The Cognitive Psychology Industry...
No one denies that we live in the information age. Blogs, websites, podcasts, social networking sites and other electronic media make any type of data, however arcane or obscure, readily available.
As those working in the field of Cognitive Psychology already know, this translates into a unique intellectual challenge. Now that more and ever expanding information is at our technological fingertips, it’s not the availability of such information that challenges our world, but how people actually filter and use competing amounts of information.
In a 2008 editorial for the New York Times, columnist David Brooks aptly re-labeled the current era the "cognitive age." He states that "information can now travel 15,000 miles in an instant, but the most important part of information’s journey is the last few inches – the space between a person’s eyes or ears and various regions of the brain.”
Cognitive Psychology Links
Cognitive psychology focuses exclusively on how people acquire, process and store information. Those working in this field analyze how people use knowledge to make decisions and solve problems.
Although Socrates and Aristotle theorized about how people gain and retain knowledge, it wasn't until the 1950s with the advent of computers and the growth in artificial intelligence that cognitive psychology officially developed into its own specialty. Researchers discovered that the conceptual framework for cognitive research parallels information processing - that the way the brain processes information is similar to how computers process data.
Research also showed that individual components of mental processing, such as attention, perception, memory and reasoning, could be identified and measured. Still more advances in brain imaging techniques, such as MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) and PET (positron emission tomography) scans further advanced cognitive research. In the 1960s, research in cognitive psychology exploded, becoming more scientific compared to other areas of psychology.
Because of the field's breadth and practical application, a bachelor's or master's degree in cognitive psychology translates into a number of diverse career options. Software development, user-interface, web navigation and computer science are all areas that employ cognitive psychology professionals. Curricula development for education and training programs also need professionals who understand how people learn or struggle to learn certain topics.
"The reality is that we have to develop an educational system that understands brain biology better, that's more scientifically literate," said Robert Sylwester, an education professor at the University of Oregon in the article From Brain Scan to Lesson Plan for the magazine Monitor on Psychology.
In the same article, Educational Consultant David Sousa added that "educators are trying to change the brain every day, so they ought to know as much as possible about it."
As Brooks of the New York Times said, and other experts agree, the future economic success of people and countries depends on the ability to educate and train people how to think better.
Those with degrees in cognitive psychology also work as consultants for educational, governmental and privately owned organizations. These positions along with teaching and research at the university level usually require a PhD.
If you are interested in how people acquire, process and use information, and are interested in applying theories of learning to education, products or organizations, you should consider a career in cognitive psychology.
Find out how you can become involved, request information from schools offering Psychology degree programs. Also, learn more about the psychology career licensing processes and what the requirements for licensure are: Psychology Career Licensure.
Careers in the Cognitive Psychology Industry
- Behavioral Psycholgists
- Cognitive Psychologists
- Various research positions
- Educational curriculum development positions