Component 1: Cognitive — Eduqas A-Level Psychology

Component 1: Cognitive explores the mental processes that underpin human behaviour, focusing on memory, attention, and thinking. You will study influential models such as the multi-store model and working memory model, as well as theories of forgetting and reconstructive memory. This topic is fundamental to understanding how psychologists investigate internal processes scientifically.

The cognitive approach is a core area of A-Level Psychology and connects to other topics like biological psychology (e.g., brain structures involved in memory) and research methods (e.g., laboratory experiments, case studies). Mastering this component will also prepare you for synoptic questions that require integrating cognitive explanations with other perspectives.

• →The multi-store model of memory (Atkinson and Shiffrin, 1968) proposes three stores: sensory, short-term, and long-term, each with distinct encoding, capacity, and duration.
• →The working memory model (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974) replaces the unitary STM with an active central executive and two slave systems: the phonological loop and visuo-spatial sketchpad, later adding the episodic buffer.
• →Forgetting can be explained by interference theory (proactive and retroactive) and retrieval failure due to absence of cues (encoding specificity principle).
• →Reconstructive memory (Bartlett, 1932) suggests that memory is not a passive recording but an active reconstruction influenced by schemas, leading to distortions and confabulation.
• →Research methods in cognitive psychology include laboratory experiments (e.g., Peterson and Peterson, 1959), case studies (e.g., HM), and dual-task paradigms, each with strengths and limitations.

• Identifies the computer analogy as the assumption that the mind processes information like a computer, with input, internal processing and output.
• Recognises internal mental processes as unobservable workings such as attention, perception, memory and thinking that are inferred from behaviour.
• Defines a schema as a mental framework of knowledge built from experience that guides interpretation and expectation.
• Selects the assumption whose defining feature matches the key feature of the scenario rather than a loosely related term.
• Identifies CBT as a therapy that helps clients identify and test unhelpful thoughts and replace them with more realistic ones.
• Identifies REBT as a therapy that disputes irrational beliefs using the ABCDE model.
• Links the therapy to the cognitive assumption that distorted thinking influences feelings and behaviour.
• Selects the therapy whose distinctive method matches the description in the question.
• Identifies the independent variable as the verb used in the critical question about speed
• States the dependent variable as the participant's estimated speed of the car
• Recognises that participants watched film clips of traffic collisions before answering questions
• Explains that the 'smashed' condition produced higher speed estimates than weaker verbs
• Links the broken-glass finding in Experiment 2 to reconstruction through post-event information
• Distinguishes the study's conclusion about language influencing memory from a claim that memory is a perfect recording
• Explains how leading questions and post-event information can distort a witness's memory, using research evidence.
• Uses DNA-exoneration cases to show that mistaken eye-witness identification has convicted innocent people, supporting the unreliability case.
• Presents the counter-argument that identification can be accurate under controlled conditions such as fair line-ups and prompt recall.
• Reaches a reasoned judgement on how reliable eye-witness testimony is and links it to implications for police procedure or the courts.

• 💡Underline the key feature of the scenario before reading the options, then match it to one assumption.
• 💡Learn one short defining phrase for each assumption so you can discriminate quickly between close options.
• 💡Eliminate options that describe a different approach, such as behaviourist stimulus-response claims, before choosing.
• 💡Look for the terms 'dispute' and 'irrational beliefs' as signals of REBT.
• 💡Look for 'testing thoughts against evidence' and behavioural tasks as signals of CBT.
• 💡Check that the option you choose is a cognitive therapy rather than a drug treatment or a psychodynamic therapy.
• 💡Read the stem carefully to see whether it asks for the IV, the DV, a finding or the conclusion before choosing an option
• 💡Eliminate options that describe a different study or that overstate the conclusion beyond reconstruction
• 💡Check that the chosen option matches the specific experiment (speed estimates in Experiment 1, broken glass in Experiment 2)
• 💡Name the research you use and say what it shows about reliability rather than only summarising the procedure.
• 💡State the direction of your evidence clearly, so DNA-exoneration cases are used to support unreliability.
• 💡End with an explicit judgement that answers how reliable eye-witness testimony is, not just a summary of both sides.
• 💡Always use precise terminology: 'encoding', 'capacity', 'duration', 'unitary store', 'articulatory suppression', 'phonological similarity effect', etc. Vague language loses marks.
• 💡When evaluating a model or theory, provide a balanced argument with at least two strengths and two weaknesses, each supported by evidence or real-world application.
• 💡For application questions, explicitly link the scenario to the relevant cognitive concept. For example, if a student forgets a phone number because they were distracted, link this to interference or limited capacity of STM.

