Nature of cognitive psychology

• • Cognitive neuroscience articles from across Nature Portfolio Definition Cognitive neuroscience is the field of study focusing on the neural substrates of mental processes. It is at the intersection of psychology and neuroscience, but also overlaps with physiological psychology, cognitive psychology and neuropsychology. It combines the theories of cognitive psychology and computational modelling with experimental data about the brain. How the prefrontal cortex interacts with sensory cortex for behavioral adaptation in humans is unclear. Here, Wang et al. show that prediction-error related activity in lateral orbitofrontal cortex is conveyed as a teaching signal to update the outcome representation in sensory cortex. • Bin A. Wang • , Maike Veismann • & Burkhard Pleger The spatiotemporal dynamics of the brain have an essential role in how we perceive, decide and behave. Interacting spiral waves are now seen, from functional magnetic resonance imaging brain recordings, to serve as a mechanism for organizing spatiotemporal activity across the whole cortex. Further, these waves enable flexible reconfiguration of task-driven brain activity. Neuroscience research is affected by a substantial racial bias, but there are major challenges involved in minimizing this bias. Here we discuss these challenges and call for a global discussion that develops answers to these challenges and defines best practices for how researchers can better represent human diversity and work against me...

Automatic processing in psychology refers to cognitive activities that are relatively fast and require few cognitive resources. This type of information processing generally occurs outside of conscious awareness and is common when undertaking familiar and highly practiced tasks. These tasks or mental processes have become automatic through repetition and learning, meaning they no longer require focused attention to be successfully completed. Automatic processing takes place when we are doing tasks without putting conscious awareness or intention into them. For example, these include carrying out familiar tasks like reading, driving, cycling, playing a game, or observing things. They do not need much cognitive effort and are relatively easy to perform. Table of Contents • • • • • Key Features Automatic processing is a critical component of cognitive functioning, allowing us to handle a multitude of tasks without overloading our cognitive resources. Here are some more detailed characteristics of automatic processing: • Unconscious: Automatic processes do not require conscious awareness or control. We have performed these tasks so often that they have become habitual or ingrained, and we can do them without actively thinking about them. • Effortless: Automatic processes require minimal mental effort. This is because they are typically well-learned tasks we have practiced extensively, so they do not demand the same cognitive resources as tasks we’re less familiar with. • Fast:...

Introduction Flexibility is considered a hallmark of human cognition and intelligent behavior (Boroditsky et al., 2010, Deak, 2003, Jordan and Morton, 2008, Karmiloff-Smith, 1992) and was acknowledged in early models of intelligence and creativity (Guilford, 1962). Nevertheless, we still lack a comprehensive account of the phenomenon. There are several behaviors that are considered flexible (e.g., multitasking, novelty generation, flexible problem solving), and it is difficult to single out any one as prototypically flexible. Also, at the level of cognitive explanations, we have witnessed fragmentation in the study of flexibility. For example, there have been, among others, studies investigating set-shifting, representational flexibility, flexible categorization, and flexible language use (see the following sections), each with a different definition of cognitive flexibility. This fragmentation can lead to narrow conceptualizations that point to different constructs in the end. Thus, instead of finding a common definition or understanding of cognitive flexibility, we could end up with several constructs under the same name. To advance our knowledge of cognitive flexibility, we need to uncover the common underpinnings of flexibility in the various contexts in which it appears. The present work is motivated by this lack of a common conceptualization, and as such, it is essentially theoretical. One of the most obvious problems that becomes evident after searching the literatu...

As I cross the busy road, a sea of information of varying degrees of importance confronts me. Maintaining focus on the oncoming traffic is paramount, yet I am barely aware of the seagulls flying overhead. These noisy birds only receive attention when I am safely walking up the other side of the road, their cries reminding me of childhood seaside vacations. Cognitive psychology focuses on the internal mental processes needed to make sense of the environment and decide on the next appropriate action (Eysenck & Keane, 2015). This article explores the cognitive psychology approach, its origins, and several theories and models involved in cognition. Before you continue, we thought you might like to This Article Contains: • • • • • • • • • What Is the Cognitive Psychology Approach? The upsurge of research into the mysteries of the human brain and mind has been considerable in recent decades, with recognition of the importance of cognitive process in clinical psychology and As a result, cognitive psychology has profoundly affected the field of psychology and our understanding of what it is to be human. Perhaps more surprisingly, it has had such an effect without clear boundaries, an integrated set of assumptions and concepts, or a recognizable spokesperson (Gross, 2020). So, what exactly is the cognitive psychology approach? Cognitive psychology attempts to understand human cognition by focusing on what appear to be cognitive tasks that require little effort (Goldstein, 2011). Le...

Cognitive psychology is the branch of What Does a Cognitive Psychologist Do? Cognitive psychologists do clinical research, training, education, and clinical practice. They use the insights gained from studying how They know how to apply this knowledge to the human condition and use it in the treatment of: • • Academic performance • Personality disorders • • • Relationship problems • • Trauma • Emotional regulation The History of Cognitive Psychology Cognitive psychology gained popularity in the 1950s to 1970s as researchers became more interested in how thinking affects behavior. This period is called the "cognitive revolution" and represented a shift in thinking and focus for psychologists. Before this time, the behaviorist approach dominated psychology. The behaviorists only studied external behavior that could be measured. Behaviorists believed it was pointless to try to study the mind because there was no way to see or objectively measure what happened in someone's thoughts. The mind was seen as a black box that couldn't be measured. The cognitive approach gave rise to the idea that internal mental behavior could be studied using experiments. Cognitive psychology assumes that there is an internal process that occurs between when a stimulus happens and when you respond to it. These processes are called mediational processes and can involve memory, perception, attention, problem-solving, or other processes. Cognitive psychologists believe if you want to understand behavi...