...Evolution of Cognitive Psychology General psychology studies behaviors and mental processes. Cognitive psychology focuses on scientifically studying mental processes (Robinson-Riegler & Robinson-Riegler, 2008). Cognitive psychologists do look at behaviors but they focus on how those behaviors relate to the mental processes an individual is experiencing. As individuals always have thoughts, mental processes have been in abundance, but did not come under scrutiny until the last several decades. Recently, mental processes and thinking have begun to be examined to learn how those processes or thoughts can affect an individual’s behaviors (Robinson-Riegler & Robinson-Riegler, 2008). As time has passed cognitive psychology has grown and evolved allowing a subdiscipline of psychology to be developed. Cognition Cognition is made up of several cognitive processes. The different processes can include memory, identifying, classifying, decision making, and attention (Robinson-Riegler & Robinson-Riegler, 2008). Individuals use several mental processes daily and rarely think about the process used because it is second nature. Individuals respond to their environment in ways that can seem reflex, but the reflex is in reaction to how the body sends the information to the mind, it is instantly processed, and an action is sent to be completed. The word “cognition” comes from the Latin word “cognosco,” meaning to discover, recognize, learn, study, investigate, or make decisions (Ruisel, 2010...
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...Cognitive Psychology Cognitive psychology studies our mental processes or cognitions. These mental processes that cognitive psychologists focus on include memory, perception, thinking and language. The main concern of cognitive psychology is how information received from our senses is processed by the brain and how this processing directs how we behave. Strengths of COGNITIVE approach Example from Core Study 1 High levels of control in laboratory conditions Baron-Cohen they were able to select participants with the desired characteristics and maintain a standard procedure. By controlling variables, cause and effect can be established, in this case the effect that autism and AS have on theory on mind skills 2 May be able to help those with cognitive problems and may lead to practical applications for teaching/treatment For example the study by Loftus and palmer offers us an insight into the factors that can affect the reliability of eyewitness testimony, in particular the use of leading questions in interviews which can distort a witness’s memory of an event. This could prove vital for police questioning techniques. 3 Increases our understanding of cognitive abilities For example, Baron-Cohen’s study, he has demonstrated how autistic people are not able to conceive of what other people are feeling as easily as non-autistic people i.e. not capable of ‘mind reading’. This is shown because the autistic/AS participants scored less well on the eye task than the non-autistic sample...
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...Diverse Nature of Psychology Name: Course: Institution: Date: The Diverse Nature of Psychology Psychology in simple terms is the studies the minds of human beings and their behaviors. It is difficult to capture about psychology in a brief definition, but topics such as personality development, emotions, motivations and social behavior represents briefly, what psychology explains. It widely entails other scientific discipline and provides appropriate knowledge to solve problems (Pastorino, & Doyle-Portillo, 2011). For example, applications of psychology include mental health treatment, performance enhancement, ergonomics and many other areas affecting daily life of an individual. The different concepts that help to explain psychology include motivation, behaviorism and cognition. How psychological motivation influences Human life. Psychology studies what motivation means to human beings. It explains how secondary motivation to human life and how it influences their behaviors. This intends that human behavior change in different ways and at different circumstances. Motivation is considered an important factor on how people respond to different cases (Elliot, 2008). For example, in an organization where individuals have learned the organization culture and has worked for many years, it is through motivation that they will perform much better than before. It is motivation that encourages a person’s behavior towards their actions. Therefore, psychology major focuses on...
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...Aspects of Psychology Arnecia Anderson American Intercontinental University Aspects of Psychology In this assignment we were to get a healthier understanding about psychology. In this paper I chose three perspectives to research. The three perspectives I chose were Behaviorism, Cognitive, and Psychodynamic theories .I answered questions relating to the perspectives such as, how they are even related to today’s Psychology .I hope this paper is as informative to my readers as it was to me. Aspects of Psychology In this assignment we were to get a better understand psychology in the present day. With doing so I researched the various theories of psychology. I chose three perspective to talk about in my paper Behaviorism, Cognitive, and Psychodynamic theories. The word behaviorism converses to the school of psychology founded by John B. Watson created on the belief that behaviors can be measured, trained, and changed. Behaviorism is also called behavioral psychology, which is a theory of learning established on the idea that all behaviors are learned through conditioning. What is conditioning? Conditioning transpires through interaction with the environment. Behaviorists trust that the environment around human beings forms our behaviors. For starters how a person was raised plays a big part in there...