• Treats the computer analogy as a claim that the brain is literally a machine; keep it as a comparison between information processing in people and in computers.
• Describes internal mental processes as directly observable behaviour; present them as inferred internal workings studied through their effects.
• Confuses a schema with a memory store; define it as an organised framework of knowledge that shapes interpretation.
• Attributes the ABCDE model to CBT; assign ABCDE and the disputing of irrational beliefs to REBT.
• Describes the cognitive therapy as changing behaviour alone without addressing thoughts; include the identification and challenging of unhelpful thinking.
• Treats CBT and REBT as identical; distinguish evidence-testing of thoughts from disputing irrational beliefs.
• Confuses the independent variable with the dependent variable; name the verb as what the researchers manipulated and the speed estimate as what they measured
• Treats the study as showing that memory is always accurate; state that it demonstrates reconstruction influenced by question wording
• Assumes participants actually saw broken glass; note that the 'smashed' group were more likely to report glass that was not present
• Attributes the study to a single author; credit both Loftus and Palmer as co-authors
• Cites DNA exonerations as proof that eye-witness identification is accurate; these cases usually show misidentification and so support unreliability.
• Describes memory as a fixed recording; treat it as reconstructive and open to distortion by later information.
• Lists studies without weighing them; build an argument that balances unreliable and reliable conditions before judging.
• Students often think short-term memory and working memory are the same thing. In fact, the working memory model is a more dynamic, multi-component system that replaced the simple unitary STM of the multi-store model.
• Many believe that long-term memory is always accurate and permanent. However, research on reconstructive memory and eyewitness testimony shows that LTM can be distorted by schemas and post-event information.
• Some students assume that forgetting is simply due to decay over time. While decay may occur in sensory memory, interference and retrieval failure are better explanations for forgetting in STM and LTM.

1. 1Day 1-2: Create a detailed mind map of the multi-store model, including each store's encoding, capacity, duration, and supporting evidence (e.g., Sperling, Peterson and Peterson).
2. 2Day 3-4: Learn the working memory model components and evaluate it using dual-task studies (e.g., Baddeley et al., 1975) and case studies of brain-damaged patients (e.g., KF).
3. 3Day 5-6: Study theories of forgetting (interference and retrieval failure) and reconstructive memory (Bartlett, 1932). Practice applying these to real-world examples like eyewitness testimony.
4. 4Day 7-8: Complete past paper questions on cognitive psychology, focusing on 6-mark and 15-mark essay questions. Use mark schemes to identify gaps.
5. 5Day 9-10: Review and self-test using active recall prompts and flashcards. Focus on evaluation points and synoptic links to other topics.

• 📋Short-answer questions (2-4 marks): Define key terms or outline a model. Advice: Be concise and use precise terminology; do not waste time on irrelevant detail.
• 📋Application questions (4-6 marks): Apply cognitive concepts to a novel scenario. Advice: Identify the concept, explain it briefly, then explicitly link it to the scenario using quotes or paraphrases.
• 📋Essay questions (10-15 marks): Evaluate a model or theory. Advice: Structure your answer with an introduction, balanced evaluation points (strengths and weaknesses), and a conclusion. Use evidence and real-world applications.
• 📋Research methods questions (4-6 marks): Design or critique a study on memory. Advice: Consider variables, sampling, ethics, and controls. Use terminology like 'independent measures design', 'counterbalancing', and 'demand characteristics'.