Cognitive Psychologist

Learn how to become a Cognitive Psychologist and why you might want to...

Most people only pay attention to their memory when it fails. Cognitive psychologists help people become aware of their memory and the importance of understanding how it works.

The cognitive branch of psychology studies how people think, learn and remember, it is often referred to as the most scientific type of psychology. Cognitive psychologists have made great strides with their research on memory and how it’s stored, processed and retrieved. This research has played a major role in situations most wouldn’t associate with psychology. One of the most fascinating areas cognitive psychologists have influenced is with eyewitness testimonies.

Research has shown that eyewitness testimonies are often wrong. Cognitive psychologists have studied the way in which a memory of an event becomes distorted even right after the event takes place. The information they have acquired has become invaluable to those in the criminal justice system.

In 1998 a cognitive psychologist (Gary Wells) studied 40 cases where the criminal suspect had been wrongfully convicted, 36 out of 40 convictions were due to the inaccurate accusation from an eyewitness. A victim’s account of a crime will remain valuable, however these findings mean additional casework is required in order to achieve a conviction.

Most often when people think about psychology they immediately assume all work is done in an office face to face with a client. While this is true for some, this is not the case for cognitive psychologists. They provide the facts and information that many of the counseling psychologists use with their clients.

Cognitive psychologists still have a long way to go before we fully understand how the brain works, but as more research is conducted, we continue to gain more understanding of how the brain functions. Request more information from schools offering psychology degree programs in cognitive psychology and learn how you can help further the world’s understanding of cognition.

Request information from schools offering Psychology degree programs. Also, learn more about the psychologist licensing process and what the requirements for licensure are: Psychologist Licensure.