Which statement best reflects a core assumption of the cognitive approach?

• A. External stimuli are the sole determinants of behavior.
• B. Biological brain structures fully determine behavior.
• C. Internal mental processes are important; information processing occurs; mental representations exist; observable behaviour can be used to infer mental processes.
• D. Learning is explained only through reinforcement.

Answer: (C)

The main idea being tested is that the cognitive approach treats thinking processes as real and influential in shaping behavior. It argues that internal mental activities matter: information is processed, mental representations exist, and we can infer what’s going on in the mind from what we observe in behavior.

This answer best reflects that stance because it explicitly states that internal mental processes are important, describes information processing and mental representations, and notes that observable behavior can be used to infer those mental processes. It shows a view of the mind as active and information-driven, not just a set of visible responses.

The other statements align with alternatives to the cognitive view: one emphasizes external stimuli as the sole cause of behavior (a behaviorist perspective), another claims biology alone determines behavior (biological reductionism), and the last focuses on reinforcement as the only explanation for learning (another behaviorist/learning-theory stance).