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...Social psychology is the scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of the individual behavior and thought in social situation. Social psychology investigates the ways in which our thoughts, feelings, and actions are influenced by the social environments in which we live. Social interactions help to shape who we are and how we act in different situations. The factors affecting social interaction fall into five major categories. They are the actions and characteristics of others, basic cognitive processes, ecological variables, cultural context and biological factors. The Cognitive processes such as perception, memory and inferences play a key role on the understanding and behavior of every individual in the society. Reactions to certain situations by an individual strongly depend on the memories of others past behaviors and the inferences an individual formed about these behaviors. If anybody wants to clearly understand the causes of others behavior in a social situation it is a must that one should understand what went on in the thinking pattern and understanding process of those people when they behaved in a particular social situation. For example, if your friend sets an appointment with you in a particular time. You are waiting for him at a particular point in a particular time, if he comes late what would be your reaction. In such a situation, cognitive process plays a crucial role in the social behavior and social thoughts of every individual....
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...Cognitive Psychology Definition Paper PSY/340 Cognitive Psychology Dr. 07/14/2014 The cognition process study is an integral part of getting familiar with the human nature. Considering the topic of human nature, the most interesting thing to discover is the way people behave themselves, what is ascribed to the study of behavioral psychology. Nevertheless, the way people behave is fully dependent upon what people learn, what do they read, which information they process, and how does it take place. A human's behavior in different situations is just as set of theoretical and practical knowledge received in the process of cognition. All the questions regarding this topic are put under deep scrutiny by the branch of psychology, which is called the cognitive psychology. This kind of psychological studies is one of the most important, as it examines and researches not only what and who we are, but how do we acquire the features we possess. The 18th century was a harsh time for the development of psychology in the role of a scientific discipline. Towards the end of the 19th century psychology was dominated by an approach known as introspectionism. The basis of introspectionism was to study mental processes via a method of subjective self-examination. (Parkin, 2000, p. 1) In the middle of the 20th century, three general movements arose to inspire and shape a cognitive psychology. First of all, after the introduction...
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...GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (SOC SCI 101) 5 JOURNALS OF PSYCHOLOGY PSYCHOLOGY | > the science seeking to describe, understand, and predict the behavior and mental processes of organisms. > the goals of psychology are to describe, explain, predict, and control behavior. ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY * Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion and thought, which may or may not be understood as precipitating a mental disorder. * Although many behaviors could be considered as abnormal, this branch of psychology generally deals with behavior in a clinical context. * There is a long history of attempts to understand and control behavior deemed to be aberrant or deviant (statistically, morally or in some other sense), and there is often cultural variation in the approach taken. * The field of abnormal psychology identifies multiple causes for different conditions, employing diverse theories from the general field of psychology and elsewhere, and much still hinges on what exactly is meant by "abnormal". * There has traditionally been a divide between psychological and biological explanations, reflecting a philosophical dualism in regards to the mind body problem. * There have also been different approaches in trying to classify mental disorders. * Abnormal includes three different categories, they are: * subnormal * supernormal * paranormal * The science...
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...What Is Psychology? When you hear the word psychology, what comes to mind? While psychology is a popular subject, a lot of people are not aware of the many elements of this broad and fascinating subject. Learn about the early history of psychology, the official beginning of psychology and more about psychology today. What Are the Four Major Goals of Psychology? * Question: What Are the Four Major Goals of Psychology? Answer: Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. While you might understand what psychology is, many people are not quite so certain about what psychology does. What purpose does psychology serve? What are its goals? The four key goals of psychology are: To Describe One of the first goals of psychology is simply to describe behavior. Through describing the behavior of humans and other animals, we are better able to understand it and gain a better perspective on what is considered normal and abnormal. Psychology researchers utilize a range of research methods to help describe behavior including naturalistic observation, case studies, correlational studies, surveys, and self-report inventories. To Explain As you might imagine, psychologists are also interested in explaining behavior in addition to merely describing it. Why do people do the things they do? What factors contribute to development, personality, social behavior, and mental health problems? Throughout psychology's history, many different theories have emerged to help explain...
