Definition
This is a branch of psychology that deals with the mental processes of human beings. This includes the way human beings think, recall, and learn things. It further looks at how human beings perceive things (Goldstein, 2008).
This branch of psychology mainly deals with how human beings acquire and process information (Goldstein, 2008). It further looks at how information is stored in the human brain.
This term was first used in the year 1967 by an American psychologist by the name Ulric Neisser (Willingham 2007). This was when he wrote a book about cognitive psychology. He further elaborated the meaning of cognitive psychology. Till the 1950s, behaviorism had been used by psychologists to study the human mind.
Behaviorism had been mainly concerned with studying the behavior of human beings. Cognitive psychology attempted to scientifically study the human mind and the mental process behind it. Cognitive psychology emerged as the favorite among many psychologists due to the massive flaws exhibited by behaviorist psychology. This is believed to be one of the main reasons behind the shift from behaviorism psychology to cognitive psychology.
Milestones in the development of cognitive psychology
There are some factors that are believed to have been behind the development of cognitive psychology. Some of the factors include;
Criticism of behaviorism
Behaviorism psychology, which had been used for some time, had massive flaws. The behaviorist school of thought had been unable to account for some of the issues raised by psychologists. This was because it had relied on only behavior to make assumptions about how the human mind functioned (Willingham 2007).
Many psychologists believe the use of cognitive psychology developed because behaviorism had been unable to help psychologists to effectively study the human mind. It also had been unable to explain the internal processes of the human brain.
Neuroscience
This is one of the major factors believed to have aided the development of cognitive psychology. Neuroscientists study how the human brain and nervous system work together to determine human behavior (Goldstein 2008). Through these studies, neuroscientists have been able to explain behavior that has been observed in human beings.
These scientists use abstract constructs and hypothetical representation to account for intelligent human behavior. These methods have been used by psychologists to determine the functionality of the human brain and account for some of the mental processes behind human behavior (Willingham 2007).
Information processing model
This one of the many methods used to study the human brain. Psychologists have gone ahead and used this model to account for, and get a deeper understanding of the human mind. The information processing model compares the human mind with a computer (Willingham 2007).
According to the model, the human mind works almost the same as a computer. The model suggests that the same process through which a computer acquires information, stores the information and systematically arranges how this information would be retrieved is almost is the same with how the human mind works (Quinlan & Dyson 2008). The only difference is that human beings use sensory organs to acquire information. The human body has two main sensory organs the eyes and the ears.
Artificial intelligence
This is the logic behind how various computer programs have been designed. This has been useful in studying the science behind how the human mind works. This is because computer programs are designed to work almost in the same way the human mind works. This has helped the psychologist to be able to study the human mind and how it works. This has been one of the major factors behind the development of cognitive psychology (Quinlan & Dyson, 2008).
Importance of behavioral observation in cognitive psychology
This serves as one of the key components in the development of cognitive psychology. It is through studying behavior that psychologists have been able to evaluate and test the human mind. It is also through studying behavior that psychologists have been able to give meaning to the behavior exhibited by humans (Quinlan & Dyson 2008). This further aids psychologists in deriving conclusions after carefully evaluating human behavior.
Observing behavior will enable psychologists to use some of the testing theories used in cognitive psychology. These include experimental, descriptive, and rational testing theories. Observing behavior will also aid cognitive psychologists to come up with precise conclusions that are error free. Observation is the only way through which psychologists can account for mental processes that lead to a certain behavior.
Conclusion
Cognitive psychology strives to understand the human mind using observable human behavior. It is through cognitive psychology that the mystery behind human behavior is understood. It employs various scientific methods that help in studying human behavior.
Cognitive psychology has helped expand psychology as a discipline because of its unique way of studying the human mind. Some of the factors that have helped cognitive psychology develop include neuroscience, criticism of behaviorism, information processing model, and artificial intelligence. These factors have helped psychologists study the human mind effectively.
References
Goldstein, E. B. (2008). Cognitive psychology: connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (2nd ed.). Australia: Thomson Wadsworth.
Quinlan, P. T., & Dyson, B. (2008). Cognitive psychology. Harlow, Essex, England: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Willingham, D. T. (2007). Cognition: The thinking animal (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.