Cognitive Psychology explained in less than 5 minutes

Summary

The script delves into the cognitive revolution of the mid-20th century, contrasting behaviorism with the emergence of cognitive psychology. It highlights cognitive psychology's focus on internal mental processes like learning, memory, and problem-solving, using the human mind as a computer metaphor. The script also touches on the evolution of cognitive psychology, its intersection with social and developmental psychology, and the rise of cognitive neuroscience due to advanced brain imaging techniques. It concludes by emphasizing the benefits of interdisciplinary research in psychology.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Cognitive psychology emerged as a response to the limitations of behaviorism, focusing on internal mental processes in addition to observable behaviors.
• 💡 The cognitive revolution marked a significant shift in the field of psychology, emphasizing the study of mental processes like learning, memory, language, and problem-solving.
• 🖥️ Cognitive psychology uses the computer metaphor to understand the human mind, with early concepts mirroring the simplicity of early computing machines and evolving with technological advancements.
• 🧠 The term 'cognition' refers to the acquisition, storage, and utilization of knowledge, highlighting the broad scope of cognitive processes.
• 🌐 As technology advanced, so did the cognitive metaphor, moving from simple computing to complex neural networks and cloud computing.
• 🔬 Cognitive neuroscience is a growing interdisciplinary field that combines cognitive psychology with brain imaging techniques to study the physiological underpinnings of mental processes.
• 📈 The development of sophisticated brain imaging techniques, such as fMRI and PET, has allowed researchers to observe the brain's activity during psychological tasks, opening new research opportunities.
• 🔄 There is now a more complementary relationship between different psychological approaches, indicating a maturing field where specialties overlap and inform each other.
• 🔍 Cognitive psychology has expanded into other areas of psychology, such as social and developmental psychology, which also explore the hidden cognitive processes at work.
• 📚 Piaget's stages of development are an example of how developmental psychology examines the growth of cognitive processes in individuals.
• 🤝 The script suggests that interdisciplinary research, where different specialties work together, can enhance our understanding of the human mind.

Q & A

What was the prevailing belief in psychology before the emergence of cognitive psychology?

Before cognitive psychology, the field was dominated by behaviorism, which believed that psychology should focus on studying people's behaviors.

Why were some psychologists frustrated with behaviorism?

Some psychologists were frustrated because behaviorism only studied behaviors and did not account for the internal mental processes that were occurring.

What is the fundamental focus of cognitive psychology?

Cognitive psychology focuses on the study of mental processes and complex behaviors, aiming to understand how external behaviors are facilitated by internal mental processes.

How does cognitive psychology view the relationship between behaviors and mental processes?

Cognitive psychology does not dismiss the importance of behaviors; instead, it seeks to connect external behaviors with the internal mental processes that enable them, such as learning, memory, language development, and problem-solving.

What is the most prevalent metaphor used in cognitive psychology to describe the human mind?

The most prevalent metaphor in cognitive psychology is that the human mind is like a computer.

How has the development of computer science influenced the metaphor used in cognitive psychology?

As computer science has advanced, so has the scope of the computer metaphor in cognitive psychology, evolving from simple computing machines to the more complex neural networks and cloud network computing.

What does the term 'cognition' mean in the context of cognitive psychology?

In cognitive psychology, 'cognition' refers to all the ways in which knowledge is acquired, stored, and used.

How has cognitive psychology contributed to other psychological specialisms?

Cognitive psychology has influenced other psychological specialisms, such as social psychology, which examines hidden cognitive processes resulting from interpersonal and environmental interactions, and developmental psychology, which studies the development of cognitive processes.

What is cognitive neuroscience and how did it emerge?

Cognitive neuroscience is a discipline that emerged from the intersection of cognitive psychology and the study of the brain's physiological processes. It was facilitated by advancements in brain imaging techniques, allowing scientists to observe the brain's activity during psychological tasks.

How have new technologies in brain imaging impacted the field of cognitive psychology?

New technologies like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) have allowed psychologists to observe the brain in action, providing insights into learning, memory, and neural network activation, thus opening up new research opportunities.

