Cognitive Psychology

Paper Summary:

This paper examines some of the controversy in the field of cognitive psychology. Although it is a discipline based on behavior, critics feel it is not a true science. The author puts particular emphasis on B.F. Skinner's critique of the field. Opinions in favor of cognitive psychology are also presented.

From the Paper:

"Psychology has been traditionally one of the most criticized fields with regard to its scientific bases; the "continued focus on conceptually vague mentalistic constructs" make the field a difficult one to define, much less evaluate (Schlinger 123). The concept of cognitive psychology, the study of the mental processes which underlie and shape behavior, is a shadowy and shifting one to grasp, since each generation (and often, several factions within those groups) seem to create new or varied methods of said evaluation"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Neisser, Ulric (1967) Cognitive Psychology New York: Prentice Hall.
• Schlinger, Henry (2004) "Why Psychology Hasn't Kept Its Promises" Journal of Mind and Behavior 25:2
• Skinner, BF (1977) "Why I am not a cognitive psychologist," Behaviorism fall 1977, 5:1-10.

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