Cognitive approach to understanding behaviour

Cognitive approach to understanding behaviour

• Cognitive processing

  • Models of memory: The Multi-Store Model of Memory and The Working Memory Model provide a framework for an understanding of conceptualization of human memory processes over time. The working memory model is an elaboration of short-term memory, suggesting a number of components working together to process information.

  • Schema theory: Cognitive schemas are seen as mental representations that organize our knowledge, beliefs and expectations. Multiple studies have indicated that schemas influence memory processes in encoding, storage and retrieval. Schema processing is to a large extent automatic and non-conscious which saves cognitive energy but at the same time could result in biases in thinking and memory processes.

  • Thinking and decision-making: Thinking involves using information and doing something with it, for example, deciding something. Thinking and decision-making are thus closely related. Thinking is based on factors such as concepts, processes, and goals. Modern research into thinking and decision-making often refers to rational (controlled) and intuitive thinking (automatic). There is an increasing understanding of how emotions may influence thinking and the decision-making process because the consequences of decisions result in the experiencing of emotions and many of our choices are guided by the experience of or anticipation of such emotions.

• Reliability of cognitive processes

  • Reconstructive memory: Human memory is not an exact copy of events but rather a reconstruction that may be altered over time, through discussions with others or input from the media. Research shows that memory may be changed during storage, processing and retrieval, for example, due to schema processing. Knowing this could be important not only in our daily lives but in particular in relation to eyewitness testimony.

  • Biases in thinking and decision-making: Human beings are not always rational thinkers. Instead they rely on intuitive thinking and take cognitive shortcuts resulting in a number of well-researched biases. The tendency to focus on a limited amount of available information, to seek out information that confirms pre-existing beliefs as well as the tendency to avoid the mental stress of holding inconsistent cognitions seem to be common sources of biases in thinking and decision-making.

• Emotion and cognition

  • The influence of emotion on cognitive processes: Psychological and neuroscientific research has revealed that emotion and cognition are intertwined. Emotions are believed to perform an adaptive function in that they shape the experience of events and guide the individual in how to react to events, objects and situations with reference to personal relevance and well-being. Memories of emotional events sometimes have a persistence and vividness that other memories seem to lack but there is evidence that even highly emotional memories may fade over time.

• Cognitive processing in the digital world (HL only)

  • Cognitive processing in the digital world: For all three topics in the cognitive approach, and with reference to research studies, HL students should study the following: the influence of digital technology on cognitive processes and human interaction; the positive and negative effects of modern technology on cognitive processes; methods used to study the interaction between digital technology and cognitive processes.