the cognitive level

of analysis

30

1.Outline principles of the Cognitive level of analysis

2.Explain how these principles may be demonstrated in research
1. Humans are information processors

Cognition refers to the mental tasks or thinking involved in human behavior. Thinking may
involve memory, attention, perception, language and decision making at any one time.
Cognitive psychologist see these cognitions are active systems; In between taking in and
responding to information a number of processes are at work.
Information can be transformed, reduced, elaborated, filtered, manipulated, selected,
organized, stored and retrieved
Therefore the human mind is seen as an active system processing information, and cognitive
psychologists aims to study these processes.

Central to this information processing approach is the computer metaphor.

One of the difficulties facing cognitive psychologists is that they were trying to study
processes that are not directly observable.
Consequently the computer revolution of the 1950 provided the terminology and metaphor
they needed.
People, like computers, acquire information from the environment ( input ). Both people and
computers store information and retrieve it when applicable to current tasks; both are limited
in the amount of information they can process at a given time; both transform information to
produce new information; both return information to the environment ( output).
This information processing approach was adopted by Atkinson and Shiffrin in their Multistore Model of memory ( 1968 ). This model sees memory as an active process. Information
flows in through the sensory stage ( input). It then flows to the short-term memory before it is
transferred to long term memory where it can be stored and later retrieved.
A further example of information processing is the
organization of information into schemas in the
LTM. Schemas are mental models of the world.
Information in LTM is stored in interrelated
networks of these schemas and these schemas
can affect retrieval.
Thus, when to-be-remembered information is
consistent with prior, existing information (such as
schemas), retrieval will be enhanced. If to-beremembered material doesnt fit with existing
31

schema, then those schemas may actually inhibit or distort retrieval

2 . Mental processes can be scientifically investigated through lab

experiments

Cognitive processes are difficult to study. They often occur rapidly, and inside the mind so
they cannot be observed directly. It is only the responses that participants make when given
some cognitive task to perform that can tell us about cognitive processes. These tasks
usually take place under tightly controlled lab experiments where the main aim is to isolate a
particular component of the cognitive process for the study.
One of the earliest and most famous experiments into cognitive processes is the Stroop
Effect. The stroop effect is a phenomena involved in attentional processes. Although we will
actually focus on the process of memory this is a good study to look at. People are often
introduced to the Stroop Effect in beginning psychology classes as they learn about how their
brains process information. It demonstrates the effects of interference, processing speed
(reaction time) and automaticity in divided attention.
The effect is named after John Ridley Stroop who first published
the effect in English in 1935. He first compared the time it took
to read color names printed in incongruent ink colors to a base
line reading of color words. For the second part of his study,
Stroop compared the time it took to name the ink color when
congruent with the color word (e.g., blue printed in blue ink) to
the time it took to name the ink color.

This is a classic laboratory experiment that involves the manipulation of an independent

variable (colour or name of word ) to see what effect it has on the dependent variable (
reaction time). It attempts to control the influence of all other extraneous variables such as
other cognitive processes or skills. It also allows us to establish a cause and effect
relationship between task and mental process.

A further example of the laboratory experiment was conducted by Ebbinghaus (1885). His
experiment intended to show that pure memory could be studied scientifically under carefully
controlled conditions. The aim of the study was to study forgetting, i.e. how quickly a person
forgets what has been learned 100%. He used himself in most of the studies , i.e. the design
was N=1 and he tested his memory using nonsense syllables. He manipulated the
independent variable of time delay before recall to find the effect on the dependent variable
of the amount of information retained thus being able eventually to draw the famous
forgetting curve. In order to test pure memory he used nonsense syllables for control for the
effect of memory based on meaning.

3. Social and cultural factors influence our cognitive processes

Although cognitive tasks such as memory and attention are universal, there are cross cultural
variations in processing mechanisms. Bartletts study demonstrates how memory can be
distorted by cultural schemas.
32

Schemas are representations of knowledge based on experience. In his study in which

British participants were asked to recall a native American folktale. He found that the story of
The War of the Ghosts was difficult for Western people to reproduce exactly because of its
cultural content which was unfamiliar to them so in fact they encoded the meaning of the
story adapted to their existing cultural schemas.
As a result Bartlett concluded that interpretation plays a large role in remembering events or
stories. We reconstruct the past and try to make it fit into our schemata, the more difficult this
is to do, the more likely it is that elements are forgotten or distorted so that it fits and
remembering is integrally related to the social and cultural context in which it is practiced.

Cole and Scribner (1974) studied memory skills in both American and Liberian children. They
argued that cognitive processes are universal but not cognitive skills. Cognitive skills are
dependent on the environment education, social interaction, culture and technologies make up
the environment

They observed the effects formal schooling /

education ( culture) had on memory They
compared recall of a series of words in the US
and amongst the Kpelle people using word lists
that were culturally specific.

They found that in general educated

Kpelle children performed better in the
recall of list than non-educated Kpelle
children and that overall American children performed better than Kpelle children.

Although this could be interpreted as memory skills being better amongst Americans children
than Kpelle (African) children such an interpretation would overlook the influence of culture.
Western schooling emphasizes certain cognitive strategies such as clustering / categorising.
It is unlikely such parallels exist in traditional societies like the Kpelle People learn to
remember in ways that are relevant for their everyday lives, and these do not always mirror
the activities that cognitive psychologists use to investigate mental processes

33

3.Discuss how and why particular research methods are used at the
cognitive level of analysis

Typical
Explanation / example
research
method
Lab
experiments One of the most scientific ways to study
mental processes is through lab experiments
because the high degrees of control allow
researchers to isolate a particular component
of the cognitive process for study (IV) to test
its effect on the DV.

Case
studies of
patients
with braindamage

eg. Craik & Tulvings (1975) Levels of

processing study testing the effects of visual,
phonetic and semantic (IV) processing on
memory recall (DV)
.
Case studies allow researchers to take
advantage of naturally-occurring biological
events (eg. brain damage)
For example the case of Tan, who was unable
to produce language (Brocas aphasia). The
autopsy showed that the damage was
localized to a part of the brain now known as
Brocaa area.
Also the case of H.M (Corkin) who suffered
from anterograde amnesia after surgery for
epilepsy which removed part of his
hippocampus. MRI scans undertaken in 1996
showed the extent of the damage to the
hippocampus and ultimately its role in the
formation of long-term memories.

