The theorists who developed what we know as Cognitive Perspective today found that thinking influences feelings and leads to behavior. The purpose of the Cognitive Perspective was to learn how to change one’s thinking, in order to be able to change ones feelings and behavior. The theorists discovered this theory by studying memory, learning, planning, and decision making. The Cognitive Perspective has become one of the most well known and effective perspectives still explored by psychologists today.
One of the theorists was Jean Piaget, who discovered that there were four stages of cognitive development. The purpose of these stages is to categorize the stages of a person’s cognitive development. The first stage is the sensorimotor stage, which is kicking and moving. The second stage is the preoperational stage, and an example is when a baby can think that their doll can actually walk. The third stage is the operational stage, where the child grows out of that belief, but they are still not able to be abstract. The fourth and final stage is the formal operational, which is when a person can use abstract thinking (thinking like a scientist).
Another popular theorist of this time was Martin Seligman, who believed that depression was a result of our thinking. The purpose of this research was to understand depression. He believed that thinking was pessimistic, was permanent, and pervasive.
George Miller believed that working memory has limited space. The purpose for looking at one’s memory was to look at how to maximize brain functioning in terms of memory. He believed in the magical number seven, which was formed around the memory of young adults and seven elements or “chunks”. These “chunks” are comprised of digits, letters, and words. One’s memory depends of the category of chunks used, such as having a lower span for longer words, and vice versa. The span for verbal content depends on the time needed to be able to speak the words aloud and also depends on if the person knows the word that they are speaking (contributors, 2007).
Endel Tulving worked with memory, specifically long term memory, of which there are two types. The purpose of Tulving’s research was to learn more about memory and how we think. There is the declarative memory, which is having the knowledge about the world, such as knowing one’s birthday or being able to spell a word. There is also the procedural memory, which is what one uses when they learn how to do things, such as riding a bike or learning to cook. Tulving was most interested in the declarative learning (Cognitive Perspective).
There are two sections of declarative learning, the episodic and the semantic. The episodic is when a person knows something, but that knowledge has no time frame, and the person cannot remember when or where the information was learned. The episodic memory is dependent on the procedural memory. The semantic memory is the memory of meanings, understandings, concept-based knowledge (not related to experiences) (Ibid).
Semantic memory draws a relation between strings of symbols. Some of the memory states will be involved and others will not be used. An example of semantic memory is given with the following prepositions:
1. Dogs have fur.
2. Dogs have paws.
3. Cats have fur.
4. Cats have paws.
Or
1. Dogs have fur.
2. Dogs have paws.
3. Cats have fur.
(Cole, 1990)
The cognitive perspective remains an integral part of the study of psychology in the modern day. Through the findings of the various cognitive theorists discussed in the paper, we have learned more about the brain and the way that people think, specifically the wide range of aspects related to memory. Theorists such as Piaget, Seligman, Miller, and Tulving have all contributed to the puzzle pieces which make up the picture of modern day cognitive psychology. Perhaps in the future years, theorists may build upon the theorists of the past and therefore enhance the knowledge already discovered. As Piaget said, “Scientific thought, then, is not momentary; it is not a static instance; it is a process” (Jean Piaget quotes, 2007) and we shall wait to see where that process brings us.
