Psy 360 Cognitive Psychology Research Paper

Cognitive Psychology
Margaret Dollarhide
PSY/360
August 16, 2013
Ida Fogle

Cognitive Psychology Psychology is a wide world. In this paper we will discuss only one area of psychology, cognitive psychology. Students will learn what cognitive psychology is and how it affects a person. It will discuss the four key milestones in the development of cognitive psychology as a discipline and the importance of behavioral observation in cognitive psychology. According to Dr. Lawrence W. Smith, “Psychology is a scientific discipline that is both academic and applied. It is focused on behavior, including cognitive or mental functions.”
What is Cognitive Psychology? Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes
Behaviorism could not answer many questions, describe different phases, or account for different human processes that cognitive psychology could. Behaviorists concentrated mainly on recognizable behaviors and almost omitted the importance of genetics, unlike cognitive psychology. Behaviorism could not give a reason to clarify internal mental developments or fundamental drives. Behaviorism could not account for human language. Behaviorism mainly observed animal behaviors and could not explain the behaviors of humans, nor could these observations explain different aptitudes, such as rational and thinking. Behaviorism explained that reiteration or compensation was how behavior occurred but could not answer why behavior transpired without repetition or reward. The development of cognitive psychology occurred because of the criticisms of
They are neuroscience, information processing model, the criticisms of behaviorism, and behavioral interpretations. Students also learned the importance of behavioral observation in cognitive psychology. According to Dr. Lawrence W. Smith, “Psychology is a scientific discipline that is both academic and applied. It is focused on behavior, including cognitive or mental