The cognitive perspective defines human beings not as passive responders to environmental stimuli (as posited by radical behaviorism), but as active information processors who select, encode, store, and retrieve data. Grounded heavily in the metaphor of the computer—where the brain represents hardware and the mind represents software—cognitive psychology investigates internal mental states that cannot be directly observed but can be inferred through rigorous experimental paradigms.
- Ulric Neisser (1967): Often termed the 'father of cognitive psychology,' Neisser formally consolidated the field with his seminal textbook Cognitive Psychology, defining it as the study of how people learn, structure, store, and use knowledge.
- Jean Piaget (1936, 1952): Pioneered the cognitive-developmental theory, asserting that children pass through invariant stages of qualitative cognitive restructuring (Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, Formal Operational) driven by assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration.
- Noam Chomsky (1959): Launched a devastating critique of B.F. Skinner’s verbal behaviorist model of language, arguing for an innate Language Acquisition Device (LAD) and universal grammar, which catalyzed the Cognitive Revolution.
- Information Processing Theory: Developed by researchers like George Miller (who famously noted the 'Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two' limit of working memory capacity in 1956), comparing human memory systems to sensory registers, short-term/working memory, and long-term memory.