Brain
imaging
techniques

Neuroscientists can now study which brain

areas are active when people attempt certain
cognitive tasks through the use of CAT and
MRI scans eg. Goshe et al (2000) used MRI
scans to study patients with cognitive
impairment. The researchers (who did not
have access to the patients' files) were 100%
accurate when determining which patients had
been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and
which had no or few symptoms.

Evaluation

Weakness of lab experiments is that high levels of

controls produce artificiality. Aspects of lab
experiments which compromise ecological validity are
the types of material used, the task undertaken and
the location eg. recalling word lists and viewing clips
of car crashes are artificial

Depth of information obtained and possible

uniqueness of case may lead to a threat to anonymity
eg. Clive Wearings (Baddeley, 1990) case was
publicized in a book.

The damage often involves more than one area, so

we cannot really tell which element of damage has
what effect. H.M suffered from and had treatment for
epilepsy beforehand. This may have affected parts of
the brain. The uniqueness of the cases reduce
generalizability

Brain areas activate (or are inactive) for various

reasons and so we cant assume direct links between
specific tasks or disorders and specific parts of the
brain.

34

4.Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies at the cognitive level of

analysis
NB: This includes suggestions for all 3 levels of analysis. Add your own examples to the table.
Ethical guideline(based
on BPS)

explanation

comment

example

Consent

Participants must be informed

about the nature of the study
and agree to participate (ie.
able to give informed consent)

Informed consent is very

difficult to achieve
without jeopardizing the
real objective of the
study.

Milgram (1963) participants had

volunteered to take part in an experiment
on learning, not obedience

Studies involving
deception are unethical
but sometimes
necessary.

Milgram (1963) participants were led to

believe they were giving real electric
shocks.

Deception

Information must not be

withheld from participants, nor
should they be mislead.

Bandura (1963) - Children not able to give

own consent

Schacter & Singer participants believed

they were taking a vitamin injection
Right to withdraw

Participants should have the

right to withdraw at any time,
regardless of whether or not
they were paid for their
participation.

Some participants feel

obliged to continue,
although they have been
given the right to
withdraw.

MIlgram (1963) pushed the line with trying

to coerce participants to continue the
shocks.

Debriefing

Following an investigation,
participants should be fully
informed about the nature and
purpose of the of the research

A useful way of making

sure participant is not
affected by the study.
Can help in cases of
deception and when it
was difficult to obtain
informed consent.

Milgram fully debriefed his participants.

Protection of
participants

Researchers have
responsibility for protecting
participants from physical or
mental harm, including undue
stress.

Not always guaranteed,

though debriefing does
help. Is the study justified
if the participants are
harmed in some way?

Confidentiality

Participants have the right to

confidentiality.

Usually quite easy to

maintain confidentiality.

Milgram induced stress and anxiety

Zimbardo psychological stress
Bandura encouraging aggression in
young children
Speisman possible psychological
distress
Schacter & Singer possible harm from
injection and stress at angry situation
Money Case of Brenda/Bruce (later
David) Reimer but through incredible
and long term stress and deception
Pseudonym was used in the case of H.M
but not Clive Wearing

Zimbardo (Stanford Prison experiment)

made it hard for prisoners to leave.

David Reimer was the subject of a

documentary

35

5. Evaluate schema theory with reference to research studies.

What is a schema ?

Schemas are cognitive structured (mental templates or frames) that represent a persons knowledge about
objects, people or situations. The concept of schema was first used by Jean Piaget in 1926 and later
developed by Bartlett (1932). Schemas are used to organize our knowledge, to assist recall, to guide our
behavior, to predict likely happenings, and to help us make sense of current experiences. They simplify reality.
They come from prior experience and knowledge. Schemas are assumed to operate in a top-down way to
help us interpret the bottom-up flood of information reaching our senses. They allows us to take short-cuts in
interpreting vast amounts of information.

Schema Theory

As active processors of information, humans intergrate new information with existing, stored information.
Schema theory therefore states that what we already know will influence the outcome of information
processing. In other words new information is processed in the light of existing schema. Schemas then can
affect our cognitive processes.

For example if you already have an expectation about a person or an event, your
memory of that person or event will be shaped based on your preexisting
schema. For example, if you have already the stored schema that urban teenage
males are aggressive and you meet a pleasant urban male teen,your memory of
him may be affected. If you were surprised with his politeness, you may
remember him as even more polite than he is. Or, you may not even notice how
polite he was because you were expecting him to be rude, and so you remember
him as the typical urban teen you had previously imagined in your mind.
Evaluation of Schema theory

Support for the influence of schemas on cognitive processes is widespread. Bartlett (1932) demonstrated how
schema, specifically cultural schema, can influence memory in his classic study. He gave participants a complex
and unusual story called The War of the Ghosts' which contained unfamiliar supernatural concepts and an
odd, causal structure to Western participants.
36

He asked them to recall it six or seven times over various retention intervals. He found that recalled stories
were distorted and altered in various ways making it more conventional and acceptable to their own
cultural perspective. He used the term rationalization to refer to this type of error - rationalizing it according
to what fitted with their existing cultural schemas - for example canoe was often substituted for 'boat'.
HOWEVER, the ecological validity of the War of the Ghosts lab study has been questioned. Whilst Bartlett rejected
the artificiality of traditional stimulus such as nonsense syllables ( Ebbinghaus) and word lists to test memory, his
use of a native American folk tale was " about as similar to normal prose as nonsense syllables are to words ".
Wynn & Logie (1998) did a similar study with students using " real - life" events experienced during their first week
at university at various intervals of time ranging from 2 weeks to six months. They found that the initial accuracy
of recall was sustained throughout the time period, suggesting that schema-induced memory distortions may be
less common in naturalistic conditions than in the laboratory.
Furthermore Bartlett study wasnt a very well controlled study. Bartlett did not give very specific instructions to
his participants ( Barlett, 1932 " I thought it best, for the purposes of these experiments, to try to influence the
subject's procedure as little as possible".) As a result, some distortions observed by Bartlett may have been due to
conscious guessing rather than schema-influenced memory.
Gauld and Stephen ( 1967) found that the instructions stressing the need for accurate recall eliminated almost half
the errors usually obtained.
Further support for the influence of schemas on memory at encoding point was reported by Anderson and Pichert (
1978). Participants read a story from the perspective of either a burgular or potential home buyer. After they had
recalled as much as they could of the story from the perspective they had been given, they shifted to the
alternative perspective and recalled the story again. On the second recall participants recalled more information
that was important only to the second perspective or schema than they had done on the first recall.

