This essay will discuss how and why particular research methods are used to investigate the cognitive level of analysis. The cognitive level of analysis studies cognition, which refers to mental processes such as: perception, attention, language, memory, decision making, and problem solving. In this level of analysis the mind is studied, in terms of structures and processes involved in the reception, storage and use of knowledge. In psychology, research methods are used to collect and analyze data, in other words they are the ways in which they conduct their studies. There are different research methods, the 3 main research methods we will focus on in this essay are: laboratory experiments, brain imaging technologies and case studies. At the level of cognitive analysis, the most common research method would be laboratory experiments. Laboratory experiment is the only research method that shows the cause-effect relationship between variables. It takes place in a laboratory or artificial environment. The researcher would manipulate the IV and control all other variables, in order to avoid confounding variables. There is also a controlled environment and standardized procedures. There are three main strengths to this research method. First of all, it can establish cause-effect relationships. Secondly, there is variable control and accuracy of measurements, which indicates objectivity. Regarding the third strong point, the laboratory experiment is easy to replicate, thus increasing the reliability of the results. On the other hand, three obvious limitations can be observed. The first would be artificiality, which could lead to a lack of ecological validity. Demand characteristics and experimenter effects contribute to biased results, w...... middle of paper ...... his man's brain, which caused severe damage to the hippocampus and frontal region of the brain . From then on he was unable to form new memories or recall past ones, because he now suffers from amnesia. He is a patient with anterograde, which is the inability to create and store memories after a trauma, and retrograde, which is the inability to access and store memories before a trauma. This study reveals that the mind can be observed in detail, which prompts further research studies based on brain images of these patients. In conclusion, various different methods have their strengths and weaknesses. Nowadays, researchers are able to specialize on particular parts of the brain. Because different methods can provide different insights into the brain, it is necessary to apply a number of different methods to the study of the same cognitive phenomenon.