Documentary and cognitive thoery

Documentary and cognitive theory: narrative, emotion and memory.
http://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/viewFile/17/14 

I chose this article - documentary and cognitive theory; narrative, emotion and memory by Ib Bondebjerg - as it presents the idea that documentaries are just as mediated as films but, the narrative structure and emotion used within them by filmmakers presents them as a reality to the audience; 'Documentary forms and narratives have become embodied visions and experiences in our minds - in line with experiences for ordinary 'real' life'. The article focuses on the cognitive theory (the understanding of behaviour through looking at thought process) and the impact it has on documentaries and how audiences perceive them.

Documentaries place an argument or idea to the audience, as an example; within The Paedophile Next Door, the common societal ideology that all paedophile's are criminals is counteracted and replaced with the idea that paedophile's and sex offender's are completely separate and that - if given the chance by society - paedophile's can be helped and prevented from acting upon their thoughts and desires. This supports the article in saying that documentaries are 'a story with some kind of argument inside'. Alongside this, documentaries focus on issues within the 'real world' perhaps in order to attract and withhold the attention of an audience. They are created to present an area of reality in an appealing way; combining 'factual evidence, documentation and elements of narrative, audio-visual style and creativity, appeal to imagination, identification etc'. This is the case within The Paedophile Next Door; a subject prevalent within society is discussed and discussed in a way people probably are not used to, the idea that paedophile's should be given help before them are shunned by society is one that is not visited by many and, therefore, it is an area of reality being presented alternatively by the documentary.

We expect documentary films to tell us something about reality that has a quality of truth, reality and authenticity. But that said, we do know as spectators, and all theories about documentary genres confirm that documentaries use all kinds of communicative strategies and they appeal not only to reason, but also to feelings and the more sensual dimensions of our reality.
The link between narrative, emotion and memory is therefore central for our understanding of who we are, for our understanding of how mediated visual material and forms of representation influence our mind and body. 
We expect documentary to deal with real events, real people and actual problems of the world we live in.