The study of how individuals think is the focus of the field of cognitive psychology. This branch of psychology investigates a wide range of mental processes, such as how humans think, speak, pay attention to specific details, and perceive their environment.
Cognitive Theories
The purpose of cognitive theory is to comprehend an individual's thought processes in order to explain human behavior. The central tenet of cognitive theory is that thoughts are the primary determinants of emotions and behavior. For instance, when a therapist instructs you on how to spot unhelpful thought patterns and replace them with helpful ones, they are applying cognitive theory ideas.
What does Cognitive Psychology Involve?
Cognitive Psychology involves courses in the area of human acquisition, development, and use of knowledge. In this major, you will study how the brain works. It involves cognition laboratory experiments in topics such as: memory, language, perception, and decision making.
Career/Job Opportunities
Cognitive psychologists develop strategies to help people who are experiencing difficulties with one or more of these processes. They often work at colleges and universities, government agencies, corporate businesses, and in private consulting. Common career titles include university instructor, human factors consultant, industrial-organizational manager, and usability specialist.
Famous People in this Area
By the end of the 1960s, the term cognitive psychology was introduced to describe new research on internal mental states. Since then, numerous cognitive psychologists have provided theories responsible for significant advances and education since the field gained widespread acceptance. Famous cognitive psychologists and theorists include Ulric (Dick) Neisser, who was the “father of cognitive psychology”; Jean Piaget, who was famous for his theory of cognitive development; Albert Ellis, who founded the rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT); Aaron Beck, who founded cognitive therapy (CT); and Donald Meichenbaum, who founded cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).
Cognitive Psychology/Science Major Common Course Requirements & Course Selection Tips
Each college has slightly different course requirements for Cognitive Psychology/ Science, however, here is a general integrated one after browsing a few colleges’ official websites.
Lower Division Course:
One Math (preferably Calculus)
One Computer Science/ Programming
One Psychology/ Cognitive Science intro course
One Statistics
Upper Division Course:
Multiple Core Psychology/ Cognitive Science courses (foundation + concentration)
One research methods course
Multiple Psych electives
Multiple interdisciplinary electives or requirements (related to Linguistics, CS, AI, Philosophy)
Here are some tips for your college course selection. First, use college credits that you earned in high school (AP or IB) since some of them can fulfill core requirements, you will be able to finish college faster than others. Also, maintain balance and start with fundamental courses to work the way up to harder ones.
Best Colleges for Cognitive Psychology in the U.S
According to U.S. News, here are the top 10 universities that have the best Cognitive Psychology Graduate Programs in the United States.
1. University of California, Berkeley
2. Stanford University
3. Carnegie Mellon University
4. Harvard University
5. University of California, Los Angeles
6. Yale University
7. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
8. Princeton University
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
10. Washington University in St. Louis (tied)
Nonetheless, the major rankings varied on different platforms. To find out which school's Cognitive Science major fits you the best, you need to visit colleges' official websites in order to do detailed research on their programs, facilities, professors, school values, and major emphasis.
Cognitive Psychology is a popular major track nowadays. As it becomes more useful through its usage in various technological and medical sectors, more people have become interested in majoring in this track.
If you are interested in
psychology, cognitive psych
might be a good choice for you.
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