The Cognitive Area

Question 1

State the principles of the cognitive area.

Answer 1

• Our behaviour is driven by our internal mental processes (such as attention, memory, perception and language).
• The mind processes information like a computer: inputs from senses, storage and processing of data, then retrieval.

Question 2

State the concepts of the cognitive area.

Answer 2

• Context-dependent memory
• Reconstructive memory
• Schema theory
• Inattentional blindness
• The cocktail party effect

Question 3

State some applications of the cognitive area.

Answer 3

• The police should avoid using leading questions.
• Do crime reconstructions in the same place as the crime occurred (or get the witness to mentally reinstate the context)?
• Do revision sessions for students in the exam hall.
• In an emergency, use someone’s name (e.g. smoke alarms).
• Ban mobile phones for people who are driving.

Question 4

State 3 strengths of the cognitive area.

Answer 4

1. Research has practical applications.
2. Research is often scientific.
3. Findings are unlikely to be ethnocentric.

Question 5

State 2 weaknesses of the cognitive area.

Answer 5

1. Research can lack ecological validity.
2. Cognitive processes can’t be directly studied, and rely on self-report, which can raise problems with demand characteristics or socially desirable answers.