Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of mind and mental function, including learning, memory, attention, perception, reasoning, language, conceptual development, and decision making.

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, (Cherry, 2016).

Cognitive Learning: Learning That Requires Cognition And Thought Processes

Brain Based Learning

•Focused attention & peripheral perception

•Conscious & unconscious processes

•Several types of memory

•Emotions are critical

•Opportunities for group learning Regular environmental changes A multi-sensory environment Opportunities for self-expression and making personal connections to content

Topics in Cognitive Psychology

• Perception
• Language
• Attention
• Memory
• Problem-Solving
• Decision-Making and Judgment
• Intelligence

The social-cognitive perspective as been described as personality development that is comprised of learned behaviors that are displayed in particular social situations. This perspective expands the original learning theory of personality which theorizes that personality is learned in social situations through interaction and observation. Feldman continued to explain that further research by Albert Bandura indicated that people learn what they consider to be appropriate responses by observation. By watching others in addition to thinking and reasoning personality develops and changes over time. Albert Bandura argued that personality development requires constant interaction of thought, environment, and behavior, and that one component alone could not explain personality. Feldman explained the reciprocal determinism theory that Bandura coined concluding that personality is shaped by all of the stated elements and not one in itself.

References:

Bernstein, D.A. & Nash, P.W. (2008). Essentials of psychology (4th ed.) Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Cherry, K., (2016). What is cognitive psychology. Retrieved, https://www.verywell.com/what-is-cognitive-psychology-2795011

Feldman, R. (2013). Essentials of understanding psychology (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Friedman, H.S. & Schustack, M.W. (2012), Personality: classic theories and modern research (5th ed). Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.

McGraw-Hill.McGraw Hill Higher Education (2013), The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.

Ryckman, R. M. (2013). Theories of personality (10th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.