History of Cognitive Psychology

Overview of Cognitive Psychology History

• Cognitive psychology studies the "mind"
• Early 1800s and 1900s saw attempts to study the mind using different approaches, psychophysics, structuralism, introspection, and simple and choice reaction times, and forgetting and savings curves
• Early-mid 1900s saw the introduction of behaviorism, focusing on observable behavior. This included classical conditioning (Pavlov), instrumental learning (Watson and Skinner), and later, cognitive maps (Tolman) and trial-and-error learning (Thorndike)
• Mid-late 1900s led to the cognitive revolution, using computer-based models of human information processing, and flow diagrams. This study grew to encompass various areas and new methods and technologies
• 1970s-present: Cognitive psychology developed new methods and technologies including EEG and brain imaging (e.g., PET and fMRI).

Cognitive Psychology: Studying the Mind

• Cognitive psychology studies mental processes, the workings of the mind, encompassing various cognitive processes like perception, attention, learning, memory, language, reasoning, problem-solving, judgments, and decision-making
• These cognitive processes are part of human sensory perception and organization, attention and learning, recognizing and recalling, creating and receiving communications, reasoning, and problem-solving
• Early efforts to study the workings of the mind paved the way for cognitive psychology

Early Approaches to Cognition

• Fechner and Weber used psychophysics to measure sensations
• Wundt measured human experience (structuralism and introspection)
• Donders and Ebbinghaus studied reaction times and memory, respectively
• William James studied and summarized various psychology concepts, creating early theories.

Linking Mind and Brain

• Broca's study linked specific brain areas to specific cognitive functions
• Broca observed patients with brain damage, showing that different areas of the brain had different functions that affected their functioning

Reaction Time Experiments

• Donders' work in mental chronometry systematically explored reaction times to understand mental processes
• Simple reaction time tests involved a single stimulus and response, while choice reaction time tests involved more complex stimuli and responses.
• Differences in reaction time offer insights into how long mental processes take.

Memory and Forgetting

• Ebbinghaus studied memory and forgetting by testing own memory with nonsense syllables
• He concluded that distributed practice (studying over time) was more effective than massed practice (cramming), and showed the concept of "forgetting curves."

Behaviorism

• Behaviorists focused on observable behavior, rejecting introspection and mental processes as valid study topics
• Pavlov's work on classical conditioning showed how associating stimuli could create learned responses
• Watson and Skinner's work on operant conditioning showed how rewards and punishments could shape behaviors, and outlined behaviorism.
• Skinner introduced the Skinner box conditioning chamber, to study learning in animals.

The Cognitive Revolution

• Key figures like Tolman and Chomsky challenged behaviorism, arguing for the importance of internal mental processes (cognitive maps, and inborn language structure)
• Neisser's book "Cognitive Psychology" formally marked this shift in perspective, advocating for the study of internal mental processes.

This quiz explores the history and evolution of cognitive psychology from the early 1800s through the cognitive revolution of the mid-20th century to present methods in the field. It covers important theories, prominent figures, and technological advancements that have shaped our understanding of the mind over time.