Cognitive approach flashcards

The cognitive approach in IB Psychology examines how internal mental processes such as perception, attention, memory, language, and thinking influence behaviour. Psychologists working in this tradition treat the mind as an information-processing system, drawing comparisons with how computers receive, store, and retrieve data. Key assumptions include the idea that mental processes can be studied scientifically, often through controlled laboratory experiments, though researchers also use brain-imaging techniques and case studies. Students must understand schema theory, the multi-store model and working memory model, and the concept of cognitive biases. Crucially, the approach acknowledges that cognition does not operate in isolation: biological factors such as brain structure and social factors such as culture can shape mental processes. Evaluating research in this area requires attention to issues of validity, reductionism, and ethical considerations.

1. Card 1

   What is the central assumption of the cognitive approach in psychology?

   That internal mental processes mediate between stimulus and response, and that these processes can be studied scientifically using controlled methods.

2. Card 2

   What is a schema in cognitive psychology?

   A schema is a mental framework or organised package of knowledge built from experience that helps people interpret and respond to new information efficiently.

3. Card 3

   How do schemas affect memory recall?

   Schemas can distort reconstructive memory, causing people to fill gaps with prior knowledge or expectations rather than accurately recalling what actually occurred.

4. Card 4

   What does the computer analogy suggest about the human mind?

   It compares the mind to a computer, treating the brain as hardware and mental processes as software that encodes, stores, and retrieves information.

5. Card 5

   What is the multi-store model of memory?

   Atkinson and Shiffrin's multi-store model proposes three sequential stores: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory, linked by rehearsal.

6. Card 6

   What is a key limitation of the multi-store model?

   It is considered too simplistic and reductionist, treating short-term memory as a single unit when evidence shows it has multiple components.

7. Card 7

   What does Baddeley and Hitch's working memory model add to our understanding?

   It replaces the unitary short-term store with a working memory system of four components, including the central executive, phonological loop, and visuospatial sketchpad.

8. Card 8

   What is a cognitive bias, and give one example?

   A cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking. An example is confirmation bias, where people favour information that supports their existing beliefs.

9. Card 9

   Why is the cognitive approach considered scientific?

   It relies on controlled laboratory experiments and measurable behavioural outputs to make inferences about mental processes, allowing replication and falsifiability.

10. Card 10

    What is a limitation of using laboratory experiments in cognitive research?

    Lab tasks often lack ecological validity, meaning findings may not generalise to how cognition operates in real, everyday situations outside the controlled setting.

11. Card 11

    How does the biological level of analysis interact with the cognitive approach?

    Brain imaging techniques such as fMRI allow researchers to link specific mental processes to neural activity, showing cognition has a biological basis.

12. Card 12

    How does culture interact with cognitive processes according to the sociocultural level?

    Cultural schemas shaped by shared social experience can influence perception, memory, and reasoning, showing cognition is not entirely independent of social context.

• Students often confuse the cognitive approach's computer analogy as a literal claim that the brain is a computer, rather than understanding it as a useful but imperfect metaphor for information processing.
• A common exam error is describing the multi-store model and the working memory model as competing theories rather than explaining that the working memory model developed out of dissatisfaction with the limitations of the earlier model.
• Many students forget to evaluate cognitive research for ecological validity, assuming that because laboratory experiments are controlled and scientific they automatically produce findings that apply to real-world behaviour.

Planning your revision? Read how to revise IB Psychology, or make cards from your own notes with the notes to flashcards tool.