Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology studies the mind's information processes: how we perceive, remember, think, and learn. It's a subfield of psychology that emerged as part of the cognitive revolution in the 1950s–60s and shares much with cognitive science.

If you want to understand how the human mind processes information, cognitive psychology is the best starting point.

What does cognitive psychology study?

Cognitive psychology research covers all stages of the mind's information processing:

Perception

How do our brains transform raw sensory data—light rays, sound waves, chemical molecules—into meaningful experience of the world?

Perception research investigates:

How we recognize faces and objects
How we distinguish speech from background noise
Why optical illusions work
How different senses integrate into a unified experience

Attention

We can't process all information at once. Attention is the process by which we select what to focus on and what to ignore.

Research questions:

How is attention directed and shifted?
Why don't we notice things right in front of us (change blindness)?
How does multitasking affect performance?
How do attention disorders (like ADHD) work?

Memory

Memory isn't a single unified system but a collection of different processes and stores:

Working memory – A system that processes and maintains momentary information. Capacity is limited: about 4–7 units.

Long-term memory – A practically unlimited store that divides into:

Episodic memory (personal experiences)
Semantic memory (general knowledge and concepts)
Procedural memory (skills and habits)

Memory errors – Why do we remember incorrectly? How do false memories form?

Language

Language processing is a central research topic in cognitive psychology:

How do we recognize words?
How do we understand sentences in real-time?
How do we produce speech?
How are language and thought related?

Thinking and decision-making

How do people solve problems and make decisions?

Heuristics: Quick but imprecise rules of thumb
Decision-making biases: Systematic errors in our thinking
Problem-solving: How we approach new situations
Creativity: Where do new ideas come from?

History of cognitive psychology

Cognitive psychology emerged in response to behaviorism's limitations. Three key moments:

1956 – George Miller publishes "The Magical Number Seven," demonstrating short-term memory capacity limitations.

1967 – Ulric Neisser publishes Cognitive Psychology, giving the field its name and defining its research topics.

1970s – The computer metaphor: the mind as an information processing system.

Today, cognitive psychology has merged with neuroscience (cognitive neuroscience) and computational models.

How does cognitive psychology differ from cognitive science?

These fields are close relatives but have differences:

Cognitive psychology	Cognitive science
Subfield of psychology	Multidisciplinary whole
Focuses on human cognition	Also studies machine cognition
Experimental methods emphasized	Computational models central
Individual as research subject	Also abstract systems

In practice, many researchers work at the intersection of both fields, and it's not always necessary to draw the line.

Research methods

Cognitive psychology uses many methods:

Reaction time experiments – Measure how long performing a certain task takes. Reaction times reveal underlying processes.

Accuracy measurements – How often people answer correctly under different conditions.

Eye tracking – Reveals where attention is directed and how it moves.

Brain imaging – fMRI, EEG, and MEG show which brain areas activate.

Mathematical models – Formal theories that make predictions about behavior.

Applications

Cognitive psychology research changes everyday life:

Education

Understanding of memory and learning has revolutionized learning methods. Spaced repetition, testing as a learning tool, and varied practice are all based on cognitive research.

Interfaces

Usability design (UX) is based on cognitive psychology's understanding of human attention, memory, and problem-solving.

Legal system

The unreliability of eyewitness testimony is an important finding of cognitive research. It has changed how the legal system treats memory.

Mental health

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is based on cognitive psychology models of the connection between thought and emotion.

Advertising and marketing

The psychology of capturing attention and decision-making guides advertising and product design.