Cognitive Psychology
A.
The focus of cognitive psychology is how people think. It focuses on our interior mental
processes, such as language, planning, perception, and memory. Each of these factors
is essential in determining who we are and how we behave.
Cognitive Psychology dialectic process:
• A thesis is proposed. A thesis is a statement of belief.
For example, some individuals think that many facets of human behavior are dictated by
human nature.
After a while, however, certain individuals notice apparent flaws in the thesis.
• An antithesis emerges.
An antithesis is a statement that counters a previous statement of belief.
An alternate perspective, for example, holds that many characteristics of human
behavior are entirely determined by our nurture (the environments in which we are
raised).
• A synthesis integrates the viewpoints.
The debate between the thesis and the antithesis eventually results in a synthesis. The
most convincing aspects of two (or more) ideas are combined in a synthesis.
In the debate between nature and nurture, for example, it has been suggested that
human nature may be influenced by the interaction between our innate (inborn) nature
and environmental nurture.
B.
Philosophical Origins of Psychology
• A rationalist contends that knowledge is attained by engaging in critical thinking and
logical analysis.
• An empiricist asserts that knowledge is gained through empirical evidence, which
means we gather information through firsthand experience and observation.
Psychological Origins of Psychology
Structuralism - It aims to comprehend how the mind and its perceptions are structured
by breaking down these perceptions into their fundamental components.
Functionalism - The focus here is on understanding people's actions and the reasons
behind them.
Pragmatism - This philosophy believes that the value of knowledge is determined by its
practical use. Pragmatists not only seek to understand what people do but also how we
can apply that knowledge.
Associationism - It explores how elements of the mind, such as thoughts or events, can
link together to facilitate learning.
Behaviorism - Behaviorism looks exclusively at the relationship between observable
behavior and external stimuli or events.
C.
In the late 1950s, a new way to comprehending the study of the mind known as
cognitive psychology started to take shape. These pivotal moments were sparked by
research in memory, learning, and attention as well as concepts from fields other than
experimental psychology, such as communication theory, developmental psychology,
social psychology, linguistics, and computer science, which gave cognitive
psychologists more flexibility to address the complexity of human information
processing and thought.
