{"id":307,"date":"2023-03-01T15:05:48","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T15:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/chapter\/reading-the-cognitive-revolution-and-multicultural-psychology\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:23:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T15:23:06","slug":"reading-the-cognitive-revolution-and-multicultural-psychology","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/chapter\/reading-the-cognitive-revolution-and-multicultural-psychology\/","title":{"raw":"The History of Psychology: Learn It 3\u2014The Cognitive Revolution and Modern Psychology","rendered":"The History of Psychology: Learn It 3\u2014The Cognitive Revolution and Modern Psychology"},"content":{"raw":"

The Cognitive Revolution<\/h2>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"325\"]\"A Figure 1<\/strong>. Noam Chomsky was very influential in beginning the cognitive revolution. In 2010, this mural honoring him was put up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (credit: Robert Moran)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n

Shifting Back to the Mind<\/h3>\r\n

Behaviorism\u2019s focus on observable behavior had dominated psychology for decades, pushing the study of the mind to the side. By the 1950s, however, new insights from linguistics, neuroscience, and computer science began to redirect attention back to internal mental processes. This movement became known as the cognitive revolution (Miller, 2003).<\/p>\r\n

In 1967, psychologist Ulric Neisser<\/strong> published Cognitive Psychology<\/em>, the first textbook of its kind, which helped establish the field in universities across the United States (Thorne & Henley, 2005).<\/p>\r\n

Noam Chomsky\u2019s Influence<\/h3>\r\n

Although the revolution did not have a single founder, Noam Chomsky (1928\u2013)<\/strong>, an American linguist, was especially influential. Chomsky criticized behaviorism as too narrow and argued that psychology must study mental functions<\/strong>\u2014such as language, memory, and thought\u2014if it hoped to explain human behavior meaningfully (Miller, 2003).<\/p>\r\n

\r\n

cognitive psychology<\/h3>\r\n

Cognitive psychology<\/strong>: The scientific study of internal mental processes such as thinking, memory, language, and problem-solving.<\/p>\r\n

Key features of cognitive psychology:<\/p>\r\n

    \r\n\t
  • \r\n

    Accepts the scientific method, while generally rejecting introspection.<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t

  • \r\n

    Explicitly acknowledges internal mental states such as beliefs, desires, and motivations.<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t

  • \r\n

    Studies problem-solving strategies such as algorithms, heuristics, and insights.<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

    Major areas of research in cognitive psychology include perception, memory, categorization, knowledge representation, numerical cognition, language, and thinking.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/section>\r\n

    Broader Impact<\/h3>\r\n

    The cognitive revolution reconnected American psychology with European traditions, which had never been as heavily dominated by behaviorism. It also encouraged collaboration with other disciplines, including anthropology, linguistics, computer science, and neuroscience. Together, these fields formed the cognitive sciences<\/strong>, a perspective that continues to shape modern psychology.<\/p>\r\n

    [ohm2_question height=\"200\"]3923[\/ohm2_question]
    \r\n[ohm2_question height=\"250\"]3924[\/ohm2_question]<\/section>","rendered":"

    The Cognitive Revolution<\/h2>\n
    \"A
    Figure 1<\/strong>. Noam Chomsky was very influential in beginning the cognitive revolution. In 2010, this mural honoring him was put up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (credit: Robert Moran)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Shifting Back to the Mind<\/h3>\n

    Behaviorism\u2019s focus on observable behavior had dominated psychology for decades, pushing the study of the mind to the side. By the 1950s, however, new insights from linguistics, neuroscience, and computer science began to redirect attention back to internal mental processes. This movement became known as the cognitive revolution (Miller, 2003).<\/p>\n

    In 1967, psychologist Ulric Neisser<\/strong> published Cognitive Psychology<\/em>, the first textbook of its kind, which helped establish the field in universities across the United States (Thorne & Henley, 2005).<\/p>\n

    Noam Chomsky\u2019s Influence<\/h3>\n

    Although the revolution did not have a single founder, Noam Chomsky (1928\u2013)<\/strong>, an American linguist, was especially influential. Chomsky criticized behaviorism as too narrow and argued that psychology must study mental functions<\/strong>\u2014such as language, memory, and thought\u2014if it hoped to explain human behavior meaningfully (Miller, 2003).<\/p>\n

    \n

    cognitive psychology<\/h3>\n

    Cognitive psychology<\/strong>: The scientific study of internal mental processes such as thinking, memory, language, and problem-solving.<\/p>\n

    Key features of cognitive psychology:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \n

      Accepts the scientific method, while generally rejecting introspection.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Explicitly acknowledges internal mental states such as beliefs, desires, and motivations.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Studies problem-solving strategies such as algorithms, heuristics, and insights.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Major areas of research in cognitive psychology include perception, memory, categorization, knowledge representation, numerical cognition, language, and thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

      Broader Impact<\/h3>\n

      The cognitive revolution reconnected American psychology with European traditions, which had never been as heavily dominated by behaviorism. It also encouraged collaboration with other disciplines, including anthropology, linguistics, computer science, and neuroscience. Together, these fields formed the cognitive sciences<\/strong>, a perspective that continues to shape modern psychology.<\/p>\n