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...Psychology Perspectives 5 main psychology approaches: * Behaviorist Perspective * Psychodynamic Perspective * Cognitive Psychology * Biological Psychology * Evolutionary Psychology Behaviorism – different from most other approaches because they view people (and animals) as controlled by their environment and specifically that we are the result of what we have learned from our environment. * Concerned with how environmental factors (stimuli) affect observable behavior (response)) 2 main processes learn from environment: * Classical conditioning * Operant conditioning Behaviorism- scientific study of observable behavior working on basis that behavior can reduced to learned S-R (Stimulus-Response) units. Classical conditioning- studied by Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov. Looking into natural reflexes and neutral stimuli he managed to conditioning dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell through repeated associated of the sound of the bell and food. * Principles of CC applied in many therapies include systematic desensitization for phobias and aversion therapy. Operant conditioning- B.F. Skinner investigated voluntary and involuntary behavior. Skinner felt that some behavior could be explained by the person’s motive. Therefore behavior occurs for a reason, 3 main behavior shaping techniques: * Positive reinforcement * Negative reinforcement * Punishment Psychodynamic Perspective Sigmund Freud- many expressions from our daily...
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...Educational Psychology is a branch of psychology concerned with improving learning ability. It draws from many other areas of psychology such as behavioural, cognitive, social and developmental, occupational, clinical and neuropsychology (Fredrickson & Miller, 2008). This essay will explain how educational psychology is used in educational practice through theoretical and practical examples. Educational Psychology has developed different methods of studying learning abilities such as hypothesis, IQ tests and psychometric testing. Jean Piaget, became one of the most well-known psychologists through his study of children’s thinking (Fontana, 1995). In part, his study has been dismissed by psychologists today, but his theory of the “child as a product of an interaction between biological maturation and the environment, is universally recognised” (Fontana, 1995, P. 52). Such studies of children and learning by Piaget and other psychologists, have laid the foundation for educational psychology in practice today. Cognitive development, self-efficacy and individual differences are three important areas studied, in relation to the development of learning. Cognitive development studies how a person processes information and concepts, their perception, thinking processes and language skills. In turn, self-efficacy is the belief a person has in their own abilities, which in turn has a profound impact on their learning abilities. Finally, individual differences characterise...
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...PSYCOLOGY Wilhelm Wundt is the man most commonly identified as the father of psychology. Why Wundt? Other people such as Hermann von Helmholtz, Gustav Fechner, and ErnstWeber were involved in early scientific psychology research, so why are they not credited as father of psychology? Because Wundt's formation of the world's first experimental psychology lab is usually noted at the official start of psychology as a separate and distinct science. By establishing a lab that utilized scientific methods to study the human mind and behavior, Wundt took psychology from a mixture of philosophy and biology and made it a unique field of study. Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt (16 August 1832 – 31 August 1920) was a German physician, physiologist, philosopher, and professor, known today as one of the founding figures of modern psychology. Wundt, who noted psychology as a science apart from biology and philosophy, was the first person to ever call himself a Psychologist. He is widely regarded as the "father of experimental psychology".[4][5] In 1879, Wundt founded the first formal laboratory for psychological research at the University of Leipzig. This marked psychology as an independent field of study *Introduction of Psycology Psychology is the scientific study of behavior, cognition, and emotion. Psychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres of...
