Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive Psychology is a branch of psychology that studies mental processes including how people think, perceive, remember, and learn. As part of the larger field of cognitive science, this branch of psychology is related to other disciplines including neuroscience, philosophy, and linguistics.

The core focus of cognitive psychology is on how people acquire, process and store information. There are numerous practical applications for cognitive research, such as improving memory, increasing decision-making accuracy, and structuring educational curricula to enhance learning.

History

The term "cognitive psychology" was first used by Ulric Neisser in his book published in 1967, wherein the term refers to the study of internal mental processes of thought such as visual processing, memory, problem solving, and language use.

Key Concepts

Perception

Perception is the process of recognizing and interpreting sensory stimuli. Cognitive psychologists study how people perceive information from the external world and interpret this sensory information.

Memory

Memory, the process of storing and retrieving information, is a key area of study within cognitive psychology. Cognitive psychologists examine how people remember information, how they retrieve it, and why they sometimes forget.

Attention

Attention is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things. Cognitive psychologists study how attention affects cognitive processes.

Language

The cognitive approach to the study of language looks at how the brain processes and produces language. Cognitive psychologists study the mental processes that allow humans to be able to speak and understand others.

Methods

Cognitive psychologists often use laboratory experiments to study behavior, along with a range of other methods like case studies, introspective reports, and brain imaging techniques.

Applications

Cognitive psychology has many practical applications. For example, cognitive principles can be applied to improve memory, increase the accuracy of decision-making, and structure educational curricula to enhance learning.

See Also

• Cognitive Science
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Cognitive Linguistics
• Cognitive Therapy