Cognitive psychology investigates the mental operations that underlie [[Perception]], [[Attention]], [[Memory]], [[Language]], [[Problem-Solving]], and [[Decision-Making]]. It studies how people acquire, process, represent, and retrieve information, emphasizing controlled experimentation to infer the computational and representational architecture of the mind. Although closely related to [[Cognitive Neuroscience]], it primarily reasons about functional organization rather than neural implementation. ## Overview - Focuses on internal information-processing mechanisms and systems of mental representation. - Core domains include [[Perception]], [[Attention]], [[Memory]], [[Language]], [[Reasoning]], [[Problem-Solving]], and [[Decision-Making]]. - Examines how [[Knowledge Structures]] guide interpretation, learning, and inference. - Addresses systematic distortions in cognition, including [[Cognitive bias|cognitive biases]] and heuristics. ## Core Concepts - [[Knowledge Structures]] - Organized representational systems that support interpretation, recall, and inference. - [[Working Memory]] - Active maintenance and manipulation of information with capacity limitations; includes central executive and modality-specific subsystems. - [[Long-term memory]] - Comprises [[Episodic memory]], [[Semantic memory]], and [[Procedural memory]]. - [[Attention]] - Mechanisms of selection, sustaining focus, dividing resources, and shifting between tasks. - [[Cognitive bias]] - Systematic deviations from normative judgment (e.g., anchoring, availability). ## Major Theories and Models - Information-processing accounts tracing encoding, transformation, and retrieval. - Atkinson–Shiffrin multistore memory model. - Baddeley–Hitch framework for [[Working Memory]] with central executive and buffer systems. - Dual-process theories contrasting fast, automatic processes with slow, deliberative reasoning. - Connectionist and [[Computational models|computational]] approaches modeling cognition via distributed representation and learning. ## Methods - Behavioral experiments analyzing reaction times, accuracy, and error distributions. - Classic paradigms such as priming, Stroop tasks, lexical decision, and structured memory recall. - [[Neuropsychology]] linking functional components to patterns of impairment. - Complementary neuroimaging (fMRI, EEG/ERP, PET) for mapping cognitive operations. - Eye tracking for perceptual and attentional allocation. - Psychometric approaches to measuring cognitive capacities and processing characteristics. ## Cognitive Processes - [[Perception]] - Visual, auditory, and multisensory integration. - [[Attention]] - Sustained, selective, divided, and shifting processes. - [[Memory]] - [[Short-term memory]], [[Working Memory]], and [[Long-term memory]] systems. - [[Learning]] - [[Classical conditioning]], [[Operant conditioning]], and observational learning. - [[Language]] - Comprehension, production, and symbolic communication. - [[Decision-Making]] - Risk assessment, heuristics and biases, and moral reasoning. - [[Problem-Solving]] - Strategic search, constraint satisfaction, and insight-driven restructuring. - [[Reasoning]] - [[Deductive reasoning]], [[Inductive reasoning]], and [[Analogical reasoning]]. - [[Executive Function]] - Planning, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility. - [[Consciousness]] - Awareness, qualitative experience, and [[Selfhood]]. - [[Emotion]] - Recognition, regulation, and cognitive-affective integration. - [[Creativity]] - [[Divergent thinking]] and insight processes. - [[Intelligence]] - Fluid and crystallized abilities. ## Applications - Educational design and evidence-based learning strategies. - Clinical frameworks such as cognitive-behavioral approaches. - Human-computer interaction and UX. - AI and [[Computational models]] of cognitive architectures. - Cognitive analysis in eyewitness testimony and legal reasoning.