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...Chapter 1—What Is Psychology? Learning Goals 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Explain what psychology is and how it developed. Describe six contemporary approaches to psychology. Describe two movements that reflect a positive approach to psychology. Evaluate careers and areas of specialization in psychology. Apply some strategies that will help you succeed in psychology. After studying Chapter 1, you will be able to: Define psychology. Describe the influence that philosophy, biology, and physiology had on the beginnings of psychology as a science. Compare the two early scientific approaches in psychology: structuralism and functionalism. Describe the focus of each of the six contemporary approaches to psychology. Describe the positive psychology movement, and discuss why this movement recently emerged in psychology. Discuss career opportunities in psychology. Profile the main areas of specialization in psychology. Say how studying habits may be optimized. Understand how to be a critical thinker. CHAPTER 1: OUTLINE Psychology is a science dedicated to the study of behavior and mental processes. In this chapter you are introduced to the history of this science, a variety of contemporary perspectives in psychology, the positive psychology movement, and an overview of psychology-related careers. At the end of the chapter, the reader learns about the most effective methods of studying and learning. There are three concepts important to the definition of psychology: science, behavior, and mental...
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...1—What Is Psychology? Learning Goals 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Explain what psychology is and how it developed. Describe six contemporary approaches to psychology. Describe two movements that reflect a positive approach to psychology. Evaluate careers and areas of specialization in psychology. Apply some strategies that will help you succeed in psychology. After studying Chapter 1, you will be able to: Define psychology. Describe the influence that philosophy, biology, and physiology had on the beginnings of psychology as a science. Compare the two early scientific approaches in psychology: structuralism and functionalism. Describe the focus of each of the six contemporary approaches to psychology. Describe the positive psychology movement, and discuss why this movement recently emerged in psychology. Discuss career opportunities in psychology. Profile the main areas of specialization in psychology. Say how studying habits may be optimized. Understand how to be a critical thinker. CHAPTER 1: OUTLINE Psychology is a science dedicated to the study of behavior and mental processes. In this chapter you are introduced to the history of this science, a variety of contemporary perspectives in psychology, the positive psychology movement, and an overview of psychology-related careers. At the end of the chapter, the reader learns about the most effective methods of studying and learning. There are three concepts important to the definition of psychology: science...
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...theory and research in health psychology has been helpful or unhelpful in addressing human problems. Areas important in health psychology involve studies of behaviour which courses illness and also a way to try motivate individuals to leave healthy with the influence from hospitals and care professionals in the society. ‘Health psychology is the aggregate of the specific educational, scientific and professional contribution of the discipline of psychology to the promotion and maintenance of health, the prevention and treatment of illnesses’ Matarazzo (1980). As health psychology is widely related to health the definition of healthy is by the World Health Organization (WHO) 1948 saying that health is ‘the state of complete physical, social and spiritual well-being, not simply the absences of illnesses’. As psychology is the science of behaviour and change; psychologists have helped to influence change in people’s life. As health psychology is interested mainly in health and health maintenance rather than on diseases and disease prevention. It was found in the 1970s when many countries (western) began to suffer from diseases and death in result to declining expenditures, to resolve the situation health promotion strategies were introduced. As there are many factors that courses diseases for example smoking which leads to diseases like cardiovascular disease, to investigate the relationship between health behaviours, health and disease outcomes studies would be done. To support...
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...Define Cognitive Psychology Cognitive Psychology Psychology itself was viewed as a part of philosophy in the earlier days, until Wilhelm Wundt established the first laboratory for psychological research in 1879 at Leipzig University. Wundt introduced scientific methods into psychological research. The “Father of Modern Cognitive Psychology”; Ulric Neisser, was born in Kiel, Germany December 08, 1928. Neisser changed the path of psychology. He inspired a group of psychologist in the direction of a field named by his first book, Cognitive Psychology (1967). Cognitive psychology is the study of the mind and the way it works. It is the study of the mental processes, such as problem solving, perception, speaking, thinking, and remembering. It includes mental representations and the use of abstract hypotheses to find relationships between brain structures and their functions. To help us understand how cognitive theories grew into a psychological science, it is essential to understand what milestones assisted in the development of its establishment. One key milestone for the development of cognitive psychology is neuroscience. It can examine how the brain and nervous system regulates behaviors, it can also account for intelligent behavior through the use of abstract constructs, hypothetical representations, and processes (Whitaker, 2013). Neuroscientist also established absolute links between structures of the brain and functioning. Through neuroscience, cognitive psychologist...
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