The Cognitive ApproachFlashcards - AQA Psychology

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The Cognitive Approach

A-Level AQA Psychology

This pack of flashcards covers key concepts in psychological approaches, including cognitive and biological perspectives, cognitive neuroscience, and the psychodynamic approach developed by Freud. It explains mental processes, schemas, genotype and phenotype, natural selection, and determinism, as well as Freud's structure of personality, defense mechanisms, and psychosexual stages of development.

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"Describe the assumption of the cognitive approach."	"The cognitive approach assumes that the mind operates in a similar way to how a computer processes information. This processing takes place in the form of thoughts, and uses cognitive ‘models’. These cognitions include things like memory, perception and problem-solving, and can be studied indirectly through experiments."
"Define 'Schema' in the context of the cognitive approach."	"Schemas are packages of information relating to various concepts to do with the way the world works. They develop through experience, starting as very basic in infanthood and getting more complex as the brain develops and more knowledge is gained. Schemas are like mental ‘short cuts’ to help humans make sense of the world more easily."
"What is Cognitive Neuroscience?"	"Cognitive Neuroscience refers to the study of how brain structures and biology affect mental processes. Specific brain areas have been found to be associated with particular actions, moods and emotions, which has been tested through brain-scanning techniques."
"How does the cognitive approach evaluate human personality and behaviour?"	"The cognitive approach uses controlled, rigorous scientific procedures, enhancing the credibility of the theories. However, it has been criticised for reducing human personality and behaviour to the level of a computer, neglecting the role of emotion on actions. This is known as machine reductionism."
"Why are many concepts in the cognitive approach hard to test?"	"Many concepts in the cognitive approach are hard to test because it considers internal mental processes, which cannot be directly measured."
"Describe the Biological Approach in psychology."	"The Biological Approach in psychology assumes that all psychological aspects of a person (their behaviour, personality) has a physical cause located somewhere in the body. This may be determined by genes, biochemistry (levels of hormones and neurotransmitters) and neuroanatomy (brain structure)."
"How are twin studies used in the Biological Approach?"	"Twin studies are used to investigate whether personality characteristics are inherited in the same way as physical features. If monozygotic (identical) twins are found to be more similar in regards to a particular trait than dizygotic (non-identical) twins, this suggests a genetic influence."
"Define 'genotype' and 'phenotype'."	"'Genotype' is the particular set of genes a person inherits. 'Phenotype' is the characteristics of an individual, which will be affected by genes and the environment."
"Explain the process of natural selection."	"Natural selection explains how changes in an organism happen over time. If a characteristic is helpful to survival, then this characteristic becomes ‘naturally selected’, and is passed down to the animal’s offspring. Over time, these characteristics are shared by all of a species."
"What are the benefits of the Biological Approach in psychology?"	"The biological approach uses highly scientific methods, such as brain scans and twin studies, which are less prone to bias than methods such as interviews. The approach has resulted in the development of effective drug therapies for many psychological disorders, helping sufferers live a more normal life."
"Describe the determinist approach to behavior."	"The determinist approach to behavior suggests that there is little or no free will over behavior. It implies that a person's actions are predetermined and they may not be responsible for their actions, even in serious situations like committing a crime."
"Define the psychodynamic approach."	"The psychodynamic approach, developed by Sigmund Freud, suggests that behavior can be explained by unconscious thoughts and motivations, and the effect of childhood experiences in shaping personality."
"What is the unconscious according to Freud's psychodynamic approach?"	"According to Freud, the unconscious is a part of the mind that contains desires and drives that we are not aware of. Behavior is motivated by these unconscious drives and conflicts between different elements of the personality."
"Explain the structure of personality according to Freud."	"Freud suggested a tripartite structure of personality: the Id, which is present from birth and seeks instant gratification; the Ego, which develops around two years of age and works to balance the demands of the Id and Superego; and the Superego, which develops around five years of age and represents the morality principle."
"What are Freudian slips and how do they relate to the unconscious?"	"Freudian slips are verbal or memory mistakes that are actually insights into unconscious desires. For example, accidentally calling a teacher 'mum' instead of 'miss' could be interpreted as the student seeing the teacher as a substitute parent figure in their unconscious."
"What are the defense mechanisms according to Freud's theory?"	"According to Freud, the ego uses defense mechanisms to balance the demands of the id and superego. These include repression (pushing unpleasant thoughts into the unconscious), denial (refusing to accept the reality of a situation), and displacement (transferring unpleasant thoughts from one source to another)."
"Describe the concept of 'id energy' in Freud's psychosexual stages of development."	"'Id energy' in Freud's psychosexual stages of development refers to the psychic energy that is focused on a particular part of the body during each stage. Children gain pleasure from using that part of the body. If a child is over or under-indulged at a particular stage, they may become fixated on it, leading to potential problems in later life."
"What are the five psychosexual stages of development according to Freud?"	"The five psychosexual stages of development according to Freud are: Oral (0-18 months), Anal (18 months-3 years), Phallic (3-5 years), Latency (5 years-puberty), and Genital (puberty onwards)."
"Define the term 'fixation' in the context of Freud's psychosexual stages of development."	"'Fixation' in the context of Freud's psychosexual stages of development refers to a situation where a child becomes overly attached to a particular stage due to over or under-indulgence. This can lead to potential problems in later life."
"How did Freud's theories influence psychology?"	"Freud's theories have had a huge influence on psychology. Concepts such as the unconscious, which were introduced by Freud, are widely accepted in psychology today."
"What are some criticisms of Freud's theories?"	"Some criticisms of Freud's theories include the fact that they were based on subjective case studies, which may be unreliable and invalid. Additionally, many of his concepts, such as unconscious conflicts and the psychosexual stages, cannot be directly tested, making his theories unscientific."

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