Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
A cognitive psychologist is a professional who studies how people perceive, think, learn, and remember information. They focus on understanding mental processes such as problem-solving, decision-making, and language comprehension.
Related terms
Neuropsychologist: A neuropsychologist specializes in studying the relationship between brain function and behavior. They examine how brain damage or neurological disorders affect cognitive processes.
This field merges cognitive psychology with neuroscience to explore how brain activity supports mental processes. It investigates the neural basis of perception, memory, attention, and other cognitive functions.
Cognitive development refers to changes in thinking abilities as people grow and mature. It explores how children acquire knowledge, solve problems at different ages, and develop abstract reasoning skills.