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biological approach contribution to psychology
emergence of cognitive psychology
emergence of cognitive psychology
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It was in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s that the cognitive approach in psychology began to revolutionise, by the 1970’s it had become the strongest theory used in psychology.
Cognitive psychologists study many aspects of the human mind, such as memory, thinking, problem solving, language, perception and attention (Hill, 2009).
Biological psychology emerged in the 19th century, at that point the knowledge of biochemistry, physiology, human anatomy and medicine was becoming greater, which therefore meant that experience and important understandings of human behaviour we’re gained (Hill, 2009).
There is only one approach in psychology that studies thoughts, feelings and behaviour. The biological approach believes that the way we are is due to our genetics and physiology.
Both have inputs and outputs, can store memory and both have a limit to how much information we can process at once. A person’s behaviour is determined by the information available to them and the way they have learned to process information (Sammons, 2009).
With the cognitive approach it is all about understanding the internal process of people’s minds. In general, cognitive psychologists study behaviour by using the laboratory experiment. Other methods used in the cognitive approach are introspection, memory psychology, observations and computer modelling. Introspection involves us examining our own inner thoughts and feelings. The cognitive approach is vastly applicable e.g. for use in therapy (McLeod, 2007).
The difference between the biological approach and the cognitive approach is that the biological approach looks at processes from a biological point of view such as behaviour genetics, while the cognitive approach studies how the brain and sense organs process information (UCS,
The cognitive approach involves the development of a person’s thought process. This involves things like memory, thinking, perception, and problem solving (Myers, 2014). The cognitive therapy approach teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking; based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions (Myers, 2014). In other words, the harmful or negative thought patterns are identified and examined, and better, less threatening alternative thinking patterns are created to replace the negative thought patterns. This is, especially useful, as the compulsive actions are a response to the negative thought patterns that cause
Psycho analytical approach believed that human personality is controlled by our subconscious thought therefor to understand conscious we have to understand what is in the human mind.
Biological focuses on the body and brain being the dominant influences of behavior and thinking.
It seems as new minds enter the field so does new ways of thinking, as with anything the science evolves depending on the perspective of the person who views it. Similar to the main character in “The Noticer”. The main character helps people by expanding their perspective. Cognitive psychology is similar in the way it studies the various intricacies of a person’s behaviors and way of thinking. Cognitive psychology is relative because when one considers a person’s perception it usually has a basis in a person’s experience. In other words perception is a series of layers and cognitive psychology has a basis in the various layers of processing information that one acquires and stores.
Cognitive psychology is concerned with the internal processes involved in making sense of the environment and deciding what action may be appropriate. These processes include attention, perception, learning and reasoning, (Eysenck and Keane, 2010).There are a number of approaches which can be used within this field, however for the purposes of the essay only two will be compared; cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology. The aims of cognitive neuroscientists are often similar to those of cognitive psychologists; they are both interested in the brain and cognition, (Medin and Ross, 1996). Nevertheless, it could be argued that there are also some fundamental differences between the two approaches, especially in the research methods employed. This assignment will explain and evaluate the models in comparison to one another.
Cognitive psychology is the study of the brains internal processes that guide behaviour; to study cognition, psychologists examine case studies of patients with damaged brains that can infer areas, and functions involved in particular processes. Patient studies have provided insights into the processes that take place within our minds, and have enabled psychologists to create models, which can be tested and fractionated. Cognitive neuropsychology has developed from cognitive psychology to become a discipline in its own right; it investigates the function and structures of the brain involved in cognitive processes and should not be confused with cognitive neuroscience, which is primarily concerned with neural structures and their functions.
The theory of Cognitive development by Bruner can benefit greatly to overall development of the children when applied in an early years setting and in the home too. Children’s cognitive development has been viewed by different theorists, and they have found how they can help parents in their child’s development.
The biological approach assumes that all behaviours have a physiological basis and certain behavioural characteristics can be transmitted genetically from one generation to another (W.E. Glassman 2009). The behaviour has a physical cause in the same way as physical illness. The causes of abnormal behaviour can be explained by understanding nervous system and the endocrine system. The psychoanalytic approach assumes that human behaviour and feelings as adults are determined by
Several acheivements occurred in the development of cognitive psychology. The study of neuroscience brings us to what we know about cognition today. Cognitive psychology came from the criticisms and flaws of behaviorism. The focus of behaviorism is on observable behaviors, although cognitive psychology became a means to studying mental processes. Cognitive psychology can answer the questions behaviorism could not provide. Behavioral observations are key factors in cognitive psychology, and help with interpreting mental processes and behaviors. Through studying mental processes cognitive psychologists’ expanded psychology through and beyond observations. Behavioral observations helps researchers test cognitive theories. Behaviorists study observable behavior and cognitive psychologists study the mental processes. When studying these processes, researchers attempt to explain how unobservable processes interact with the observable behaviors and helping cognitive psychologists test their theories in
According to numerous references in the field of Psychology, a cognitive psychologist is an individual that studies topics such as thinking, problem-solving, learning, attention, memory, forgetting, and language acquisition, among several others. Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes, and its core focus is on how people acquire, process, and store information. While great research has been done within the field of psychology, there are individuals such as B.F. Skinner who criticize its strides, purposes, and research methods.
Whilst evaluating the cognitive approach to psychology there are many strengths such as that the cognitive approach takes an understanding of the influence from mental processes on one’s behaviour, focusing on an individual’s thinking patterns and their perception. This approach also relates to many known functions and operations that the human body performs such as memory and problem solving.
The cognitive revolution in psychology was a period during the 1950’s and 1960’s which involved radical changes to two major concepts in psychology which are consciousness and causality. It was also a period that saw to the abolishment of traditional science values of dichotomy and the worship of atomisation in science, replacing reductive micro deterministic views of personhood with holistic top-down view (Overskeid, 2008)
"The premise behind the biological perspective in psychology is that all actions, feelings, and thoughts are associated with bodily events." Biological psychologists examine how all of the electrical impulses, hormones, and chemicals flowing through the body can effect behavior and how changes to these bodily functions can change behavior. They are concerned with how the aspects of biology effect peoples' emotions, learning abilities, and their perception of events.
Psychology can be defined as the systematic study of mental processes, couple with behaviors, and experiences (Kalat, 2011). There are many ways in examining, mental processes and behaviors among people, and therefore psychologist uses different perspectives to understand how human beings, think, act, and behave. Some psychologist uses one perspective to analyze behaviors, and other uses a multidimensional approach. Carter & Seifert (2013) identified 7 major perspectives that are used to study people’s behavior, and mental processes. These perspectives are the biological, evolutionary, psychodynamic, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, and the sociocultural perspective.
The psychoanalytic approach, proposed by Sigmund Freud, is based on the idea that childhood experiences significantly influence the development of later personality traits and psychological problems. In addition, psychoanalysis emphasizes the influence of unconscious fears, desires and motivations on thoughts and behaviors. The humanistic approach, presented by Abraham Maslow, emphasizes self actualization and free-will. It is based on the belief that each person has freedom in directing his or her future.