Cognitive Approach

The way I think is the way I behave…

Focuses of Cognitive Approach

The PROCESSES of thinking and memory

Attention

Imagery

Creativity

Problem solving

Language use

Different from Learning approach (Behaviorists)

Concerned with mental processes

Concerned with what humans can perceive and communicate

Focused on the mind. Literature frequently refers to the BLACK BOX of mental processing (we can’t see mental processing…)

Use animals for MEMORY research

Big-deal Cognitive folks

Noam Chomsky –Theories of language acquisition, He was a linguist that suggested that humans have an inborn or native propensity to learn to talk. All languages are equalNorbert Wiener –computer simulations of thought… worked with cybernetics… tried to get computers to respond to different situations.Wolfgang Kohler –Gestalt theory… our mind fills in the blanks of perception (see next slide)

Gestalt Theory

Gestalt is a german word that means Pattern Shape Figure Form Whole

It is a theory that suggests we look at things as a whole… and we process information as a whole…

The following story is the ‘Billy’ story…

Describe how each approach (Biological, Learning, Cognitive) would diagnose Billy and how each approach would treat Billy.

Billy was the third child of loving but busy parents. When he was growing up, he thought that his parents favored his older siblings. When Billy was 4, his parents divorced, and he remained with his father. His brother and sister moved with his mother to a distant city. Billy rarely saw them.

Feeling inadequate in raising his son alone, Billy’s father responded by providing the child with costly toys and frequent trips to amusement parks. As Billy grew older and attended school, he had trouble focusing and was taken to a doctor for an appraisal of his abilities and disabilities. Billy’s medical evaluation showed symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, but Billy’s father dismissed the diagnosis.

Because of these difficulties in school, Billy had trouble making friends and was ridiculed by his classmates. This diminished his self-confidence. By the time Billy was an adolescent, he had difficulty forming lasting relationships despite his expertise in athletics. He was capable of high academic achievement, but his grades were below average. Teachers said that he needed too much attention. Personally he felt doomed to fail…

Gestalt Theory-everything is viewed in

context…

The mind insists on finding patterns in things. This is where schemas develop.

Groups-Chapter 4 Approaches book. Present your topic with a visual. NO

READING TO US! NO Posters! As always, singing is 10 points e.c.

Introduction

ALFANO, BRUMMEL, DIXON,

DOETKOTT

Perception learning memory

EATON

GAYNOR

HELDE

HOILAND

Short,long term memory

INTROWITZ-

JOHNSTON,

KELLY

KREFTING

Forgetting

LI, D

MALCHOW,

MARTON,T

MASSALIM

Memory… as re-construction

MATHESON

MCKEE, L

MULLIGAN,

NAVIA, P

Problem solving

NOVACHECK,

PRATT

RASMUSSEN

REVORD,

Language

SALAMI,

SARGENT

SKAGER

SMITH,

Attitudes etc…

SPIROV,

VONIDERSTINE,

WASSERMAN-

Groups-Chapter 4 Approaches book. Present your topic with a visual. NO

READING TO US! NO Posters! As always, singing is 10 points e.c.

Introduction

ASHENBRENER, BERGLUND,

BLAZAR, DESBOIS,

Perception learning memory

ERICKSON, M

FASSETT-CA

GOLDSTEIN

GRIMM

Short,long term memory

HARLOW

HETLAND

HOLDAHL

HUPP

ISENBERG,

Forgetting

JOHNSTON, KELLER, EVA LAIS,

LANGFELDT,

LOCKBEAM,  

Memory… as re-construction

MCGRAW-SCHUCHMAN, MINGE, ALEX MOLLERUD

MONROE

MONSEIN

Problem solving

NOOTHED, PETTIJOHN, POLING, ELLIS

PRENTICE, ROTH,

Language

RUMPPE

SCHLAEFER

SYVERSON,

THEISEN, JON

VELIE

Attitudes etc…

WEST

WILSON

CARROL

HANSEN

Thinking VS LearningThinking More complex than

learning Manipulates

representations of the environment

Applies perceptions, makes associations, furthers current cause

Stimulus-stimulus reactions

Learning Learning is stimulus-

response interactions.

Two types of thinkingNon-directed thinking Has no

destination Reverie Free association Mind-wandering fantasy

Directed thinking Aims toward a goal Problem solving Critical thinking Creativity Reasoning

Problem solvingConvergent thinking Searches for one solution

to a problem. Uses logic to find the ‘one

right answer’ like in math problems

Categorize events, and filter out the correct answer

Divergent thinking Used in playing chess

(several options must be considered…)

Imagines many solutions Creativity is often measured

by how many different solutions someone can come up with for a problem.

Set and information processing

Humans have an incredible amount of information thrown at them everyday.Information is categorized in sets if it is important, Unimportant information is ignored.

    

                                                         

Test… Try to remember the facts of the following

story…

Assume that you are the engineer of a passenger train. At the first station, 20 passengers get on.

At the next station, 5 passengers get off and 15 get on. At the next station, 10 passengers get off and 12 get on. At the next station, 7 get off and

10 get on. At the next station, 20 passengers get off and 5 get on. At the next station, 8 passnegers

get off and 3 get on.

Test

1. How old is the engineer on the train?2. How many stations were there?3. How many passengers are left on the train?4. Altogether, how many total passengers got off of the train?5. Altogether, how many passengers boarded the train?

ConclusionsWe attend to information selectively

We group information and give attention to what we think is most important

We have a limited capacity to store and process incoming information.

Memory/Memories

How do you make them?

How do you retrieve them?

Sensory Register

Sensory Register: short lived recording of the experience.

Starts in the senses. Sensations remain for a fraction of a second (1/15th)

If the information is DIFFERENT or MEANINGFUL, it will be stored into short-term memory

Short term memoryInformation stored until it is needed, and then forgotten (unless there is an interruption.)

Generally, people can remember 7 items at a time…

Long Term memory

Memory of permanent knowledge or experience

Takes time to put things into long-term memory

Long term memoryIf information is interesting or important to you, you will place it into long term memory.

Otherwise, you can do some strategies:Rehearse or repeat the informationEncode it (tie it into an image…or try to find a

pattern to the information, or boil the information down to the essentials)

All together:

Piaget stressed that children do not just passively receive information from their

environment, they actively construct their own cognitive world.

                                                                                        

Photo by Fenichel: Aaron Beck, Albert Ellis

Magnificent Journeys - A Conversation on Mind and Psychology with Aaron T. Beck and Albert Ellis

First Step: The depressed clients are shown how to

identify self-labels, that is, how they view themselves.

2nd step:They are taught to notice when they

are thinking distorted or irrational thoughts.

The National Mental Health (NMH) institute supports the belief that this therapy is an effective treatment of

depression.

3rd step:They learn how to

substitute appropriate thoughts for inappropriate

ones

4th Step:They are given feed-back and motivating comments

from the therapist to stimulate their use of

these techniques.