Intro to Cognitive Approach
Today, you will learn about the cognitive approach and how it relates to our next unit - Learning and Cognition.
Start
Intro to Cognitive Approach
Objectives
The Cognitive Approach to studying behavior focuses on how internal thoughts and feelings influence one's behavior. The cognitive approach argues that the way we process information influences our behavior.
History of cognitive approach. How it was found.
Cognition refers to mental processes, such as perception, thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, language, and attention. In this presentation, you will explore the core assumptions (things we must accept as truth) of the cognitive approach.
Assumption: Humans are information processors.
Assumption: Cognitive processes can be studied scientifically by scientific research methods.
Assumption: Mental representations guide behavior
Assumption: We are cognitive misers.
Intro to cognitive approach
History of the cognitive approach
The cognitive approach developed around the 1950s due to increasing dissatisfaction with Behaviourism, the dominant school of scientific psychology. Behaviorists, such as B. F. Skinner, argued that only behavior that could be observed should be studied and that the mind was a "black box." Skinner argued that the processes within the mind cannot be studied. Cognitive scientists disagree.
Intro to Cognitve approach
Core Assumptions of the cognitive approach
Let's explore what we must agree on in the cognitive approach.
Humans are information processors.
Cognitive processes can be studied.
Mental representations guide behaviors.
We are cognitive misers.
Reflect on what you have learned in this by completing the conceptual questions in the worksheet.
Good job!
Lesson completed
Return to Start Screen
We are information processors.
Cognitive psychologists see the mind as an information-processing machine using hardware (the brain) and software (mental representations). As we interact with the world around us, we create mental representations - conceptual understandings of how the world works. Since people have different experiences, they have different mental representations.
The "input" is sensory information that comes to us through our interaction with the environment. This is referred to as bottom-up processing. Then, Information is processed in the mind by top-down processing via pre-stored information in memory. Finally, there is some output in the form of behavior.
Cognitive processes can be studied scientifically with research methods.
Cognitive psychologists have to a large extent used the experimental method because it was assumed to be the most scientific method. However, the experimental tasks did not always resemble what people did in their daily lives (low ecological validity). This is why cognitive psychologists now study cognition in the laboratory as well as under naturalistic conditions.
This video shows an example of a cognitive experiment on children.
Mental representations
The way that we process and organize our information determines how we behave. We process new information through the filter of experience and understanding. This assumption plays a key role in understanding all types of behavior. For example, a student might keep procrastinating when he should be writing his extended essay. This could be explained by his experience. Maybe his experience has been a lot of feedback that he is a poor writer. Maybe his experience has been that when he has done things last minute, he seems to get better grades.
Cognitive Miser Mantra
Cognitive misers
Cognitive psychologists also recognize that we are bombarded with information in our environment every day. Fiske and Taylor (1991) argue that we are cognitive misers - that is, we often make the choice not to actively process information because we want to save time and effort. In other words, we use mental shortcuts to make decisions because of three factors: lack of knowledge, lack of motivation, and economy (a lack of time and/or resources).
Intro to Cognitive Approach
Kristen Le
Created on October 30, 2025
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Transcript
Intro to Cognitive Approach
Today, you will learn about the cognitive approach and how it relates to our next unit - Learning and Cognition.
Start
Intro to Cognitive Approach
Objectives
The Cognitive Approach to studying behavior focuses on how internal thoughts and feelings influence one's behavior. The cognitive approach argues that the way we process information influences our behavior.
History of cognitive approach. How it was found.
Cognition refers to mental processes, such as perception, thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, language, and attention. In this presentation, you will explore the core assumptions (things we must accept as truth) of the cognitive approach.
Assumption: Humans are information processors.
Assumption: Cognitive processes can be studied scientifically by scientific research methods.
Assumption: Mental representations guide behavior
Assumption: We are cognitive misers.
Intro to cognitive approach
History of the cognitive approach
The cognitive approach developed around the 1950s due to increasing dissatisfaction with Behaviourism, the dominant school of scientific psychology. Behaviorists, such as B. F. Skinner, argued that only behavior that could be observed should be studied and that the mind was a "black box." Skinner argued that the processes within the mind cannot be studied. Cognitive scientists disagree.
Intro to Cognitve approach
Core Assumptions of the cognitive approach
Let's explore what we must agree on in the cognitive approach.
Humans are information processors.
Cognitive processes can be studied.
Mental representations guide behaviors.
We are cognitive misers.
Reflect on what you have learned in this by completing the conceptual questions in the worksheet.
Good job!
Lesson completed
Return to Start Screen
We are information processors.
Cognitive psychologists see the mind as an information-processing machine using hardware (the brain) and software (mental representations). As we interact with the world around us, we create mental representations - conceptual understandings of how the world works. Since people have different experiences, they have different mental representations.
The "input" is sensory information that comes to us through our interaction with the environment. This is referred to as bottom-up processing. Then, Information is processed in the mind by top-down processing via pre-stored information in memory. Finally, there is some output in the form of behavior.
Cognitive processes can be studied scientifically with research methods.
Cognitive psychologists have to a large extent used the experimental method because it was assumed to be the most scientific method. However, the experimental tasks did not always resemble what people did in their daily lives (low ecological validity). This is why cognitive psychologists now study cognition in the laboratory as well as under naturalistic conditions.
This video shows an example of a cognitive experiment on children.
Mental representations
The way that we process and organize our information determines how we behave. We process new information through the filter of experience and understanding. This assumption plays a key role in understanding all types of behavior. For example, a student might keep procrastinating when he should be writing his extended essay. This could be explained by his experience. Maybe his experience has been a lot of feedback that he is a poor writer. Maybe his experience has been that when he has done things last minute, he seems to get better grades.
Cognitive Miser Mantra
Cognitive misers
Cognitive psychologists also recognize that we are bombarded with information in our environment every day. Fiske and Taylor (1991) argue that we are cognitive misers - that is, we often make the choice not to actively process information because we want to save time and effort. In other words, we use mental shortcuts to make decisions because of three factors: lack of knowledge, lack of motivation, and economy (a lack of time and/or resources).