An Essay on Cognitive Perspective
First of all the world Perspective is referred to as
approaches as well as view which involves certain assumptions or belief about
human behaviour; the way they functioning. There may be several different
theories within an approach, but they all share the common assumptions. There
are many perspectives in psychology. Among them five major perspectives are Biological
Perspective, Psychodynamic Perspective, Humanistic Perspective, Behavioural
Perspective and Cognitive Perspective (Mcleod, 2013).
Cognitive Perspective to education is known as the cognitive psychology. Psychology
is defined as the study of human behaviour, mind and emotion..Among the many
perspective of the psychology one of the major perspectives is called the
cognitive psychology. Cognitive approach focused on how our mental processes
affect on our behaviour. It argues that internal mental processes (operation of
the mind) should be studied scientifically. Information processing systems in
the brain are studied under the Cognitive psychology (Yilmaz, 2011a).
The cognitive psychology is concern with mental functions such
as memory, perception, attention etc. This perspective views people as being
similar to the computer in the way we process information (Yilmaz, 2011a). For example as computer function s as input,
process and output for the information processing system in the same way human
information processing system is based on input, process and output. It means
both human and computer input data, process the data, make information store
data retrieve data and gives output as result and information.
It can be said that the most important concept of cognitive
psychology is the computer or the information processing metaphor. This had led
cognitive psychology and approaches to explain that the memory comprises of
three stages: encoding (where information is received and attended), storage
(where the information is retained) and retrieval ( where the information is
recalled) (Mcleod, 2013).
It is extremely scientific approach and it typically uses lab experiments to
study human behaviour. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines
that “The study of higher mental processes such as attention, language use, and
memory, and perception, problem solving and thinking is cognitive psychology.
The cognitive psychology is believed to be a pure science based on laboratory
experiments (Smith & Swanson, 2016). Lab experiments, Introspection,
Observations are some of the methods used in it. The cognitive approach has
many applications among them cognitive therapy and eyewitness testimony are
much popular.
Psychology was institutionalized as a science in 1879 by
psychologist WIlhem Woundt, who was the first individual to identify the
subject of psychology in the last part of the 18th century (Mcleod, 2013).
He found the first psychological laboratory. He thought that psychology dealt
with the examination of experience, which he described in a table of the brain
that was similar to the periodic table. In the later part of the nineteen century
many psychologists became increasingly interested in the field of cognition.
Considering theories of earlier behaviorists’ such as Jean Piaget on the
thought of children, B.F. Skinner on operant conditioning and Noam Chomsky who
challenged B.F. Skinner’s idea some years later (Yilmaz, 2011a). After many dough and uncertainties of the ability
of the research attained from the behaviourists, currently what is known as
cognitive psychology replaced these theories. And then, the study and interest
on the cognition grow rapidly. It seems to cognitive revolution.
His initiative was soon followed by the other European and American
renowned Universities. The psychological laboratory founded by the Wilhelm
Wundt was becoming famous. These early
laboratories, through experiments, explored areas such as memory and sensory
perception, both of which Wilhelm Wundt truly believed to be closely related to
psychological process in the brain. The whole movement had evolved by the
contribution of the early philosophers, Such as Aristotle and Plato that’s why
this approach is developed as Cognitive Psychology.
The main assumption of this approach is ; the information
received from our senses is processed by the brain and that this processing
directs how we behave. It is pure science, It mainly based on the laboratory
experiments, behaviour can be largely explained in terms of how the mind operated,
the mind works in the way similar to a computer i.e. input, storing, process,
retrieving and output, meditational process occurs between stimulus and response
(Yilmaz, 2011a). The main area of the application of the
cognitive perspective are CBT Therapy, memory, forgetting education, morel
development, intelligence, learning style, depression, perception, attention
and eyewitness testimony. The research methods used by the cognitive approach
are Laboratory experiments, Case study and Brain imagine (Silvers, 1999).
The one of the main strength of the cognitive approach is it
has always employed highly controlled and rigorous methods of study in order to
enable researcher to infer cognitive processes at work. This approach has
involved the use of lab experiments to produce reliable objective data. It is
known as the most dominant approach in the psychology today and has been
applied to a wide range of practical and theoretical contents. Although it is
increasing widely in the world different areas it has some limitations for
example narrow focus on the mental processes, less focus on the emotional,
creative and social aspect, comparison of the mind with computer (Yilmaz, 2011b) .So there are many issues and debates on the
cognitive psychology for example the Free will vs. Determinism issues, Nature vs.
Nurture issue, Holism Vs Reductionism issue, Idiographic vs. Nomothetic . There
are many debate of the scientific approach of cognitive psychology (Yilmaz, 2011b).
The goal of the cognitive perspective and the cognitive
psychologist is to understand the action of humans performing intellectual
tasks and to form assumptions of the summary of the methods motivating behavior
(Mcleod, 2013).
Cognitive psychologists offer theories about what is occurring inside an
individual’s mind on the basis of that individual’s external behaviours.
Without a doubt there is no way to recognize for sure what is happening inside
of the brain of a human being, What is important is that the theory be accurate
in determining an individual’s action in a challenging situation .It is an
extensive subject that deals with the different functions which are taking
place inside the mind on an individual. By the help of this perspective
psychologists are at this time able to understand humans’ behaviour and thought
processes(Smith & Swanson, 2016).
Refrences
Mcleod, S. (2013). Psychology Perspectives. 1–5.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/perspective.html%0A8/8
Silvers, S. (1999). Cortical conversations: A review essay on cognition,
computation and consciousness. Philosophical Psychology, 12(4),
525–534. https://doi.org/10.1080/095150899105729
Smith, D. E., & Swanson, R. M. (2016). Learning Approach. Elisabeth
Brookes, 6(4), 339–357.
Yilmaz, K. (2011a). The Cognitive Perspective on Learning: Its Theoretical
Underpinnings and Implications for Classroom Practices. The Clearing House:
A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 84(5),
204–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2011.568989
Yilmaz, K. (2011b). The Cognitive Perspective on Learning: Its Theoretical
Underpinnings and Implications for Classroom Practices. The Clearing House:
A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 84(5),
204–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2011.568989
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