Cognitive Psychology Overview

Definition of Cognitive Psychology

• Study of how individuals consciously respond to and communicate about sensory stimuli.
• Areas of focus include:
  • Perception
  • Attention
  • Memory
  • Thinking
  • Learning
  • Speaking
  • Reasoning
  • Creativity
  • Decision-making
  • Motivation

Cognition and the Mind

• Cognition: Processes of transforming, reducing, elaborating, storing, recovering, and using sensory input (Ulrich Neisser).
• Mind: Defined as the intellectual or rational faculty (Webster's Dictionary, 1913).
• Philosophical origins:
  • Discussions on mind date back to ancient philosophy.
  • Monists: Body and mind as a single entity.
  • Dualists (e.g., Plato, Aristotle): Mind and body as separate entities.
  • Eastern philosophers (e.g., Confucius, Lao Tzu): Mind as a tool for understanding the world.

Historical Foundations of Psychology

• René Descartes: "I think, therefore I am" (rationalism).
• John Locke: Knowledge gained through observation and experience (empiricism).

Early Scientific Studies

• Hermann von Helmholtz: Measured speed of nerve impulses, paving the way for experimental psychology.
• Wilhelm Wundt: Established the first psychology laboratory (Leipzig) and identified aspects of consciousness.
• Edward Titchener: Defined mind by breaking down thought processes (introspection).
• Major questions of Titchener's research:
  • What are the components of conscious processes?
  • What are the laws of association?
  • Relationship of conscious elements to physiological conditions?

Behaviorism

• John Watson: Founded behaviorism, focusing on observable behavior rather than consciousness.
  • "Psychology is a purely objective experimental branch of natural science."
• B.F. Skinner: Expanded behaviorism with operant conditioning.
  • Behavior determined by external stimuli; reactions modify behavior.
  • Free will as an illusion; behavior shaped by positive/negative outcomes.

Gestalt Psychology

• Opposed reductionist views of consciousness.
• Emphasized holistic perception and experience.
• Key principle: Figure-ground perception (e.g., faces-vase illusion).

Humanistic Psychology

• Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow: Challenged behaviorism, emphasizing free will and self-actualization.
• Maslow's Pyramid of Needs: Human motivation progresses from basic needs to self-actualization.

Psychoanalysis

• Sigmund Freud: Explored unconscious determinants of behavior through psychoanalysis.
• Mind structured by three forces:
  • Ego: Motivating self-concept.
  • Id: Pleasure-seeking source.
  • Superego: Moral compass.

Cognitive Psychology Development

• Ulrich Neisser's 1967 book "Cognitive Psychology" redefined understanding of human behavior.
• Knowledge and interpretation depend on individual perception.

Cognitive Schema

• Incorporates new information into existing mental frameworks, based on Piaget's theory.
• Meaning-making is a central human activity, shaped by culture and shared beliefs.

Memory Processes

• Three operations:
  • Encoding: Transformation of information into memory.
  • Storage: Retention of encoded information.
  • Retrieval: Accessing stored information.
• Memory is dynamic; subject to change and reconstruction.

Language and Cognitive Development

• Noam Chomsky: Language Acquisition Device (LAD) as an innate capacity for language learning.
• Importance of language in storing memories and communicating effectively.

Cognitive Neuroscience

• Links cognitive functions with brain activity.
• Studies how brain structures relate to cognitive processes.

Conclusion

• Cognitive psychology integrates various perspectives to understand human thought and behavior in relation to stimuli, memory, and perception.