What is the key message from the development of cognitive psychology regarding the relationship between different psychological specialisms?

The key message is that research outcomes are likely to be enhanced when different psychological specialisms work together and are linked, rather than being kept separate.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 The Cognitive Revolution in Psychology

This paragraph introduces the cognitive revolution that occurred in the mid-20th century, a significant shift in the field of psychology. It contrasts the behaviorist approach, which focused solely on observable behaviors, with the emerging cognitive psychology that sought to understand internal mental processes. Cognitive psychology aimed to integrate external behaviors with internal mental processes such as learning, memory, language development, and problem-solving. The human mind was metaphorically compared to a computer, reflecting the influence of computer science at the time. The paragraph also notes the evolution of cognitive psychology, which has expanded to include the study of neural networks, and the development of various psychological specialties with a cognitive flavor.

Keywords

💡Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive Psychology is the study of mental processes such as perception, memory, thinking, and language. It emerged as a reaction to behaviorism, which focused solely on observable behaviors. The video script describes how cognitive psychology sought to understand the internal processes that influence behaviors, rather than just the behaviors themselves. It is central to the video's theme as it represents the cognitive revolution in psychology.

💡Behaviorism

Behaviorism is a school of psychology that dominated the field before the cognitive revolution. It posited that psychology should only study observable behaviors, ignoring mental processes. The script mentions behaviorism to contrast it with cognitive psychology, highlighting the shift from external behavior to internal mental processes.

💡Mental Processes

Mental processes refer to the internal cognitive activities that underlie behavior, such as learning, memory, and problem-solving. The video emphasizes the importance of studying these processes to gain a deeper understanding of human behavior, which is a key aspect of cognitive psychology.

💡Cognitive Revolution

The cognitive revolution marks a significant shift in the field of psychology, moving away from behaviorism towards the study of mental processes. The script describes this revolution as influential, indicating a major paradigm shift in how psychologists approached the study of the mind.

💡Computer Metaphor

The computer metaphor is a prevalent analogy in cognitive psychology, comparing the human mind to a computer to explain cognitive processes. The script uses this metaphor to illustrate how cognitive psychology has evolved alongside advancements in computer science, from simple input-output models to complex neural networks.

💡Neural Networks

Neural networks are a type of artificial intelligence inspired by the structure and function of the human brain. In the script, neural networks are used to represent the advanced stage of the computer metaphor in cognitive psychology, showing how the field has incorporated modern computing concepts to understand the mind.

💡Cognition

Cognition refers to the process of knowing, which includes acquiring, storing, and using knowledge. The script explains that cognitive processes encompass all ways in which knowledge is handled by the mind, making cognition a fundamental concept in cognitive psychology.

💡Cognitive Neuroscience

Cognitive neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that combines cognitive psychology with neuroscience to study the neural mechanisms underlying mental processes. The script discusses how technological advancements in brain imaging have allowed cognitive psychologists to observe brain activity during psychological tasks, creating a new discipline that bridges the gap between cognitive processes and their biological basis.

💡Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

fMRI is a neuroimaging technique used to measure and map brain activity. The script mentions fMRI as one of the sophisticated brain imaging techniques that have enabled cognitive neuroscientists to observe the brain in action, providing a direct view of cognitive processes.

💡Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

PET is another neuroimaging technique that allows for the visualization of brain function. The script briefly mentions PET in the context of new research opportunities opened by brain imaging technologies, contributing to the development of cognitive neuroscience.

💡Interdisciplinary Approach

An interdisciplinary approach involves combining insights and methods from different disciplines to address complex issues. The script concludes by highlighting the benefits of linking different psychological specialties, such as cognitive psychology and neuroscience, to enhance research outcomes and deepen our understanding of the mind.

Highlights

The cognitive revolution emerged in the mid-20th century as a significant shift in psychology.

Behaviorism dominated psychology before cognitive psychology, focusing solely on observable behaviors.

Cognitive psychologists sought to understand internal mental processes in addition to external behaviors.

Cognitive psychology studies complex behaviors and mental processes like learning, memory, and problem-solving.