This experiment was also conducted in a lab, so ecological validity may also be an issue here. However the strength
of the experiment was its variable control, which allowed researchers to establish a cause-and-effect relationship
how schemas affect memory processes.

Finally, one of the main problems of the schema theory is that it is often very difficult to define what a schema is.
Rumelhart (1980) identified four different analogies of what a schema is but was unable to actually define a
schema.

Cohen (1993) points out that "the whole idea of a schema is too vague to be useful' and argues that schema theory
provides no explanation of how schemas work

Nevertheless, there is enough research to suggest schemas do affect memory processes knowledge, both in a
positive and negative sense. They do simplify reality, and help us to make sense of current experiences. Schemas
are useful concepts in helping us understand how we organize our knowledge.

37

6.Evaluate two models of memory

1.

Multistore model of memory

One of the best-known models of how memory works is that proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968). They
described the memory system in terms of a multi-store model. They proposed that that memory is divided into
three kinds of stores - sensory memory; short-term memory; and long-term memory.

What do we know about these memory stores ?

Sensory memory

Information in sensory memory exists for a very brief period of time. Unless the information is attended to, it is
lost very quickly to decay. The main evidence for sensory memory was provided by Sperling (1960). Subjects
were shown a card containing three rows of letters for a period of 50ms. Subjects could report four or five
letters, but claimed to see many more, leading Sperling to conclude that subjects could not name the
remaining letters because information about them had decayed (Sperling estimated that information in the
sensory memory lasts for 500mss). While there is general agreement on the existence of sensory memory, its
importance to cognition is relatively small

Short-term memory (STM)

Information that has been attended to in sensory memory is passed to short-term memory. The STM is a
system for storing information for brief periods of time. Atkinson & Shiffrin see STM simply as a temporary
storage depot for incoming information. Short-term memory is a store of limited duration and capacity.
Information lasts for a slightly longer time than in sensory memory

There are essentially three important areas to cover when looking at STM Encoding, Capacity and duration.
We shall focus on the latter two.

38

Capacity

One way of assessing STM capacity is by measuring immediate digit span. This technique usually involves
reading out a list of random digits and requiring the participant to repeat them back in the correct order. The
sequences usually begin with about three digits and steadily increase in length until it becomes impossible to
recall them in serial order. Over a number of trials, the sequence length at which the participant is correct 50
per cent of the time is defined as their digit span. Most people have a digit span of 'seven, plus or minus two'
(Miller 1956).

however.

Research has shown that chunking in terms of meaning can increase our ability to hold information in the STM
. According to Miller, chunking occurs when we combine individual letters or numbers into a larger meaningful
unit, for example your bank pin number or a telephone number.

We are often unaware that we are doing this. If we actively chunk information the capacity of our STM can be increased.

Duration

STM has a brief duration. The first attempts to measure the duration of STM were made independently by
Brown (1958) and Peterson and Peterson (1959).

They used a similar experimental method, which is now known as the Brown-Peterson technique. The
technique involves presenting participants with consonant trigrams, which are sets of three unrelated
consonants, e.g. CPW, NGV. Note that such a sequence should be well within the normal memory span.

Participants are then asked to count backwards in threes from a specified number in order to stop them
thinking about the letters. After an interval ranging from between 3 and 18 seconds, the participants are asked
to recall the original trigram. This procedure is then repeated several times. Typical results of Brown-Peterson
experiments show rapid forgetting over a short interval and, after 18 seconds, the percentage of correctly
recalled trigrams falls to 10 per cent. Such results also emphasise the fact that interference prevents rehearsal.

Long term memory (LTM) holds a vast quantity of information which can be stored for long periods of time.
The information kept here is diverse and wide-ranging and includes all of our personal memories, our general
knowledge and our beliefs about the world.

39

It also includes plans for the future and is the depository for all our knowledge about skills and expertise. LTM
is not a passive store of information, but a dynamic system which constantly revises and modifies stored
knowledge in the light of new information. LTM is a much larger, more complex memory system than STM and
it is not as easy to characterize in terms of factors like capacity, duration and simple encoding: It is not possible
to quantify the exact capacity of LTM, but most psychologists would agree that there is no upper limit - we are
always capable of more learning. Similarly, the duration of the memory trace in LTM is considerably longer
than in STM and can last anything from a few minutes to a lifetime.

Evaluation
Primacy-Recency Effect Glanzer & Cunitz (1966) suggested that early words and final words in a list are
recalled well, whereas middle words are likely to be forgotten. Their serial curve experiment demonstrates this
effect. They concluded that early words had moved into the LTM and that later information was still in the STM,
thus providing support for separate, distinct systems.
Case studies of brain damaged patients provide evidence for separate stores eg. Clive Wearing and H.M
who can hold conversations but cannot form new memories ( see below)

However, The multi-store model has been described as too simplistic, and the LTM and STM are more
complex, and less unitary than the model suggests. The Levels of Processing model suggests memory is not
made of stores, but is processed at a certain level.

