3.1.2—Cognitive models
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2027
- Objective
- 3.1.2
- Level
- HL
Cognitive models explain health behaviour through representations and processing
A cognitive model represents how information is noticed, interpreted, stored or used to guide behaviour. It is a testable simplification, not a literal map of every mental process.
Models generate predictions about attention, memory, appraisal and decision-making. Their usefulness depends on what they explain, what they omit and whether different tasks or populations produce the same pattern.
A person who interprets a neutral bodily sensation as danger may attend to more symptoms and remember alarming examples, increasing avoidance. Changing the appraisal can alter the cycle without claiming that the symptom was imaginary.
A model is not a diagnosis and a cognitive explanation does not deny biology. Identify the representation and process that link the situation to the health outcome.