Definition

1. Noun:
   • A branch of psychology: Cognitive psychology is a scientific field that studies internal mental processes. It focuses on how people think, perceive, remember, learn, solve problems, and use language.
   • An approach or perspective: It is an approach within psychology that emphasizes understanding the mind's role in behavior, contrasting with approaches that focus primarily on observable behavior or unconscious drives.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The professor specializes in cognitive psychology and researches how memory works.
  • Understanding attention and perception is a core topic in cognitive psychology.
  • Modern cognitive psychology often uses experiments and computer modeling to test theories of the mind.

Advanced Usage

• "The cognitive psychology of...": Used to specify the application of cognitive principles to a particular domain.
  • Her book explores the cognitive psychology of decision-making under pressure.
• In contrast to other fields: Often used to distinguish this approach from others like behaviorism or psychoanalysis.
  • Unlike behaviorism, cognitive psychology is concerned with the internal representations of information.

Variants and Related Words

• Cognitive (adj): Relating to cognition or the mental processes of understanding.
  • Cognitive development in children is a fascinating area of study.
• Cognitive science (n): An interdisciplinary field that includes cognitive psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy, and artificial intelligence to study the mind.
• Cognitive psychologist (n): A scientist or practitioner who works in the field of cognitive psychology.

Synonyms

• Experimental psychology of cognition: A more specific term highlighting the experimental methods often used.
• Information-processing psychology: A synonym that emphasizes the metaphor of the mind as an information processor, common in this field.

Related Phrases

• Cognitive approach: The methodological perspective characteristic of cognitive psychology.
  • The cognitive approach has revolutionized our understanding of learning.
• Cognitive model: A theoretical framework describing how a specific mental process operates.
  • Researchers proposed a new cognitive model for language acquisition.

Related Idioms

(Note: As a specific scientific term, 'cognitive psychology' itself is not typically used in idiomatic expressions. However, related concepts are.) - A cognitive shift: Refers to a significant change in one's thinking or understanding. - The discovery caused a cognitive shift in how we view intelligence.

Noun

1. an approach to psychology that emphasizes internal mental processes