Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of mental processes such as perception, memory, reasoning, and problem-solving. It emerged in the mid-20th century as a reaction to behaviorism, which focused solely on observable behaviors.
The cognitive revolution began in the 1950s, marking a shift from behaviorism to studying internal mental processes. Key figures like George Miller and Ulric Neisser played pivotal roles in this transformation.
Cognitive psychologists developed the information processing model, comparing the human mind to a computer. This model includes components like sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.
The memory system is divided into three main components: sensory memory, which holds information for very brief periods; short-term memory, which has limited capacity; and long-term memory, which has unlimited storage capacity.
George Miller's famous paper 'The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two' proposed that short-term memory has a limited capacity of approximately 7 items. This became a foundational concept in cognitive psychology.
Ulric Neisser is considered the father of cognitive psychology. He wrote the first textbook on cognitive psychology in 1967 and emphasized the importance of studying real-world cognition rather than laboratory abstractions.
In the 1970s and 1980s, cognitive psychology evolved into cognitive science, integrating disciplines like linguistics, computer science, neuroscience, and philosophy. This interdisciplinary approach enriched our understanding of mental processes.
In the 1980s, connectionism emerged as a new approach to understanding cognition. It models mental processes using artificial neural networks, emphasizing parallel processing and learning through experience.
Since the 1990s, cognitive neuroscience has become a dominant field. It combines cognitive psychology with neuroscience methods like brain imaging to study the neural basis of mental processes.
Today, cognitive psychology continues to evolve with new technologies and methods. Areas like embodied cognition, artificial intelligence, and computational modeling are shaping contemporary research and understanding of the mind.