Principles of areas

Cognitive

Loftus and Palmer, Grant et al

Simons and Chabris, Moray

Principles

• Assumes that internal mental processes influence our behaviour.

• Assumes we’re like a machine such as a computer.

Strength-

• Scientific; controlled conditions

• Useful applications

• Replicable

Weakness-

• Low ecological validity

• High chance of demand characteristics

• Hard to study mental processes directly and objectively

Memory is the ability to acquire and retain information and access it at any date.

Episodic memory= memory of events

Semantic memory= memory of facts and details

3 stages of memory

Encoding ------ Storage ------- Retrieval

Which is

“Putting in”---- “keeping in”---”getting out”

Schema Theory

A schema is a mental representation of something that we develop through our experiences. For example, once you’ve learnt how to ride a bike, you will find it easier to ride another bike or even a car.

Recall= remember with no help

Recognition= multiple choice

ATKINSON AND SHIFFRIN’S THEORY OF MEMORY

Social

Milgram, Bocchiaro et al

Piliavin et al, Levine et al

Principles

• Assumes behaviour can change as a consequence of the actions and presence of people

• Assumes we don’t behave in accordance to our free will.

Strengths

• Can explain why people act in ‘unusual’ ways…