistic - focuses on metal processes and ignores complexities of human life

8. Millers Magic number 7

   • Participants were shown around 20 letters and were asked to recall them immediately after
     • As soon as they got one wrong, Miller stopped counting.
       • It was found the average number of letters recalled was 7 (+-2)
         • This showed that the short term memory storage was limited