History of Psychology Is a Research Paper

The concepts of short- and long-term memory, as well as input and output all fit well within the language of computer science and psychologists quickly determined that they could use computers to study human thought and behavior (Wallace et al., 2007). Not only did the computer provide a way of looking at human thought, the use of the computer within the science of psychology also helped to add legitimacy to psychology as a scientific field of inquiry (Neisser, 2009).

But why do the roots of cognitive psychology represent one of the most influential periods in the whole history of psychology with respect to modern day psychology? Today, nearly all areas of psychology include some understanding and investigation of cognition. Some of the biggest developments in psychology have included studies in the field of neuropsychology and we now know more about the inner functioning of the human brain than ever before imagined. Some have even considered cognitive psychology to be an all-encompassing paradigm from which all of modern psychology can grow. Computers have advanced greatly since their first introduction, now allowing for complete modeling of the human brain, leading to greater and greater insights into the human mind. The area is promising for the future of psychology as well, as there are numerous directions for future research available and the opportunities for new discoveries virtually endless.

The area of cognitive psychology is not, however, free of criticism. Although cognitive psychology went beyond behaviorism by offering the potential to find actual internal causes of observable behavior, the explanations offered by cognitive psychologists are not always the final answer, and there is still room for fruitful contributions from other areas of psychology. Thus, the final word on any single "top dog" area in psychology is still unsettled. Some have also criticized cognitive psychology's use of the computer metaphor, suggesting that it ignores the more 'human' aspects of what it means to be exactly that, human. Computers are not capable of replicating emotion or human irrationality, nor can they consider motivation or intentionality (Goodwin, 1999). Regardless of any criticisms though, it is irrefutable that cognitive psychology has had a huge impact on the directions of research that have been taken in modern day psychology, and it is without doubt that it will continue to have a significant impact.

References

Goodwin, C.J. (1999). A History of Modern Psychology. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Macleod, C.M. (1992). The Stroop task: The "gold standard" of attention measures. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 121, 12-14.

Neisser, U. (2009). cognitive psychology. Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 17, 2009, from Grolier Online http://gme.grolier.com.ccny- proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0066790-0

Wallace, B ., Ross, a., Davies, J.B., and Anderson T., (eds) (2007) the Mind, the Body and the World: Psychology after Cognitivism. London:…