kognitivistas

Kognitivistas is a term that broadly refers to individuals or groups who emphasize the study of mental processes as the primary focus of psychological inquiry. This perspective, often associated with the cognitive revolution in psychology, posits that understanding cognition—including perception, memory, attention, language, problem-solving, and decision-making—is crucial for a complete understanding of human behavior. Kognitivistas reject purely behaviorist approaches that focus solely on observable actions, arguing that internal mental states play a significant causal role.

The field of cognitive science, which encompasses cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, artificial intelligence, linguistics, and philosophy of mind, is largely driven by Kognitivistas. They often employ experimental methods to infer cognitive processes from observable behavior, using techniques such as reaction time measurements, error analysis, and neuroimaging to investigate how the mind works. The goal is to build theoretical models that explain these mental operations and their underlying neural mechanisms.

Key figures and developments within Kognitivistas include the work of George Miller on information processing, Ulric Neisser's seminal book "Cognitive Psychology," and the development of computational models of the mind. The emphasis is on information processing, where the mind is often conceptualized as a system that receives, stores, transforms, and retrieves information, much like a computer. This approach has led to significant advancements in our understanding of learning, memory, and various cognitive disorders.