What is Cognitive Psychology? Cognitive psychology in simple terms is the science that studies how the mind works. Pretty simple, right? For example, it tries to understand how we memorize things and how to remember. It also tries to understand how we perceive and make sense of information or environmental cues. It helps understand how we develop language skills, how conceptual thinking is developed, and how we make decisions. What we see, hear, touch, taste, feel, and imagine is information. In a sense, cognitive psychology deals with the ‘abstract’ functions of the brain and how it processes the information.
How does cognitive psychology helps you? If you understand how you memorize things then you will do the things that make you memorize more effectively. In education we rely upon this science to develop learning strategies that can be used in practice. Here is where research has an important role. Through observation and other forms of data collection and analysis we get to understand phenomena that then allow us to design ways to help people learn more efficiently. This includes delivering the information in ways that can be processed through different channels or in different ways. People learn in many different ways and some have preferred ways of learning. They are more inclined to get information in a way that is easier for them to receive, process, and understand.
There are so many aspects of cognitive psychology for learning that can be discussed and each one will branch out to more and more intricacies of this fascinating computer we call brain. We can talk about memory, problem solving and critical thinking, language development, understanding math, and how the environment affects mental functions. We can talk about the emotional aspects of mental functions like motivation. We can also talk about the physical aspects that affect cognition. The list can go on forever. We are only exploring the surface. It is important to understand that cognitive psychology is still theoretical and the mysteries of the brain may never be completely revealed. That is indeed the beauty of all of it and what keeps us searching and researching.
Cognitive Psychology in Simple Terms
How does cognitive psychology helps you? If you understand how you memorize things then you will do the things that make you memorize more effectively. In education we rely upon this science to develop learning strategies that can be used in practice. Here is where research has an important role. Through observation and other forms of data collection and analysis we get to understand phenomena that then allow us to design ways to help people learn more efficiently. This includes delivering the information in ways that can be processed through different channels or in different ways. People learn in many different ways and some have preferred ways of learning. They are more inclined to get information in a way that is easier for them to receive, process, and understand.
There are so many aspects of cognitive psychology for learning that can be discussed and each one will branch out to more and more intricacies of this fascinating computer we call brain. We can talk about memory, problem solving and critical thinking, language development, understanding math, and how the environment affects mental functions. We can talk about the emotional aspects of mental functions like motivation. We can also talk about the physical aspects that affect cognition. The list can go on forever. We are only exploring the surface. It is important to understand that cognitive psychology is still theoretical and the mysteries of the brain may never be completely revealed. That is indeed the beauty of all of it and what keeps us searching and researching.
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