The contribution of cognitive psychology to the scientific study of behaviour
             Cognitive psychology examines the way the mind processes information; this is studied to determine behaviour. Most psychologists are interested in finding general laws for behaviour and then using them to predict behaviour and learn about people.
             Cognitive psychology contributes to science by using models which are tested in a systematic way. The experimental testing of hypotheses is another contribution.
             The information processing approach is the dominant approach in cognitive psychology. It follows the basic assumption that an external stimulus or input following a mediating process causes a response or output. This is our thought and behaviour due to our senses. There are models devised to help explain this.
             A linear model shows a single flow of directional information. It can be bottom-up processing which refers to us accepting information directly via our input senses. Top-down processing illustrates how our information is edited by our minds due to previous experience. Bruner and Minturn illustrated this using the example below in 1951. We see the letter B in the context of letters and the number 13 when the symbol is alongside other numbers. This shows how perception is more than what our senses tell our minds. The mind interprets the information to help itself understand and to make the information mean something in relation to another context.
             12 13 14 Bruner and Minturn's Experiment
             The cyclic model was developed by Neisser in 1976. His 'analysis by synthesis' model better represents how the information that enters our brain via our senses is affected by our minds; due to moods, knowledge or previous experience. The cyclic model describes how top-down and bottom-up processing interacts for a single flow of information.
             The computer analogy has helped the study of behaviour as the
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