The Cognitive Level of Analysis
When we sit and consider ourselves as individuals (and as psychologists we often do this more often than we should), it is not the biological level that we end up at. Rather, our introspection takes us to a different world, those of our cognitions. Our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, memories and so on all collectively seem to make up the bundle of ideas which is our own experience of our lives. We don't seem to experience biology; only our cognitions. Perhaps, therefore, we should also focus our psychology at this most personal of levels...
Specification extract:
At the second level of analysis, the products of our biological machinery can be seen in our cognitive system, which includes our cognitions, emotions and behaviours. Around the 1950s psychologists began systematically to explore cognition to further understanding of human behaviour. This shift in focus from studying observable behaviour to studying mental processes, such as memory and perception, is called “the cognitive revolution”. Cognitive psychologists suggested that humans form internal mental representations that guide behaviour, and they developed a range of research methods to study these. In recent years, researchers within social and cultural psychology have used findings from cognitive psychologists to understand how mental processes may be influenced by social and cultural factors. Cognitive psychology represents a vast array of research areas including cognitive psychology, cognitive science, cognitive neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. Topics such as memory, perception, artificial intelligence, amnesia and social cognition are studied. Cognitive psychologists use traditional research methods (for example, experiments and verbal protocols) but there is an increasing focus on the use of modern technology. Cognitive psychologists collaborate increasingly with neuroscientists, social psychologists and cultural psychologists in order to explore the complexity of human cognition. This approach is illustrated in the field of cultural and social cognitive neuroscience, indicating the complementary nature of social, cognitive and biological levels of analysis. Research that integrates these three levels can develop more meaningful theories to explain the mechanisms underlying complex behaviour and the mind. |
General learning outcomesAs well as the specific learning outcomes, you should know the following:
|
The assumptions of the Cognitive Level of Analysis
Seven main assumptions can be seen to underlie or provide the foundations for the cognitive approach in psychology:-
- That mental processes can be studied scientifically
- That mental processes can be regarded as information processing
- That the mind operates in a similar way to a computer allowing a computer analogy to throw light on cognition
- That introspection can be a valid scientific method of studying cognitive processes
- That aspects of the organism, including conscious and unconscious thought, act as Mediational processes between stimulus and response
- The brain, particularly damage to parts of the brain, affect cognitions and cognitive processes
- That the findings and methods of cognitive psychology can be applied to other areas of psychology such as child development, abnormal psychology and applied areas such as sport and law.
Key ideas of the CLoA
What are cognitive processes (cognitions)?
Cognition is to do with thinking and understanding – it’s the study of how the mind works. We are continually receiving information from our surroundings, but what do we do with that information once we’ve received it? How come we notice some things, but not others? What exactly are we doing when we think about things that we’ve seen? What goes on in the mind? Cognitive psychologists are particularly interested in the mental processes involved in:
- Perception
- Attention
- Memory
- Language
- Thinking
Assignment 1 - gap fill
In the text below, complete the gaps with the cognition process that is taking place.
You’re coming home on the bus. You’re tired, so you’re just sitting there, letting your thoughts drift. The bus stops and some people get on. Idly, you watch as a couple of elderly white ladies fumble with their purses and eventually find the money for their fares ______________. The queue moves on, as the new passengers go through the routine of paying their fares and moving to seats. But then the rhythm is interrupted. You notice the driver’s voice sounds louder and harsh__________________. An Asian lady appears to be having difficulty with her fare, and the driver, who is white, is clearly impatient. She becomes more and more flustered, but eventually finds the fare and goes to take her seat. As the next passenger pays the fare, you wonder about what just happened. Why was the drive so intolerant? Was he being racist? _____________________. You recall that he hadn’t been rude to the elderly white ladies and they had taken just as long to pay ________________________. In discussion later, you describe the incident to your friends. You agree that you can’t be certain, but that it probably was racism _________________________.
You’re coming home on the bus. You’re tired, so you’re just sitting there, letting your thoughts drift. The bus stops and some people get on. Idly, you watch as a couple of elderly white ladies fumble with their purses and eventually find the money for their fares ______________. The queue moves on, as the new passengers go through the routine of paying their fares and moving to seats. But then the rhythm is interrupted. You notice the driver’s voice sounds louder and harsh__________________. An Asian lady appears to be having difficulty with her fare, and the driver, who is white, is clearly impatient. She becomes more and more flustered, but eventually finds the fare and goes to take her seat. As the next passenger pays the fare, you wonder about what just happened. Why was the drive so intolerant? Was he being racist? _____________________. You recall that he hadn’t been rude to the elderly white ladies and they had taken just as long to pay ________________________. In discussion later, you describe the incident to your friends. You agree that you can’t be certain, but that it probably was racism _________________________.
The computer analogy - mind as a computer
At the very heart of the cognitive approach is the idea of information processing. The cognitive approach in psychology sees the individual as a processor of information, in much the same way that a computer takes in information and follows a program to produce an output. Cognitive psychology compares the human mind to a computer, suggesting that we too are information processors and that it is possible and desirable to study the internal mental / mediational processes that lie between the stimuli (in our environment) and the response we make.
Hence the information processing approach characterises thinking as the environment providing input of data, which is then transformed by our senses. The information can be stored, retrieved and transformed using “mental programs”, with the results being behavioural responses.
One consequence of the computer analogy is the idea that computer modelling can be a useful way of learning about the brain. Computer models are now very widely used in psychology to mimic human cognition.
Hence the information processing approach characterises thinking as the environment providing input of data, which is then transformed by our senses. The information can be stored, retrieved and transformed using “mental programs”, with the results being behavioural responses.
One consequence of the computer analogy is the idea that computer modelling can be a useful way of learning about the brain. Computer models are now very widely used in psychology to mimic human cognition.
Evaluating the cognitive approach
|
|
Revision |
Extension |