Case studies of brain damaged patients

1. The case of Clive Wearing

Clive Wearing was a highly respected musician who, in his 40s, contracted a viral
infection encephalitus in 1985. Tragically this disease left him with extensive
brain damage (parts of his temporal lobes important in forming new memories
are damaged). He is still able to talk, read and write and retained remarkably intact
musical skills. His memory for past events is hazy, but he still has long-term
memories formed before the onset of the disease. In all other respects, however
his memory is dramatically impaired. He lives totally within the most recent one or
two minutes of his life. He remembers what just happened but forgets everything
else. Clive is unable to form new long-term memories. Because of his inability to
form new memories he constantly feels he has just become conscious for the first
time.

Clive is convinced he has just woken up and he keeps a diary in which he records hs obsessive thoughts I
have just woken up I am conscious for the first timeIt is now 20 years since the onset of the illness
which has left Clive trapped in an eternal present. He cant enjoy books or TV as he is unable to follow the

40

thread, he cant read newspapers as he has no context in which to embed the new stories. He cant go out
alone because he immediately becomes lost. Clive describes his situation as hell on earth

2. The Case of H.M

H.M was an active teenager from Conneticut, USA. However he suffered from
epilepsy and had frequent fits to the point when in 1953 he was having up to 11
fits a week. The drugs available at the time couldn't control them. For a young
person, this was devastating. Without any intervention, there was no chance that
he would be able to apply for a job, let alone leave the house. It was then, that the
idea of surgery was floated.
In 1953, aged 27-year-old he entered a hospital for surgery that would cure him of the devastating fits that
resulted from his epilepsy. For H.M. he had the most common form of intractable psychomotor epilepsy, that
which is localised in the temporal lobes. So, to stop the fits from continuing, the only option was remove parts
of these lobes. An apple-sized chunk of his temporal lobes on both sides of his brain were removed and the fits
never returned. However, something else, something quite extraordinary, yet equally saddening, happened.
.
Positioned just underlying the temporal lobes is the hippocampus It was never really known what it was for,
until this point. When his surgeon removed parts of H.M's temporal lobes, he would have had no option but to
disturb the hippocampus too. The effect of this on H.M was marked.
From 1953 onwards, he couldn't remember anything you told him for any reasonable length of time. Every time
a doctor who was assigned to his case came to chat to him, they had to reintroduce themselves every time
they met because he couldn't remember who they were. If you talked to him, and a loud noise, say a slamming
door, distracted him for a moment, he would have no recollection of what you said to him, moments before. He
could no longer form short term memories. He was able to talk normally and to recall accurately events and
people from his life before surgery, and his immediate digit span was within normal limits. He was, however,
unable to retain any new information and could not lay down new memories in LTM. When told of the death of
his favourite uncle, he reacted with considerable distress. Later, he frequently asked about his uncle and, on
each occasion, reacted again with the level of grief appropriate to hearing the news for the first time.

2. Levels of processing (Craik & Lockhart 1972)

Craik and Lockhart (1972) rejected the idea of separate
memory structures put forward by the Multi-Store model
and criticized its emphasis on the structure rather than the
process of memory. Instead they argued that long term
memory depends not on rehearsal (repetition) but on how
well we learn something, or more specifically, what type of
processing is being used at the time. The better something
is processed, the better it is stored and recalled. Memory is
a by-product of processing. They proposed 3 different
levels, or depths of processing shallow, intermediate and
deep.
Craik and Lockhart argued that there were two kinds of rehearsal 1. Maintenance rehearsal which simply
involves repeating the information in your mind, is regarded as shallow processing and 2. Elaborative
rehearsal which involves a deeper, more meaningful analysis of the stimulus.

41

Evaluation
Craik & Tulvings (1975) depth of processing study also support the model (see over page). It easy to replicate
Craik & Tulvings study and many subsequent studies support their findings.
Findings of Hyde and Jenkins (1973) and Elias & Perfetti (1974) support the LOP model
The LOP model fits in well with cognitive psychologys information processing assumption. The IP model helps
us understand the processes that take place at the time of remembering
It is mainly descriptive rather than explanatory. In particular, it fails to explain why deeper processing leads to
better recall.
It is difficult to measure depth independently. What exactly is meant by deep ? The concept of levels is
circular in that we are saying;
depth = no. of words recalled
no. of words recalled = depth

42

7.Explain how biological factors may influence one cognitive process

(memory)
The role of the hippocampus
The biology of memory has long been the subject of research. Karl Lashley (1890 1958 ) spent much of his
career trying to track down the elusive engram a term he used to describe a physical trace or etching in the
brain where he believed a memory is stored. He taught rats to find their way through a maze, then made
incisions in their cortices to try and erase the memory trace. However he failed to erase the rats memories of
the route through the maze, and concluded that memory could not be localized to a single area in the brain.
More recent research suggests that memory that memory is not in fact etched in brain cells but are stored in
the intricate circuitry of neurons in the brain ( known as neural networks) , new memories seem to cause new
neurons ( Kandel, 2000)
It is also now known that the hippocampus is involved in the complex processes of forming, sorting, and
storing memories. Damaged neurons in the hippocampus can severely affect memory. We know this through
lesioning studies. Lesioning involves cutting away brain tissue and seeing the effects on behavior as a
consequence. Obviously it would be unethical to do this on humans so researchers have two options a) to
study patients with brain damage b) to deliberately cut tissue in animals to conduct experiments.

