Cognitive Psychology Notes
Definition of Cognitive Psychology:
Cognitive Psychology is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes involved in:
•Thinking
•Learning
•Memory
•Attention
•Problem-solving
•Language
•Decision-making
It focuses on how people process and store information.
Main Goals of Cognitive Psychology:
Cognitive psychology aims to understand:
1. How people think
2. How information is processed
3. How memories are formed
4. How learning occurs
5. How decisions are made
, Key Cognitive Processes:
1. Attention:
Attention is the ability to focus on specific information while ignoring distractions.
Types of Attention:
•Selective attention
•Divided attention
•Sustained attention
Example:
Listening to a teacher in a noisy classroom.
2. Perception:
Perception is the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information.
Types:
•Visual perception: The process by which the brain interprets and understands information
received through the eyes, such as color, shape, size, and movement.
•Auditory perception: The ability to recognize and interpret sounds heard through the ears,
including speech, music, and environmental noises.
•Tactile perception: The process of sensing and interpreting information through touch, such
as pressure, temperature, pain, and texture.
Example:
Recognizing a friend’s face.
3. Memory:
Definition of Cognitive Psychology:
Cognitive Psychology is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes involved in:
•Thinking
•Learning
•Memory
•Attention
•Problem-solving
•Language
•Decision-making
It focuses on how people process and store information.
Main Goals of Cognitive Psychology:
Cognitive psychology aims to understand:
1. How people think
2. How information is processed
3. How memories are formed
4. How learning occurs
5. How decisions are made
, Key Cognitive Processes:
1. Attention:
Attention is the ability to focus on specific information while ignoring distractions.
Types of Attention:
•Selective attention
•Divided attention
•Sustained attention
Example:
Listening to a teacher in a noisy classroom.
2. Perception:
Perception is the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information.
Types:
•Visual perception: The process by which the brain interprets and understands information
received through the eyes, such as color, shape, size, and movement.
•Auditory perception: The ability to recognize and interpret sounds heard through the ears,
including speech, music, and environmental noises.
•Tactile perception: The process of sensing and interpreting information through touch, such
as pressure, temperature, pain, and texture.
Example:
Recognizing a friend’s face.
3. Memory:
