The Cognitive Approach

The cognitive approach emerged in the 1950s and 1960s as a reaction against behaviourism's refusal to study internal mental processes. Often called the "cognitive revolution", this approach argues that to understand behaviour, we must study the mental processes that underlie it — perception, attention, memory, language, and thinking.

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Key Assumptions

1. Internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically, even though they cannot be directly observed.
2. The mind works like an information processor, similar to a computer — receiving input, processing it, and producing output.
3. Mental processes can be studied indirectly through inference — by measuring behaviour and drawing conclusions about underlying cognitive processes.
4. Schemas (mental frameworks) influence how we perceive and interpret the world.

Key Definition: Cognitive approach — the approach that focuses on how internal mental processes (such as perception, memory, thinking, and language) affect behaviour. It uses the computer analogy and studies mental processes through inference.

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The Computer Analogy

The cognitive approach uses the computer analogy to describe how the mind processes information:

Computer	Human Mind
Input (keyboard, mouse)	Sensory input (eyes, ears, skin)
Processing (CPU)	Cognitive processing (perception, attention, memory, thinking)
Storage (hard drive, RAM)	Memory (short-term and long-term memory)
Output (screen, printer)	Behaviour and responses

graph LR
    A[Input: Sensory Information] --> B[Process: Cognitive Operations]
    B --> C[Output: Behaviour/Response]
    B --> D[Storage: Memory]
    D --> B

Exam Tip: The computer analogy is useful because it provides a clear framework for studying mental processes. However, be prepared to criticise it — humans are not machines. We are influenced by emotions, motivation, and social context, which computers are not.

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Schemas

Frederic Bartlett (1932) introduced the concept of schemas — pre-existing mental frameworks that organise our knowledge and expectations about the world.

Key Features of Schemas

• Schemas are packages of knowledge built up through experience.
• They help us process information quickly by providing shortcuts for interpretation.
• They can cause distortion of perception and memory because we interpret new information to fit existing schemas.
• Schemas develop and become more complex with age and experience.

Bartlett's War of the Ghosts Study (1932)

• Procedure: British participants were asked to read and then recall an unfamiliar Native American folk story (The War of the Ghosts) at intervals.
• Findings: Participants' recall became shorter, more conventional, and distorted to fit their existing Western cultural schemas.
  • Supernatural elements were omitted or rationalised.
  • Unfamiliar details were changed to fit participants' cultural expectations.
• Conclusion: Memory is reconstructive, not a perfect recording — we actively reshape memories to fit our schemas.

Key Definition: Schema — a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influences cognitive processing. Schemas are developed through experience and affect perception, memory, and interpretation of events.

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Internal Mental Processes

The cognitive approach studies a range of internal mental processes:

Process	Description	Example
Perception	Organising and interpreting sensory information	Recognising a face in a crowd
Attention	Selectively focusing on particular stimuli	Concentrating on a lecture while ignoring background noise
Memory	Encoding, storing, and retrieving information	Recalling facts for an exam
Language	Understanding and producing meaningful communication	Comprehending a sentence and formulating a reply
Thinking	Reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making	Working through a maths problem

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Theoretical and Computer Models

Cognitive psychologists use models to represent mental processes:

Type of Model	Description	Example
Theoretical models	Abstract representations of how cognitive processes work	The Multi-Store Model of Memory (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968)
Computer models	Programs that simulate aspects of human cognition	Programs that model chess-playing or language processing
Flowcharts	Visual representations of the sequence of cognitive operations	Information processing diagrams showing input → process → output

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Cognitive Neuroscience

Cognitive neuroscience is the scientific study of the biological structures that underpin cognitive processes. It emerged from advances in brain imaging technology.