Case studies of brain damaged patients

H.M suffered debilitating epileptic seizures and in 1953, aged 27, he underwent an experimental surgical
procedure called a bilateral medial temporal lobe resection which involved the removal of parts of the medial
temporal lobe including two-thirds of his hippocampus. The unexpected outcome of the surgery was severe
anterograde and partial retrograde amnesia. H.M. was unable to form new episodic memories after his surgery
and could not remember any events that occurred after his surgery, but retained memories for things that
happened earlier, such as his childhood. This case produced such enormous interest that H.M. reportedly
became the most intensively studied medical subject in history. Corkin (2002) showed that HM could learn new
skills such as mirror drawing and mirror reading, although he did not remember actually performing these
tasks. This showed that HM had intact procedural memory even though he had no declarative memory of ever
doing the task.
A similar case study is that of Clive Wearing, who was an accomplished musician who suffered anterograde
and retrograde amnesia as a result of a brain infection. Like H.M, he can still speak and walk, as well as read
music, play the organ and conduct. In fact, his musical ability is remarkably well preserved. In all other
respects, however his memory is dramatically impaired. He lives totally within the most recent one or two
minutes of his life. He remembers what just happened but forgets everything else. Clive is unable to form new

43

long-term memories. Because of his inability to form new memories he constantly feels he has just become
conscious for the first time
MRI scans show that patients such as H.M and Clive Wearing both have damage to the hippocampus. H.M
had damage to the hippocampus and the amygdala. Clive Wearing has damage to the hippocampus and some
of the frontal lobes.
Further evidence for this idea come from animal studies. Studies by Zola-Morgan et al (2000) on monkeys
with lesions to the hippocampus have found that they fail tasks such as the delayed-nonmatching-to-sample
(DNMS). In the DNMS task an animal sees an object/food (the sample) and then, after a delay, gets a choice
between two objects, from which it must choose the one that is different from the sample. The animal is trained
to do this, being rewarded each time (with food) that it gets the new object. However the delay time is
increased, and monkeys with impaired hippocampus show increasing errors with increasing delays, thereby
showing difficulties forming declarative/ explicit memories, possibly episodic memories.

Evaluation
Based on animal studies, MRI scans and tasks brain-damaged patients can and cannot complete it there is
sufficient evidence to conclude the hippocampus is critical for declarative/explicit memory.
Such theories are largely dependent on case-studies. Case-studies provides in-depth information of real
people with brain damage, thus increasing its ecological validity
However researchers have no control over the subjects of brain-damaged studies. It may be the case that
individuals who suffer brain damage may not be normal in other ways. Certainly this may be the case for H.M
who had a lifetime history of epilepsy and this may have affected his cognition in other ways. Furthermore the
damage often involves more than one area, so we cannot really tell which element of damage has what effect.
Although H.Ms identity remained confidential ( until his recent death in 2008 ) there was a clear breach of
confidentiality in the case of Clive Wearing
Animal experiments are widely used in brain research as they allow psychologists to use invasive techniques
such as lesioning ( scarring) to study behavioural changes. However this raises huge ethical issues about the
use of animals in research.

44

8.Discuss how social or cultural factors affect one cognitive process

The effect of schooling on memory
Cole and Scribner (1974) argue that cognitive abilities are universal but not cognitive skills. Cognitive skills are
dependent on the environment education, social interaction, culture and technologies make up the
environment. For example, Cole and his colleagues gave a non-literate Kpelle rice farmer in Liberia this
syllogism (problem);
All Kpelle men are rice farmers.
Mr. Smith is not a rice farmer.
Is he a Kpelle man?
Whilst westerners are likely to answer no, the farmer replied: If I know him in person, I can answer that
question, but since I do not know him in person, I cannot answer that question. This is a typical response
among non-schooled people. The reasoning is based on knowledge and experience rather than logical
reasoning, Scribner argued (1974) that it is the effect of schooling that enables the development of logical
thinking in children.

Cole and Scribner (1974) studied memory skills in both American and Liberian
Kpelle children. They observed the effects formal schooling / education (culture)
had on memory. They compared recall of a series of words in the US and
amongst the Kpelle people using word lists that were culturally specific (shown
opposite). The Kpelle people were aged 6 14. Half the children were in school
whilst the other half were not.
Cole & Scribner asked the Kpelle children from different age groups to recall as
many items as possible from four categories (shown) to recall as many items as
possible.
They found that schooled Kpelle children performed better in the recall of word
than non-schooled Kpelle children They also found that overall American children performed better than Kpelle
children.
Although this could be interpreted as memory skills being better amongst Americans children than Kpelle
(African) children such an interpretation would overlook the influence of culture. Western schooling
emphasizes certain cognitive strategies such as clustering / categorising. Schooling presents children with a
number of specialized organizing tasks, such as organizing large amounts of information in memory. It is
unlikely such parallels exist in traditional societies like the Kpelle.
HOWEVER Cole et al followed up this work by testing a different hypothesis memory performance was not
based on skills/strategy but on recall tasks more relevant to those the Kpelle ordinarily encounter. They used
the narrative method so that the objects were presented in a meaningful way as part of a story.
The narrative (story) centered on a four suitors (a man trying to date/marry a woman) who present certain
items as a dowry (bridewealth) to the towns chief to try to win the right to marry his daughter. In the first story
the first suitor offers all the clothing, the second, all of the food, the third all of the tools and the fourth, all of the
utensils. In a second story the man attempts to kidnap the girl, who drops the items along the path as she
goes. She drops them in an order that bears no relation to category membership but makes sense in the
sequence of events.

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The framework of the story seemed to greatly aid recall. The non-schooled children recalled the objects easily
and actually chunked them according to the roles they played in the story. The conclusion is that people learn
to remember in ways that are relevant for their everyday lives, and these do not always mirror the activities that
cognitive psychologists use to investigate mental processes.

Evaluation
Such studies can be supported by other cross-cultural studies such as Rogoff & Waldell (1982) with Mayan
Children in Guatemala. When Mayan children were presented with a culturally appropriate free-recall task,
their performance was poorer than their American counterparts. However, when Rogoff and Waddell (1982)
gave them a memory task that was meaningful in local terms performance on a memory task increased
dramatically. The researchers constructed a 3D diorama of a Mayan village located near a mountain and a
lake, similar to the locale in which the children lived. Each child watched as a local experimenter selected 20
miniature objects and placed them in the diorama. The objects included real-life objects such as cars, animals,
people, and furniture. Then the 20 objects were removed and after a few minutes, the children were asked to
reconstruct the full scene they had been shown. Under these conditions, the memory performance of the
Mayan children was slightly higher than that of their United States counterparts.

The implication of these memory studies is that although cognitive processes such as memory are universal,
how memory is used is not universal but dependent on cultural practices such as formal schooling.

