Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology involves the study of mental processes as well as how people think, perceive, remember, and learn. It is one of the many broad fields of cognitive science which also includes neuroscience, philosophy, and linguistics. The main thrust of cognitive psychology is on how information is acquired, processed, and stored. There is a wide range of applications for cognitive research, such as methods on improving memory, increasing accuracy in decision making, and structuring the educational curriculum to boost learning.

During the 1950s, behaviorism was the dominant school of psychology. However, towards the 1950 to the 1970s, there was a shift in the tide against behaviorism towards attention, memory, and problem solving. This period, which was called as the cognitive revolution, created intensive research using processing models, cognitive research methods, and the first use of the word “cognitive psychology.”

Cognitive psychology traces its roots from the works of prominent psychologists such as Wilhelm Wundt, Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, Kurt Koffka, and Jean Piaget. The term was coined by Ulric Neisser in his 1967 book of the same title.

There are several notable differences of cognitive psychology with other schools of thought in the field of psychology. In contrast with behaviorism,which focuses on observable behaviors, cognitive psychology centers on internal mental states. With psychoanalysis, which is heavily dependent on subjective perceptions, cognitive psychology invokes the scientific method in studying mental processes.

Cognitive psychology requires an intensive study. In general, it starts with looking at how sensory input can be converted into beliefs and actions using cognition. Compared with other fields of psychology, it is more scientific as it employs experimentation and verification.

Cognitive psychology encompasses several disciplines which is why it is often studied in other disciplines. Students who are into behavioral neuroscience, linguistics, industrial psychology, artificial intelligence, among others can benefit from taking cognitive psychology.

By learning the methods involved in processing, learning, and recalling information, teachers, educators, and curriculum designers can do their work better. By understanding internal mental states and processes, engineers, scientists, artists, and designers can benefit from their study of cognitive psychology.

Cognitive psychologists are also involved in a wide range of areas. In studying the human thought process, cognitive psychologists use applied or basic research. Aside from that, they also work in the field of the academe, government service, corporations, and private consulting. They occupy positions such as university instructor, human factors consultant, industrial manager, and usability specialist.

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