Cognitive psychology

If we have to start with one important milestone that could help us explain the development of cognitive psychology, it would be the point of how this field has finally come to the level of challenging behaviourism. Traditional behavioural approach was challenged, as it might be insufficient to explicate cognitive function, resulting to considering them as separate entities, pointing to cognitive-behavioural approach (Satterfield, 2008). This leads to the belief of cognitive functioning as one working in a systematic way like that of an electrical impulse, something invisible but we know it exists for sure. This point simply moved way far from relying on observable data, allowing us to consider the existence of relevant information that may not be vividly clear from the naked eye.
The above milestone proves a very important point why there is a need to rely on computer for information-processing model in cognitive science. Today, cognitive psychology employs highly sophisticated gadgets like computers and field of computer science to take a better grasp of cognitive function model (Galotti, 2009, p. 31).
Next, we noticed how cognitive functioning was used to understand how an individual might acquire verbal ability in the use of a language. This is relevant to the case of Norm Chomsky’s disagreement with Skinner’s behaviourist theory about language (Child, 2007, p. 149). Chomsky did not agree that classical conditioning could lead to children’s learning of language, but rather, on the mind that itself is responsible for language creation.
Finally, the study of memory could show us the ability of the brain to process information. This is quite justifiable by how psychologists would try to pursue on knowing some cognitive changes that occur in late adulthood, for instance (Feldman, 2003, p. 318). For one important point, the most common theme in this subject area aims to understand IQ and other relevant measures of cognitive ability.
Now let us understand the importance of behavioural observation in cognitive psychology. Behavioural observation is clearly giving more weight on observable emphasis while cognitive psychology is on internal emphasis (Feldman, 2003, p. 17). However, it is easy to generate data or information on things that are observable just like the human behaviour. Cognition might be something hidden, but behaviour in one way or another would always show and it is in its existence that psychologists would be able to generate information and ideas concerning on what might be going on inside of the complex human brain. In other words, as cognitive psychology elaborates internal emphasis, the existence of behaviours are therefore important so that experts will be able to learn what really happens inside of the human brain as far as cognitive function is concerned. It is therefore clear that behavioural observation may stand as a confirmation of what psychologists may believe of what is happening internally of the human complex mind. Although, as stated earlier, there might be a challenge how behaviour itself could totally inform us of cognitive function, there is still a strong point to believe that what we observe from how the people act the way they do is a product of internal activity of the human mind. For this reason, behavioural observation may still stand as important aid in cognitive psychology for obtaining additional milestones in the future.
References
Child, D. (2007). Psychology and the teacher (8th ed.). London: Continuum.
Feldman, R. S. (2003). Essentials of Understanding Psychology (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Galotti, K. M. (2009). Cognitive psychology: In and out of the laboratory. Ontario: Cengage Learning.
Satterfield, J. M. (2008). A cognitive-behavioral approach to the beginning of the end of life, minding the body: Facilitator guide. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.