The human mind was metaphorically compared to a computer, reflecting the technological advancements of the time.

Early cognitive psychology concepts were simple, mirroring the early stages of computing machines.

As computing advanced, so did the cognitive psychology metaphor, evolving towards neural networks.

Cognition encompasses all ways in which knowledge is acquired, stored, and used.

Cognitive processes are central to various psychological specialties, including social and developmental psychology.

Piaget's stages of development exemplify the focus on cognitive processes in developmental psychology.

The maturation of psychology has led to a more complementary relationship between different approaches.

Cognitive neuroscience has gained momentum, combining cognitive psychology with brain physiology.

Advancements in brain imaging techniques have allowed psychologists to observe the brain during psychological tasks.

Cognitive neuroscience has opened new research opportunities, bridging the gap between mental processes and brain activity.

Research outcomes are enhanced when different psychological specialties are linked together.

The development of cognitive psychology shows the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing knowledge.

Transcripts

you

in the middle of the 20th century

alongside the massive proliferation of

computers and new specialism in

psychology emerged some thought it was

so influential that they call it a

revolution the cognitive revolution so

what is cognitive psychology what answer

that question it's worth thinking for

just a moment about what psychology

looked like just before cognitive

psychology existed the subject was

engulfed in a movement called

behaviorism with the prevailing belief

that the role of psychology was to study

people's behaviors but some

psychologists were becoming increasingly

frustrated that by only studying

behaviors they weren't able to

understand the processes that were going

on internally and so in a grand shift

cognitive psychology emerged as the

study of mental processes and complex

behaviors notice that cognitive

psychology wasn't saying that behaviors

aren't important they wanted to tie the

external behaviors in with the internal

mental processes that facilitated them

processes such as learning and memory

language development and mental

problem-solving the most prevalent

metaphor within cognitive psychology is

that the human mind is a computer the

approaches really tracked developments

in computer science early cognitive

psychology concepts were very simple

like early computing machines a and B go

in C comes out as computers they're

developed so then did the scope of the

metaphor to the point that nowadays with

cloud network computing becoming the

norm cognitive psychology too has

developed the computer metaphor and now

we use the analogy of neural networks

cognition itself means knowing so

cognitive processes actually refer to

all ways in which knowledge is acquired

stored and used because of this we see a

large number of later psychological

specialisms which we could say our

cognitive in flavor for example a lot of

social psychology looks at the hidden

cognitive processes at work as a result

of interpersonal and environmental

interactions

and certainly large swathes of

developmental psychology is looking at

the development of cognitive processes

just think of piaces stages of

development as psychology is developed

and new specialisms emerge we now see a

more complementary relationship between

approaches which could be indicative of

the subject maturing approaches are

looking to supersede a weaker precedent

like functionalism dismissing

structuralism but instead specialisms

now overlap an area of overlap that's

really built momentum over the last

decade or so is cognitive neuroscience

now traditionally conda's psychologists

didn't really get involved in the brain

on a physiological level they were

interested in process not biology and

structure however developments in the

sophisticated brain imaging techniques

like functional magnetic resonance

imager II and positron emission

tomography now allow scientists to

actually watch the brain in action

whilst a person is performing a

psychological task suddenly a whole new

world of research opportunities opened

up psychologists were able to watch

learning as it happened to see memories

being coded and recalled through

activation of neural networks as if the

brain were a great organic television

and so with new technology came these

new opportunities and a new discipline

of cognitive neuroscience emerged

traditionally cognitive psychology could

only make inferences about mental

processes based on behavior focused

experimentation with the continued

development of research methods our

understanding of the human mind

increases to perhaps the most important

message to take away from this story of

cognitive psychologists development is

that research outcomes are likely to be

enhanced when different specialisms

linked together rather than apart I hope

you enjoyed this video and found it

interesting if you did please give it a

thumbs up share it with a friend or even

join the conversation in the comments

below and if it's your first time here

remember to subscribe to psychology a

long time click that notifications belt

so you don't miss out on any of our

upcoming videos thanks for watching I'll

see you next time

you