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COGNITIVE APPROACH - Coggle Diagram
COGNITIVE APPROACH
Summary
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Cognitive psychology became of great importance in the mid-1950s. Several factors were important in this:
Dissatisfaction with the behaviourist approach in its emphasis on external behavior rather than internal processes.
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Schemas
A key concept to the cognitive approach is the role of schema, an internal script on how to act in a given situation. Schemas are like stereotypes, and alter mental processing of incoming information; their role in eyewitness testimony can be negative, as what somebody expects to see may distort their memory of was actually witnessed.
An example of schemas can be found when considering gender roles and the difference between male and female in society. For example, a child might assume that all boys like football.
Evaluation
Strengths
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The approach provides a strong focus on internal mental processes, which behaviourists before did not.
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Weaknesses
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The data supporting cognitive theories often come from unrealistic tasks used in laboratory experiments, which puts the ecological validity of theories into question (i.e. whether or not they are truly representative of our normal cognitive patterns).
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