Areas of Cognitive Psychology & Research Methods

Cognitive Psychology focuses on understanding internal mental processes such as perception, memory, language, problem-solving, and decision-making. Key areas of study include attention, reasoning, cognitive development, and learning mechanisms. Research methods in cognitive psychology often involve controlled experiments, cognitive tests, neuroimaging techniques (like fMRI and EEG), and observational studies. These methods aim to explore how people acquire, process, store, and retrieve information, providing insight into human thought and behavior.

1. Major Areas of Cognitive Psychology & Research Methods By Adiba Khan & Shilpa M.Sc. Clinical Psychology

2. Defining the Six Key Domains of Cognitive FunctionThe DSM-5 defines six key domains of cognitive function: complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor control, and social cognition. Below we provide simple explanations of each key domain. Complex Attention Complex attention is our ability to focus on multiple things at once and our ability to choose what to pay attention to and what to ignore. We don’t think about it very often, but our capacity to remain focused, particularly when there are distractions and parallel tasks involved, requires significant effort from our brains. Executive Function Executive functions refer to high-level cognitive abilities required to control and coordinate other cognitive abilities and behaviors. In other words, these are the functions we need to plan, prioritize, make decisions, respond to our environments, and move between tasks. This includes all the sequencing, planning, and organization of sets of tasks.

3. Learning and Memory Learning and memory, which is the most well-known aspect of cognitive function, is our ability to record information, such as facts or events, and retrieve it when needed. Memory functioning is one of the most complex and multifaceted cognitive domains and is composed of many subdomains, including working memory, procedural memory, and prospective memory, among others. Language Language links strongly with our ability to communicate, whether through writing, reading, or speaking. Language abilities include things like naming objects, finding the right words, the fluidity and flow of our speech patterns, grammar and syntax, as well as receptive language. Perceptual-Motor Control Perceptual-motor control is our ability to coordinate our bodies’ movements in response to what is happening around us. In other words, it is our ability to interact with the environment around us by combining the use of our senses, like vision and touch, and motor skills. Social Cognition Social cognition is how we process, remember, and use information in social contexts to explain and predict our behavior as well as the behavior of others. This includes our ability to control our desires to act on impulses, express empathy, recognize social cues, read facial expressions, and motivate ourselves.

4. Research Methods of Cognitive Psychology Cognitive psychology. 1. Naturalistic Observation 2. Introspection or Self Report 3. Experiments or Laboratory/ Controlled Observation 4. Quasi-Experiments 5. Neuropsychological tools 1. Naturalistic Observation– Observation means watching, monitoring, scrutiny, examination, or inspection. Best way to study something is to watch them/ it behave (eat, sleep, walk, think, etc) in their normal environment.

5. It is a detailed study of cognitive performance in everyday situations and no laboratory contexts. An observer watching people in familiar, everyday contexts going about their cognitive business. Example- How to withdraw money from an automated teller machine (ATM). Most appropriately used to identify problems, issues, or phenomena of interest to be investigated with other research methods. 2. Introspection or Self Report By Wilhelm Wundt. The observer observes his/ her own mental processes. Self-reports -An individual’s own account of cognitive processes. For example- participants might be asked to solve complicated arithmetic problems without paper or pencil and to “think aloud” as they do so.

6. 3. Experiments or Laboratory/ Controlled Observation Few times observing behavior of a person / animal is not practical in a natural environment. When researchers want more control on variables. Fully controlled Independent variable. Random Assignments of sample. For example, an infant's reaction to a mirror . 4. Quasi-Experiments When researchers can control Independent variables. When researchers can't assign samples randomly.

7. 5. Neuropsychological methods These are useful to examine brain damage, brain disease, and severe mental illness. Electroencephalography (EEG)– shows brain activity Positron emission tomography (PET) scans -shows where neurons are firing. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – shows gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans Neuropsychological Assessment Battery® (NAB®) by Robert A. Stern, and Travis White, to Assess a wide range of cognitive skills and functions Age range:18- 97 years; Time:3 hrs & 40 minutes for all five modules.