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9. To what extent is one cognitive process (memory) reliable ?

Bartletts ideas on reconstructive memory have been developed and extended by Elizabeth Loftus and have
influenced her research into eyewitness testimony and false memory syndrome.
Eyewitness testimony is an important area of research in cognitive
psychology and human memory. Eyewitness testimony is a legal term which
refers to an account given by people of an event they have witnessed eg. a
robbery or something other crime. It is often a vital factor taken into account
by juries in deciding whether defendants are guilty or not guilty. It is
important, therefore, that we have some idea of how reliable these
testimonies really are.
However Loftus has long argued that eyewitness testimony can be highly unreliable because our memories can
reconstruct events. Bartlett s theory of Reconstructive Memory is crucial to an understanding of the reliability of
eyewitness testimony as he suggested that recall is subject to personal interpretation dependent on our learnt or
cultural schemas - the way we make sense of our world. Schemas are capable of distorting unfamiliar or
unconsciously unacceptable information in order to fit in with our existing knowledge or schemas. This can,
therefore, result in unreliable eyewitness testimony.
Bartlett tested this theory using a variety of stories to illustrate that memory is an active process and subject to
individual interpretation or construction. In his famous study 'War of the Ghosts', Bartlett (1932) demonstrated
CHANGE THIS
In relation to eyewitness testimony (EWT) Loftus believed that the reconstruction of memories was one of the
reasons why EWT was often inaccurate. One way that memory could reconstruct ( or distort ) information is through
misleading questions. A ( mis ) leading question is one that is phrased in such a way that it suggests a particular
answer to the witness. After witnessing a crime or event a witness will be questioned by the police, and by lawyers
who may intentionally or unintentionally ask a leading question such as how dark was it ? as opposed to was it
dark? .. Loftus has argued that the former question could activate schema which could influence accuracy of
recall. The question activates the belief it was dark when it actually it may have only been 6pm and not dark at all.

Automobile Reconstruction ( Loftus & Palmer, 1974 )

Loftus and her colleagues showed how quite subtle changes of wording during questioning may distort recall (Loftus
& Palmer, 1974 and Loftus & Zani, 1975) in a classic experiment. The lab experiment involved asking participants to
complete a questionnaire after witnessing videos of staged and real car crashes. The first part of the experiment
asked the participant to estimate the speed of the cars, and changed the verb in the question to see if it influenced
memory. The second part of the study asked the participants if they saw broken glass. In both cases more dramatic
verbs led to memories of a more serious accident, and therefore higher estimated speeds / more likelihood of
remembering broken glass. The researchers concluded that memory of an event is not reliable, as it can be
distorted. This is because a memory is created from what actually happened plus information that is added to it
afterwards.
Criticisms of this type of research, however, suggest that it lacks ecological validity ( Yuille & Cutshall, 1986 ) as it is
laboratory based and does not have the emotional impact of witnessing an incident.

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10.Discuss the use of technology in investigating one cognitive process

- Alzheimer's disease and memory loss

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative brain disorder that results in memory loss, impaired thinking,
difficulty finding the right word when speaking, and personality changes.
Its course is marked by a continual loss of neurons (nerve cells) in areas of the brain that are crucial
to memory and other mental functions.
After the symptoms first appear, people live anywhere from 220 years in an increasingly dependent
state that exacts a staggering emotional, physical, and economic toll on families.

No blood test, brain scan, or physical exam can definitively diagnose Alzheimer's disease. And because so
many conditions can produce symptoms resembling those of early Alzheimer's, reaching the correct diagnosis
is complicated. Nevertheless the following tools are available to doctors;

A complete medical history includes information about the person's general health, past medical
problems, and any difficulties the person has carrying out daily activities.
Medical tests - such as tests of blood, urine, or spinal fluid - help the doctor find other possible
diseases causing the symptoms.
Neuropsychological tests measure memory, problem solving, attention, counting, and language.
Brain scans allow the doctor to look at a picture of the brain to see if anything does not look normal.
Brain scans such a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
can be used to confirm diagnosis, but in the very early stages they often fail to show very much
change. Later on, there will be a significant and clear loss of brain tissue and an enlargement of the
fluid-filled spaces (ventricles) in the brain, but by then the diagnosis is probably fairly certain. Scans
are most likely to be performed in early-onset cases or to eliminate other causes, for example, if a
brain tumour is suspected.

Unfortunately, the definitive signs of Alzheimer's, namely the presence of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary
tangles, can only be seen after death, when brain tissue can be examined during biopsy.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans detect special radioactively labeled tracers which are injected into
a patient's body before the imaging procedure starts. PET scans can be used to accurately monitor brain
activity while a patient's memory and cognition are being tested.

PET scans can determine brain activity and function by measuring

differences in blood flow and the usage of glucose (sugar), both of
which increase when an area of the brain is active.
PET scans provide information about brain function and activity as
opposed to brain structure, and are more typically used in research

The scans are made by injecting the patient with a form of

sugar that has been altered to carry a weak, short-lived radioactive element. The sugar hits the
bloodstream and flows to the brain, which needs huge amounts of energy to keep all its nerve cells
running.
The most active areas of the brain need the most sugar -- while damaged and less active areas need
much less. By detecting the weak radiation signal from the sugar molecules as they travel throughout

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the brain, PET scanners can make a picture of brain cell activity. The resulting scans show the level of
activity using a scale of colors; red and orange for high activity, and blue and purple for low.
Researchers from the New York University School of Medicine have developed a brain-scan-based
computer programme that quickly and accurately measures metabolic activity in the hippocampus an
important brain structure in memory processes. Using PET scans and the computer programme the
researchers showed that in the early stages of Alzheimers disease there is a reduction in brain
metabolism in the hippocampus.
In a longitudinal study they followed a sample of 53 normal and healthy participants some for 9 years
and others for as long as 24 years. They found that individuals who showed early signs of reduced
metabolism in the hippocampus were associated with later development of Alzheimers disease.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

