Which of the following is a strength of the cognitive approach?

• A. It avoids using laboratory experiments
• B. It argues behaviour is purely reflexive
• C. Schemas are widely held to be valid
• D. It rejects neuroimaging evidence

Answer: (C)

Schemas are organized knowledge structures the cognitive approach uses to explain how we interpret, store, and retrieve information. A main strength is that this concept gives a clear, testable way to understand everyday thinking: when we meet something new, we quickly interpret it through what we already know, predict what should happen next, and fill in gaps based on our schemas. This explains why processing can be fast and efficient, but also why memories can be distorted to fit our expectations. The idea fits a wide range of evidence from lab experiments to real-world studies and even neuroimaging, which often shows brain activity consistent with using stored knowledge to guide perception and memory.