Cognitive Psychology : The Mind As An Information Processor

Cognitive Psychology draws the comparison between the human mind and a computer, suggesting that we like the computer process the information we acquire from around us and then react accordingly. Hearnshaw, (1987), claims that Cognitive Psychology is both one of the oldest and also one of the newest parts of Psychology, cited in ?T. Malim?, (1994). Information is collected through our senses i.e. vision, touch, smell etc and then processed through our

Before long, this new science of psychology became organized into different branches, or schools of thought, each promoted by pioneering thinkers. Two early schools were structuralism and functionalism. As physicists and chemists discerned the structure of matter, so Wundt’s student Edward Bradford Titchener aimed to discover the mind’s structure. He engaged people in self

Cognitive psychology is a branch of psychology which focuses on the brain and how we think, Cognitive psychologists believe that our thought processes explain behaviour and make these assumptions by looking at our perception, language, attention and memory. (Jarvis,M,2005). One of the main assumptions is that cognitive psychologists often use a computer to explain how we think and behave. Based on this computer analogy, cognitive psychology is interested in the way the brain inputs, stores and outputs information and how behaviour can be influenced by the way we deal with information. (Sammons, A, n.d) However an important criticism directed at the cognitive approach is that it often ignores the way in which other factors such as biological and environmental explain how we process information. (cognitive psychology, n.d)

When we hear the word cognitive, several words come to mind such as, reasoning, thinking or learning. It sends implications of a person’s conscious intellectual ability that contribute to the academic, social and occupational success of that individual. It even correlates directly with a person’s logic and reasoning skills

Cognition is a person’s ability to think, learn, and attain knowledge or information (Cherry, "What Is Cognition?"). In fact, you are doing it right now as you read this paper. Some papers, books, lessons, etc. are easier to understand and retain than others. Ulric Nessar has been known as the “father of cognitive psychology” since 1967 when his researched was made public on such topics as perception, problem solving, and remembering (Hyman, "Remembering the Father of Cognitive Psychology"). However, in my opinion the start of cognition began much earlier with Greek philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates ("History of Philosophy"). They started schools and groups devoted to thinking and talking about life and other

Cognitive psychology seeks to explain behavior through an understanding of how the mind works (Dowd, Clen, & Arnold, 2010). It aims to discover internal mental mechanisms by examining why organisms feel the way they feel, behave the way they behave, and think the way they think (Delprato, 1995). As an aspiring counselor, one of the aspects I will need to consider when counseling a client is why they feel, think, or behave the way they do. Cognitive psychology can help me scientifically approach that question with knowledge of how the brain functions.

Research for the cognitive approach usually takes place in laboratory environments rather than naturalistic settings however this is not the case for all studies. The cognitive approach often compares the human brain and its processes to a computer, it could be argued that this is true due to the human brains ability to take information, encode

Moore, J. (2013). Tutorial: Cognitive Psychology as a Radical Behaviorist Views It. The Psychological Record, 36(3), 667-679. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1442999198?accountid=87314

In 1690, John Locke theory of the mind that at birth the mind is a blank slate ready to write on with memories (Project 2007). Phrenology was developed by Franz Joseph Gall in the late 17th century. Franz suggested that one could understand someone’s personality by examining the head and feel the bumps on the skull (Cherry 2015). Even though phrenology’s methods did not last, some of the theory had experimental value (Landrum 2015). Psychophysics is possibly the area that moved from philosophers studying behaviour to psychology studying behaviour. Hermann von Helmholtz, Ernst Weber and Gustav Fechner are the three researches key in founding of psychology (Landrum 2015). Hermann von Helmholtz led the breakthrough research on the nervous system in 1852. Ernst Weber was also interested in sensory system and how it worked; he developed Weber’s Law (Landrum 2015). Weber’s Law gave psychology the idea of just noticeable difference, that is, the smallest difference between two stimuli that can be noted by person. (Landrum 2015). Gustav Fechner expands on Weber’s Law and is said to be the founder of psychophysics (Landrum 2015).

Cognitive neuroscience categorised as one of the many approaches to human cognition, focuses on the study of both the brain and behaviour in collaboration. Evidence from such approaches can be used to understand in depth, the mental processes forming cognition. Consequently, this contributes to our understanding of the mind. Despite vast development in this field, various challenges are posed as no single method can answer every question raised due to its limitations and therefore must be combined in order to produce a more reliable understanding. Cognitive psychology was the first to make progress in the understanding of these areas and accordingly it can be noticed that the tasks used by cognitive neuroscientists for brain-imaging

Cognitive psychology is branch of psychology to research mental processes, which are related to perceiving, attending, thinking, language, and memory. One of the most extreme versions of Whorfian hypothesis stipulates, which are language, literally determines our

The idea of cognitive psychology emphasizes role of mind in organizing perception, processing information and interpretinf experience. Moreover, it stresses that laboratory studies must be well-controled and objective.Scientist often tries to understant the complexities of human organs by compering it to something simpler

Cognitive psychology is the study of mind and mental function. This includes learning, memory, perception, reasoning, and decision making. Human brains are like computers but

Cognitive processes are described as the performance of composite cognitive actions. Notably cognitive processes are operations that influence the content of the brain or the thinking process as well as the remembering operation (Lamberts & Goldstone, 2005). Cognitive processes are crucial aspects of human behavior and are concerned with how persons utilize their skills. On the other hand, cognitive neuropsychology is a component of cognitive psychology. Cognitive neuropsychology is directed into comprehending how brain's function and structure are linked to certain psychological processes. More significantly, cognitive neuropsychology studies the damaged brain cognitive effects with the aim of inferring cognitive functioning models. Cognitive neuropsychology is a portion of the extensive research field known as neuroscience. Neuroscience is multidisciplinary perspective that combines numerous means of looking at cognition and human brain (Kaye, 2010). It is important to note that evidence of brain injury, cognitive effects as well as the development of cognitive neuropsychology is founded on patient case studies.

This essay will be focused on two different approaches to cognitive psychology: Cognitive Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience. Cognitive Neuropsychology is concerned with the patterns of cognitive performance and emphasis on the cognitive effects of brain-damaged patients who suffered lesions, injuries or diseases, providing vest information on normal human cognition. (Eysenck and Keane 2015, p.5) Whereas cognitive neuroscience involves in-depth study of our brain and behaviours. As the brain contains numerous neurones and is so complicated, the cognitive neuroscience emphasis on the biological side of the brain and focuses on the lobes that are divided from the cerebral cortex.