The Cognitive Approach
Explain internal information processing through inference, schemas, models, experiments and links between mind, brain and computation.
How to study A-level Psychology
For every claim, identify the mechanism, supporting evidence, method, alternative explanation, practical implication and justified conclusion.
Core concepts
Concept 1
Cognitive psychology infers internal processes from observable behaviour and uses theoretical and computational models to organise explanations.
Exam cue: Separate the inferred process from the task used to measure it.
Concept 2
Schemas guide attention, interpretation and memory but may also produce distortion and culturally patterned expectations.
Exam cue: Use a model's components to generate a specific prediction.
Concept 3
Cognitive neuroscience links mental functions to biological measures without making psychological levels of explanation redundant.
Exam cue: Evaluate model usefulness, evidence and oversimplification separately.
Targeted study blocks
Multi-board knowledge
Secure the shared psychological core
Learn the assumptions, methods, models and applications of the cognitive approach shared across current routes.
Scientific reasoning
Use evidence before reaching a judgement
Judge whether task behaviour supports the proposed process, whether another model fits and what biological evidence adds to the explanation.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Treating an inferred construct as directly observed.
Guardrail: Do not memorise a study as an isolated story or assume that one board's named research and option choices apply nationally.
Assuming a computer analogy means people process information identically to computers.
Guardrail: Do not memorise a study as an isolated story or assume that one board's named research and option choices apply nationally.
Using a brain image as self-explanatory proof of a cognitive process.
Guardrail: Do not memorise a study as an isolated story or assume that one board's named research and option choices apply nationally.
Memory anchors
Inference
Inference uses observed evidence to reason about an unobservable mental process.
Schema
A schema is an organised knowledge framework that guides processing.
Theoretical model
A theoretical model represents proposed components and relationships in a process.
Computer model
A computer model simulates information processing through specified rules.
Cognitive neuroscience
Cognitive neuroscience investigates relationships between mental processes and the nervous system.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
What is the cognitive approach's basic subject matter?
Why must cognitive psychologists make inferences?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
What is Pass Harbor?
Completely free exam prep for 247 UK exams.
- Practice questions
- Flashcards
- Study guides
- Mock exams
- No registration
- No paywall
- Start instantly
“No more expensive exam prep. Quality study tools should be accessible to everyone.”