Cognitive Perspective

Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that explores the operation of mental
processes related to perceiving, attending, thinking, language, and memory, mainly through
inferences from behavior. It looks at how we process information we receive and how the
treatment of this information leads to our responses. In other words, cognitive psychology is
interested in what is happening within our minds that links stimulus (input) and response
(output). Cognitive psychologists’ study internal processes that include perception, attention,
language, memory, and thinking.

They ask questions like:

• How do we receive information about the outside world?

• How do we store and process information?

• How do we solve problems?

• How does a breakdown in our perceptions cause errors in our thinking?

• How do errors in our thinking lead to emotional distress and negative behaviours?

The term 'cognitive psychology' was first used by Ulric Neisser in 1967. Overall, cognitive
psychology is considered an academic or research-based discipline. However, several
principles from cognitive psychology have been applied in clinical settings (that is, where
therapy is delivered) which have led to the development of specific methods such as
cognitive therapy, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Thus, given its scope and
applicability, aspects of it have frequently been used in other fields including medicine,
education, and business.

This perspective came to light in the 1950’s-1960’s. It is believed to be primarily the

brainchild of Ulric Neisser. Neisser believed that behaviourism was an incorrect and outdated
theory and, therefore, a different understanding was necessary to better understand the ways
in which an individual cultivated information and reacted to it.

Other scientists who were interested in this theory and studied it as well were Jean
Piaget, Noam Chomsky, Lev Vygotsky and Jerome Bruner. These scientists continued to
study the theory throughout the next hundred years and continued to expand upon it. The
cognitive perspective has continued to be used, though updated, until more recent times.
Neisser was not the only person to tout the idea of the cognitive perspective at the time, but
he did write a book on the topic which caused him to be named as the founder. His book
helped others to better understand the new perspective and the way that it could be used to
understand the way that any individual would make a decision and execute an action.

Example of Cognitive Perspective

Emily started college last summer and has not been able to improve her grades as much as
her friends think she could. What they don’t know is that Emily herself is not studying. Emily
has never been good at school and, as a result, believes that she can’t do well. Because of
this, she does not have high self-esteem and refuses to put in the work necessary to succeed.

The way that Emily feels about herself is related to an event that has happened in her past.
This event or memory has influenced the way that she continues to behave even in the
present. Because she has a feeling about herself that is negative she has trouble overcoming
this feeling to accomplish more in the future.

Psychological Treatment Derived from Cognitive Psychology / Theories

Cognitive psychology is goal-oriented and problem-focused from the beginning.

Imagine you are entering treatment with a cognitive psychologist. One of the first things you
will be asked to do is identify your problems and formulate specific goals for yourself. Then
you will be helped to organize your problems in a way that will increase the chances of
meeting your goals.

All forms of cognitive-derived therapy have these four characteristics:

• A collaborative relationship between client and therapist.

• The belief that psychological distress is largely the result of a disturbance in cognitive
processes.
• A focus on changing cognition to produce desired changes in emotions and/or
behaviour.
• A time-limited treatment that focuses on specific problems.
Though often grouped together, cognitive-derived therapies can be divided into two areas:
cognitive therapy (CT) and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). CT and CBT are very similar
in their theory and application. The difference is that cognitive therapy mostly focuses on
eliminating psychological distress (by dealing with negative thoughts and emotions), while
cognitive behavioural therapy targets the elimination of negative behaviours as well.
Specific Cognitive Derived Therapies/Theories

There are three major contributing theories in the context of cognitive therapy:

a. Albert Ellis' rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT)

b. Aaron Beck's cognitive therapy (CT)

c. Donald Meichenbaum's cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)

Albert Ellis' rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

The framework for REBT was developed by Albert Ellis. Previously called rational therapy
or rational emotive therapy, REBT is one of the first cognitive therapies. Today it continues to
be a major approach in the field of cognitive psychology. It makes the basic assumption that
you contribute to your own psychological problems and symptoms through your
interpretations.

Rational emotive behavior therapy focuses on uncovering irrational beliefs that may lead to
unhealthy negative emotions. It examines this relationship through what is called the A-B-C
framework.

Let's examine the A-B-C framework with an example:

• (A) Activating event: You are walking down the street. Your friend walks right past
and ignores you.

• (B) Beliefs: You think, 'Bob must be angry with me or he would have said hello.'

• (C) Consequences: You ignore your friend the next time you see him because you
assume he does not want to speak to you.

In this example you have the irrational belief that Bob is angry with you. An irrational belief
is a belief that has no factual basis and is rationally unsupported. REBT would help you
replace this irrational belief with a more rational alternative. Let's examine how the scenario
might unfold with this change:

• (A) Activating event: You are walking down the street. Your friend walks right past
and ignores you.

• (B) Beliefs: You think, 'It is unlike Bob not to say hello, I wonder what is going on?'

• (C) Consequences: You turn and call out to Bob. He apologizes for not seeing you,
but explains he is really distracted by something. You make plans to get together later
and catch up.

Cognitive perspective by Aaron Beck

Aaron T. Beck developed the cognitive therapy approach as a result of his research and
clinical expertise on depression. He observed that most depressed people have a negative
interpretation of life events. This eventually led him to assume that how you feel is related to
the way you think about your experiences. Cognitive therapy suggests that psychological
distress is caused by distorted thoughts about stimuli that trigger emotional suffering.

What Is Cognitive Therapy?

Cognitive therapy is a modality and approach that focuses on thought patterns and
behaviors. In CBT, you challenge maladaptive thoughts so that your thinking supports you,
your goals, your mental health, and your life overall.

CBT is now used for the following concerns and more:

• Depressive disorders

• Anxiety disorders

• Eating disorders

• Insomnia

• Stress

• Anger
Cognitive perspective of appraisal and coping

a cognitive appraisal is an assessment of an emotional situation wherein a person

evaluates how the event will affect them, interprets the various aspects of the event, and
arrives at a response based on that interpretation. Cognitive appraisals usually occur in
situations where there is no physical stimulation or obvious clues as to how the situation
should be interpreted. For example, if you wake up in the middle of the night and there's a
stranger standing over you with a gun, you won't need a cognitive appraisal because the
threat to your safety is clear, and the situation doesn't need interpretation.

Two-Step Appraisal

In general, the cognitive appraisal is used in ambiguous situations where there is little
evidence to suggest how you should respond. In these cases, your brain goes through a
twostep process of evaluation in order to figure out what's happened and how you should
react.

The first step is referred to as primary appraisal, which is the evaluation of how the
event or interaction will affect you personally. For example, if you hear that ten people are
going to be laid off at your company, your first thought will be to assess how that could affect
you. The conclusions drawn from the primary appraisal will determine the next step in the
process, the secondary appraisal, in which you evaluate the factors and decide how you're
going to respond. If you hear the news about the layoffs, and you feel confident that you're
not going to be one of them (primary appraisal), you'll likely shrug it off and keep working as
though nothing had happened (secondary appraisal). If, on the other hand, you have reason to
believe that you could be one of the ten, your secondary appraisal might be to panic, talk to
your employer about your options, or start looking for another job.

Appraisal Theory

appraisal theory, posits that our emotional responses to a situation are tied directly
to our interpretation of the situation as it unfolds. For example, if you were to go on a job
interview and you feel like it didn't go well, you would leave feeling bad about yourself and
your possibilities of being hired. Although this response might be short-lived, there is great
possibility that you'll carry your interpretation and associated emotions into the next job
interview that you have, which will influence how you feel before, during, and after the
interview.