Eduqas A Level Psychology Cognitive Approach Exam Questions

About Eduqas A Level Psychology Cognitive Approach

The cognitive approach in Component 1 studies the mind as an information processor. You learn its assumptions (the computer analogy, internal mental processes and schemas), apply them to behaviours such as memory errors or depression, and study one therapy: cognitive behavioural therapy or rational emotive behaviour therapy. The classic study is Loftus and Palmer (1974), 'Reconstruction of automobile destruction', and the contemporary debate is the reliability of eye-witness testimony. Exam questions often require exact findings from both experiments, evaluation of lab methods and ecological validity, and use of the study in the debate. It also links to research methods in Component 2.

What you need to know

• Computer analogy The mind is compared to a computer: information is input, processed and stored, then output. Models such as the multi-store model of memory follow this sequence.
• Internal mental processes Processes such as memory, attention, perception and language cannot be seen directly but can be studied scientifically by inferring them from behaviour in controlled experiments.
• Schemas Schemas are mental frameworks of knowledge built from experience. They help us process information quickly but can distort memory and perception, filling in gaps with what we expect.
• Loftus and Palmer (1974) In experiment 1, 45 students watched seven clips of traffic accidents and were asked how fast the cars were going when they 'smashed', 'collided', 'bumped', 'hit' or 'contacted' each other; mean estimates fell from 40.5 mph (smashed) to 31.8 mph (contacted). In experiment 2, 150 students saw one film; a week later 16 of 50 in the 'smashed' group falsely recalled broken glass, against 7 in the 'hit' group and 6 controls.
• CBT or REBT CBT (Beck) helps the client identify negative automatic thoughts, test them against evidence and replace them, often with homework and behavioural experiments. REBT (Ellis) uses the ABC model: an Activating event, irrational Beliefs and emotional Consequences, then Disputing the belief to reach an Effective new belief.
• Reliability of eye-witness testimony Lab studies such as Loftus and Palmer suggest memory is reconstructive and easily distorted by leading questions, and mistaken identification appears in many wrongful convictions. Yuille and Cutshall (1986) found real witnesses to a shooting were accurate months later, which questions lab findings.

Common mistakes in Cognitive Approach

• Getting the verbs or speeds the wrong way round. 'Smashed' gave the highest mean estimate (40.5 mph) and 'contacted' the lowest (31.8 mph).
• Forgetting that there was no broken glass in the film. The point of experiment 2 is that the leading verb altered the memory itself, producing a false detail.
• Saying the study has high ecological validity because it used real accident footage. Participants watched short clips in a lab, knew they were in a study, and faced no real consequences.
• Calling REBT and CBT the same therapy. REBT targets irrational 'must' and 'should' beliefs using the ABC(DE) model, while Beck's CBT targets negative automatic thoughts and the cognitive triad.

Try three Cognitive Approach exam-style questions