| Who founded the cognitive approach | Ulric Neisser, German born American psychologist |
| What is cognitive approach | Comparing human mind to computer using Inferences, Theoretical models, and Schema |
| What is schema | The idea that information is stored as 'folders' in your brain, these develop through experience and everyone's schema is unique to themselves |
| What is fMRI machine | machine that scans blood flow in the brain, psychologists infer that this measures oxygen levels and therefore which parts of the brain are working |
| disadvantages to the cognitive approach PEELS | Based on inferences - subjective, psychologists are making assumptions - each psychologist may come up with a different assumption - lower inter observer reliability
compares human mind to computer - humans can process information logically like computers- human minds can process emotions where computers cannot - Reductionist |
| What is cognitive neuroscience | Computer models which mimic the human mind, merges biological and cognitive approaches to psychology. |
| What are theoretical models | The comparison of the human mind to a computer. That information in the brain is processed in stages, where memories and information are stored as files and folders (schema) |
| What are inferences | The assumption of the mental process behind and input and output |
| What have modern psychologist built to mimic the human mind | computer models |
| nature or nurture | more nature
the comparison of the human mind to a computer suggests a predetermined "code" or set of rules that cannot be changed |
| free will or determinism | deterministic
the idea that thoughts and feelings are driven entirely by mental processes that cannot be changed. Things like schema are shaped by the environment, which is out of control of the person |
| holistic or reductionist | reductionist
The comparison of the human mind to a computer oversimplifies the complexity of the human mind, as computers can;t do things like processing emotion. |
| Idiograophic or nomothetic | nomothetic
suggests that everyone has the same mental processes that work in the same way
however there are some idiographic elements, such as schema being unique to each individual |
