Evolution Of Cognitive Psychology As a Discipline

1195 Words5 Pages
Evolution of Cognitive Psychology as a Discipline Bertha Scott PSYCH/560 December 19, 2011 Professor: Bradley Johnson The purpose of this paper is to define cognition. This paper will explain the interdisciplinary perspective as it relates to cognitive psychology. This paper will describe the emergence of cognitive psychology as a discipline. Finally, this paper will assess the impact of the decline of behaviorism on the discipline of cognitive psychology. Define cognition Psychology is generally defined as the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. Cognitive psychology could be defined by eliminating the last two words of that definition—the scientific study of mental processes. Behavior is examined by cognitive psychologists, but primarily as an avenue into the underlying mental processes, in the same way that physicists infer the force of gravity from the behavior of objects in the world. And the study of mental processes covers a lot of ground. These processes include attention, remembering, producing and understanding language, solving problems, and making decisions. It is hard to imagine that we take such vital processes for granted. Thinking is something that is constantly happening, yet we rarely stop to . . . well . . . think about it. However, for the past five decades, cognitive psychologists have done exactly that, using the methods of science to answer questions about the mind. With the experimental method as their primary tool, these researchers approach the mind as a type of machine, attempting to elucidate its inner workings. Given that thinking is at the heart of everything we do on a day-to-day basis, it’s difficult to imagine a more important field of study. Explain the interdisciplinary perspective as it relates to cognitive psychology Interdisciplinary learning is characterized by the
Open Document