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Importance of cognitive psychology
The importance of cognitive psychology
The importance of cognitive psychology
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“Cognitive psychology is the study of mental processes such as attention, language use, memory, perception, problem solving, creativity and thinking.” The processes of cognitive psychology also utilize the aspects of other psychological disciplines including: educational, social, personality, abnormal, developmental, and economic psychology. A cognitive psychologist’s main objective is to assess a person’s mental ability. My primary interest in researching this particular field in psychology is due to the fact that I am interested in the brain and how the brain causes us to become who we are.
A cognitive psychologist’s job description can range from diagnosing and helping someone with a learning disability to assisting lawyers and other
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Unlike other fields in psychology, cognitive psychologists must be involved with a great deal of research both at a clinical level as well as independently. Cognitive psychologists need to know how to apply what they learn from studies and use it as a guide when diagnosing patients. “Research is important in the field of cognitive psychology. Many cognitive psychologists are required to participate in research projects and publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals. It is important for cognitive psychologists to pursue their own research in areas that interest them, as well as to research specific projects dictated by employers and universities.” An important characteristic that one must possess in order to be a successful cognitive psychologist is being able to work independently as well as in a group setting. A researcher is then capable of pursuing his/her own visions and approaches to how the experiment needs to be carried out. It allows for individuals to add their unique abilities and personality to a project without dominating a particular research study. The research needs to be a collaborative effort in which everyone’s opinion is relevant and is utilized in an effective
Chapter 4 discusses the several states of consciousness: the nature of consciousness, sleep and dreams, psychoactive drugs, hypnosis, and meditation. Consciousness is a crucial part of human experience, it represents that private inner mind where we think, feel, plan, wish, pray, omagine, and quietly relive experiences. William James described the mind as a stream of consciousness, a continuous flow of changing sensations, images thoughts, and feelings. Consciousness has two major parts: awareness and arousal. Awareness includes the awareness of the self and thoughts about one's experiences. Arousal is the physiological state of being engaged with the environment. Theory of mind refers to individuals understanding that they and others think,
Keith, T. Z., Kranzler, J. H., & Flanagan, D. P. (2001). What Does the Cognitive Assessment
Buddha, Confucius, and other lesser known Hebrew scholars philosophized on the mind in an expansive sense.
A health psychologist has a substantial functions including primary care programs, inpatient medical units, and specialized health care programs such as pain management, rehabilitation, women 's health, oncology, smoking cessation, headache management, and various other aspects of health (APA Division 38, 2015). This is an important subfield of psychology with a vast majority of health psychologist working with federal agencies, colleges and universities. Health psychologists focuses on cognition, feelings, and actions that effect social issues, that are important to human health as a whole (APA Division 38, 2015). Career prospects in this area of psychology have expanded with positions available in many employment areas
Social psychology is a scientific study that studies how people think, feel, and how they behave under the influence of other people (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2013, p. 2). Thinking about what social influence really means, we tend to think of a person who tries to persuade another person to acting a certain way. It can be a form of peer pressure, like taking that first puff of a cigarette, or it can be conforming to popular societal views, such as obeying the law of the land. Fiction is a great way to learn about social psychological perspectives. Watching popular theatrical films is the perfect way to learn because it illustrates the application of many perceptions within the subject of social psychology.
Cognitive psychology is concerned with the internal processes involved in making sense of the environment and deciding what action may be appropriate. These processes include attention, perception, learning and reasoning, (Eysenck and Keane, 2010).There are a number of approaches which can be used within this field, however for the purposes of the essay only two will be compared; cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology. The aims of cognitive neuroscientists are often similar to those of cognitive psychologists; they are both interested in the brain and cognition, (Medin and Ross, 1996). Nevertheless, it could be argued that there are also some fundamental differences between the two approaches, especially in the research methods employed. This assignment will explain and evaluate the models in comparison to one another.
Several acheivements occurred in the development of cognitive psychology. The study of neuroscience brings us to what we know about cognition today. Cognitive psychology came from the criticisms and flaws of behaviorism. The focus of behaviorism is on observable behaviors, although cognitive psychology became a means to studying mental processes. Cognitive psychology can answer the questions behaviorism could not provide. Behavioral observations are key factors in cognitive psychology, and help with interpreting mental processes and behaviors. Through studying mental processes cognitive psychologists’ expanded psychology through and beyond observations. Behavioral observations helps researchers test cognitive theories. Behaviorists study observable behavior and cognitive psychologists study the mental processes. When studying these processes, researchers attempt to explain how unobservable processes interact with the observable behaviors and helping cognitive psychologists test their theories in
Social and environmental variables affect cognitive development. Cognitive development focuses on the person’s ability to intellectually, perceive and process information. (35589) defined the cognitive ability as the process in which people learn, think and use language; it is the progression of their mental capacity from being irrational to rational (35589). Piaget and Vygotsky are two cognitive theorists who are interested in the cognitive development of a person across their life span and its relation with social and environmental factors. Piaget is the most known cognitive theorist who affected the world of psychology greatly, and was a great influence to many psychologists out there; however his main intention was the innate maturity process and, unlike Vygotsky, he underestimated the role of language and social interaction and his theory wasn’t useful in the teaching field.
Whilst evaluating the cognitive approach to psychology there are many strengths such as that the cognitive approach takes an understanding of the influence from mental processes on one’s behaviour, focusing on an individual’s thinking patterns and their perception. This approach also relates to many known functions and operations that the human body performs such as memory and problem solving.
Personality is patterns of thinking, behavior and emotional responses that make up individuality over time. Psychologist attempt to understand how personality develops and its impact on how we behave. Several theories attempt to explain personality, using different approaches. The social-cognitive and humanistic approaches are two of many theories that attempt to explain personality. This essay will identify the main concepts of social-cognitive and humanistic approach, identify perspective differences and discuss approach limitations.
The purpose for this week’s assignment is to discuss cognitive development as it relates to the mental aging process of infancy through adolescence. As instructed in the assignment outline, I will choose and discuss three important cognitive functions and they are as followed; thinking, intelligence, and language. In addition, I will discuss Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development as it relates to the infancy stage through adolescence.
There are many types of diverse people classified under various categories. Some people have different types of personalities. They could be classified as extremely manipulative, others as impulsive, and some may not show anything on the outside and have wonderful social skills. These categories help in the understanding of humans. This study is called Psychology and there are many different subfields in this diverse study of the people around us. One subfield that is particularly interesting is personality psychology. Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that studies personality and its variation between individuals.
Discuss the social psychological approach in psychology and identify the kinds of questions that social psychologists attempt to answer.
Social cognitive theory is the study on how an individual stores, processes, and applies information about others in their everyday life. It was first known as the “Social Learning Theory”, and was later changed to the term known today as the “Social Cognitive Theory”. The definition of social cognition is defined as any cognitive process that involves one or more than one person. While the definition of cognition is unconscious process in the brain that bring about representations. Social cognition purpose is to study social knowledge, social structure, group behavior, social influences, social categories (age, race, sex) defines a person. (Science Direct) Social cognition is thought to be the outcome of social interactions. One will learn by observing others, this is known as vicarious learning. For example, one is more likely to follow another’s behavior if they can identify with them, whether it be personality wise, age proximity, and more. (Verywell)
A cognitive disorder is a psychological disorder that affects the cognitive abilities such as memory, problem solving, and perception. (Cherry) Some anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and psychotic disorders are classified as cognitive disorders. (Cherry) Other types of cognitive disorders are Alzheimer’s disease, delirium, dementia, and last amnesia that. People develop these disorders over time as they grow.