MRI scans use magnetic and radio waves, instead of X-rays, to provide very clear and detailed static
three dimensional images of brain structure
MRI scans. Currently MRI is used to mainly rule out other possible causes for cognitive impairment,
such as a brain tumor or blood clot.
However use of MRI scans is turning to images of shrinkage in the hippocampus. Cells in the brains
hippocampus, a region involved in memory and learning, progressively deteriorate and die in
Alzheimers disease and MRI imaging can detect atrophy (shrinkage) of the hippocampus that occurs
when substantial numbers of cells die.
Research has found that shrinkage can be detected even before symptoms interfere with daily
function.
Goshe et al (2000) looked at MRI results for 119 patients with varying degrees of cognitive impairment.
Some patients were normal, some had cognitive impairment at the time of the MRI, and others were
already diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The researchers (who did not have access to the
patients' files) were 100% accurate when determining which patients had been diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease and which had no symptoms. The study reported a 93% accuracy rate when
researchers were asked to distinguish between patients with no symptoms and patients who had only
mild cognitive impairment, but were not yet diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
( *Goshe K.M., Mortimer J.A., Smith C.D., Markesbery W.R. Snowdon D.A. Hippocampal volume as an index
of Alzheimers neuropathology: findings from the Nun Study, Neurology, May 28, 2002, 58(10):1476-82.)
Functional MRI ( FMRI ) scans are similar to a typical MRI scan but instead of providing a static image of the
brain, they can assess the brain activity and blood flow. FMRI scans are used mainly in a research setting and
not typically used in a diagnosis of Alzheimers disease.

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11.To what extent do cognitive and biological factors interact in emotion ?

example exam approach: In this answer I will discuss the interaction of cognitive and
biological factors with reference to three theories.
Psychologists have long debated the role physiological, cognitive and behavioural factors play in emotions.
Originally believed to be a physiological experience, research now suggests that emotions are an interaction of
both physiological and cognitive factors. Different theories debate the role and primacy of each.

Schacter ( 1964 ) Two factory theory

Schacter ( 1964) was the first theorist to bring together the two elements of physiological arousal and
cognition. It is sometimes known as the two-factor theory of emotion. For an emotion to be experienced, a
physiological state of arousal is necessary AND situational factors will then determine how we interpret this
arousal. In other words, an event causes physiological arousal first. You must then identify a reason for this
arousal and then you are able to experience and label the emotion. The strength of physiological arousal will
determine the strength of emotion experienced, while the situation will determine the type of emotion. These
two factors are independent of each other BUT both are necessary for the emotion to be experienced.
A classic study by Schacter & Singer ( 1962) supports these ideas. Their study tested the theory that an
emotion is made up of cognitive appraisal (labelling the emotion) and physiological arousal (adrenaline and the
physical changes it produces). They gave 3 groups of participants an adrenaline injection (epinephrine) and 1
group a placebo, and then put them into situations designed to create an emotional response of anger or
happiness. Some participants were misled or given no information and the researchers predicted that they
would blame their physical state on the situation, therefore reporting higher levels of emotion. Other
participants were told the effects of the injection and so would not blame the situation as they already knew
why they felt that way. The results were as predicted, indicating that if someone feels physiologically aroused
and doesn't know why they will look at their situation in order to label their emotion.
Schacter & Singer concluded that a stimulus triggers a physiological response and at the same time the
stimulus is interpreted in the brain taking into account previous experiences of similar situations. The brain
produces the actual emotion that the person experiences, through cognitive factors, and the ANS produces the
degree to which that emotion is felt. So emotion is an interaction of both cognitive and physiological factors
This was a well-controlled study with several conditions. However the sample was not representative (all male)
and males may have different emotional reactions to females. It is ethically questionable to both inject
participants with substances and it may be distressing to induce anger.

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Lazarus ( 1982 ) Appraisal theory

Whilst there are some problems with Schacters theory it has nonetheless been an important influence on
theoretical accounts of emotion. Lazarus has built on the work of Schachter and also proposed a theory that
demonstrates the interaction of cognitions and biology in understanding emotions. He has however,
emphasised the role of cognitions or cognitive appraisals. He argued that an emotion-provoking stimulus
triggers a cognitive appraisal, which is followed by the emotion and the physiological arousal. He suggested
we initially make a brief analysis of a situation in terms of whether or not it represents a threat ( we appraise a
situation). Cognitive appraisal of the situation determines the level of physiological arousal and the specific
type of emotion to be experienced
His theory focuses on the appraisal of the situation and he
identified three stages of appraisal
4. Primary appraisal (relevance) in which we consider
how the situation affects our personal well-being or how
threatening the situation is.
5. Secondary appraisal (options) - we consider how we
might cope with the situation
6. Reappraisal ( ability to handle emotion) - Reappraisal
refers to whether the emotion / situation is changeable
or manageable

Speisman et al ( 1964)
A study that supports Lazarus theory is that conducted by
Speisman. He showed college students a film called Subincision, a graphic film about an initiation ceremony involving
unpleasant genital surgery.
The aim was see if the peoples emotional reactions could be
manipulated. The experiment deliberately manipulated the
participants appraisal of the situation and evaluated the effect of
the type of appraisal on their emotional response.
One group saw the film with no sound. Another group heard a
soundtrack with a "trauma" narrative emphasising the pain,
danger, and primitiveness of the operation. A third group heard
a "denial" narration that denied the pain and potential harm to
the boys, describing them as willing participants in a joyful occasion who "look forward to the happy conclusion
of the ceremony." The fourth group heard an anthropological interpretation of the ceremony. Physiological (
heart rate and galvanic skin tests ) and self-report measures of stress were taken. Those who heard the
trauma narration reacted with more stress than the control group (no sound); those who heard the denial and
scientific narrations reacted with less stress than the control group.
This was a well-controlled lab experiment, including scientific measures of emotional reactions heart rate and
galvanic skin tests. Such results seem to support Lazaruss theory that it is not the events themselves that
elicit emotional stress but rather the individuals interpretation or appraisal of those events. However, as it was
a lab experiment the videos were an artificial test of emotional reaction. It may also be unethical to expose
participants to high levels of discomfort.

