INTRODUCTION TO COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

• Rationalist:

  • Plato was a rationalist who believed that knowledge is gained through logical analysis
  • Descartes
• Empiricists:

  ● Aristotle took an empirical approach, emphasizing that knowledge was acquired through observation - Gained more prominence as “science” began to separate from philosophy

  ● John Locke ➔ Both approaches are necessary and complement each other. The two basic approaches, rationalism and empiricism, have intersected and diverged throughout the history of western thought.
• Immanuel Kant - synthesized the rational and empirical approaches, asserting that both are essential
• Functionalist:

  • William James
  • John Dewey
• Pragmatist - subset of functionalist emphasize the value of knowledge based on its usefulness . People engage in actions with the intention of achieving desired outcomes
• Associationism - how ideas in the human mind are connected to each other, leading to learning. Individuals form associations between different ideas based on their experiences . Relies on Introspection.
• Behaviorism - studying and understanding behavior as a response to internal or external stimuli
• Ivan Pavlov is a well known figure associated with behaviorism. Through his accidental discovery during his research on the digestive system, he found that he could elicit specific behaviors in dogs by associating stimuli with certain actions (classical conditioning)
• John B. Watson - advocated for radical behaviorism which emphasized studying only observable behavior rather than relying on verbal expressions.
• B.F Skinner - nearly all human behavior could be explained through stimulus and response, rejecting the influence of mental processes. He introduced the concept of conditioning, suggesting that behavior could be reinforced or discouraged through rewards and punishments (Operant conditioning)
• Gestalt psychology - emphasized that human behavior cannot be explained by simple associations between stimuli and responses. Focuses on the idea that human perception and understanding are influenced by various complex factors. Human mind is not reducible to individual elements or simple association.
• Donald Hebb Proposed that thoughts are physically represented within the cells of the brain and the brain's physical structure develops over time. He emphasized that past experiences, rather than immediate perception, play a significant role in shaping human thought