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Le Doux (1996) Biological factors

Le Doux mapped out the biological circuitry of emotions
through work on rats. In his experiments, rats are
exposed to a tone and mild electric shock at the same
time. Later, at the sound of the tone by itself, they freeze,
as if frightened. They have been conditioned to fear the
noise.
By using tracers, chemicals that stain neurons LeDoux
found a direct pathway from the ear to a two-way station
called the sensory thalamus that led directly to the
amygdala, an almond-shaped structure in the forebrain.
So the emotional stimulus is first processed in the sensory thalamus which sends a signal to the amygdala.
This is a short-route. The amygdala triggers a flight or fight physiological reaction. When this pathway was cut,
rats could not be conditioned to fear a sound.
At the same time the sensory thalamus sends the information via the indirect pathway (long route) to the cortex
which results in an appraisal of the stimulus and the outcome of this is sent to the amydala. According to LeDoux
the advantage of having a direct and indirect route to the amygdala is flexibility in responses. In the case of danger
the fast and direct pathway is useful because it saves time in dangerous or emergency situations. On the other
hand the long pathway allows for a more thorough evaluation of a situation which can help avoid inappropriate
responses.
The role of the amygdala in emotional responses, particularly fear, is supported by the case study of S.M. At
age 20 S.M was diagnosed with Urbach-Wiethe disease which caused her amygdale to deteriorate. Despite
being tested in the normal range for intelligence and other cognitive kills she is now unable to feel fear. To
provoke fear in S.M., Feinstein et al (2010) exposed her to live snakes and spiders, took her on a tour of a
haunted house, and showed her emotionally evocative films. On no occasion did SM exhibit fear, and she
never endorsed feeling more than minimal levels of fear. Likewise, across a large battery of self-report
questionnaires, 3 months of real-life experience sampling, and a life history replete with traumatic events, S.M
failed to exhibit fear.
Conclusion
The primacy of biology and cognition in emotion remains open to debate. However what research does show
is that there is a high level of interaction between the two and that emotion is a combination of both
physiological arousal and cognition.

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12. Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one

cognitive process (memory)
example exam approach: In this answer I will evaluate the Flashbulb theory of emotions
and its affect on memory
Emotions can have a powerful affect on memory. They can cause us to forget ( Freuds theory of
repression) or cause us to have vivid and permanent memories.
Memories of surprising, important or emotionally impacting events can be particularly vivid and enduring and
incredibly we dont just remember the emotional event but mundane information surrounding the event.
People can have very clear memories of where they were, what they did, and what they felt about the event.
Brown and Kulik (1977) called this Flashbulb memory. Flasbulb memories include both the central event
and the circumstances in which one learned of the event. They suggested that events with high levels of
surprise and high levels of consequentiality or emotional arousal produce a mental photograph that
preserves the scene in its entirety. Examples of such notable incidents include the assassination of
President Kennedy, the Challenger explosion, the death of Princess Diana and more recently, 9/11 and the
death of Micheal Jackson.
In an early flashbulb memory (FBM) study Brown & Kulik (1977) asked
participants Do you recall the circumstances in which you first heard that
for 10 person-event cues including the assassination of John F Kennedy and
Martin Luther King. Participants then narrated their personal circumstances of
hearing the news. Brown & Kilik found that people had very clear memories
of the place, ongoing event, informant, and feelings surrounding the event.
The relevance or emotional significance ( consequentiality) of an event to a
person's life would seem to increase its likelihood of being stored as a
'flashbulb memory'. Brown and Kulik found that 75% of black people asked were able to recall the
assassination of Martin Luther King, while just 33% of white people asked could do the same.
According to Brown & Kulik a special biological memory mechanism exists that, when triggered by high
levels of surprise and consequentiality causes the whole scene to be printed onto the memory. A
permanent record of the contents of awareness for the period immediately surrounding the shocking
experience is created. This record is detailed, accurate, vivid, and resistant to forgetting.
Evaluation
Although at the time the special-mechanism concept was just a hypothesis it has been supported by recent
findings in neuroscience emotional events are better remembered than less emotional events.
Sharot et al (2006) found that for individuals who were close to the World Trade Center, the retrieval of 9/11
memories activated certain part of the brain. Participants were asked to recall events while hooked up to an
fMRI scanner. Recall activated circuits in a part of the brain known as the amygdala. The release of stressrelated hormones, signaled by the amygdala may account for some of the power and persistence that
characterize many highly emotional or traumatic experiences.
Do Flashbulb memories differ from other forms of memory?"

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However Neisser has argued that the flashbulb memory is not a special memory. People do not always know
that event is important until later. Neisser argued that FMs were simply ordinary memories made clearer and
longer lasting by frequent rehearsal after the event. This argument seems quite logical, as particularly in this
global age the media and society frequently replay and retell events of extreme public attention or emotion.
Flashbulb memories could therefore be seen as memories that have be actively reconstructed to such an
extent that they can be clearly replayed in our minds.
Are flashbulb memories accurate ?
This also questions the validity and accuracy of "flashbulb memories" in
that they are memories actively reconstructed and transformed over time
in 1986.
Neisser & Harsch (1992) measured flashbulb memories of the shuttle
Challenger explosion in 1986. They investigated peoples memory
accuracy of the event 24 hours after the incident and again 2 years later.
The participants were very confident that their memories were correct,
but the researchers found that 40% of the participants had distorted
memories in the final reports they made. Possibly post-event information
had influenced their memories.
A study by Christianson & Loftus (1987) found that emotional arousal
enhanced recall of information central to the event that elicited the emotion, but disrupted recall of
peripheral ( surrounding) details. In their study, participants were presented with one of two matched slide
sequences depicting either an emotional event (a boy hit by a car) or a neutral event (a boy walking beside
a car). All participants wrote down the central feature of each slide. Participants who viewed the emotional
slide sequence were better able to recall the central features than participants who viewed the neutral
sequence, but they were less able to recognize the particular slides they had seen

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