Computers in Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive Psychology refers to the study of the mind and how the mind itself goes about processing information. The mind is a complex thing, therefore, cognitive psychology is a complex study with many different aspects to be observed. When thinking of other items that are used to process information one of the first that may come to mind is a computer. Ever since the invention of the computer, psychologists have been able to use its system to relate to and learn bits and pieces more about the system of the mind.

An assistant professor of psychology and computer science by the name of Sidney D’Mello has been working on a project involving computers and cognitive psychology at the University of Notre Dame. His goal is to build some type of technology that, through understanding the cognitive functions of the brain, can aid students in their learning. D’Mello wants to, through experiments and tests involving the reactions of the human brain, create a computer that shares a “brain” more like a human. In this way, the computer would be able to aid a student in their learning because it would have a better understanding of the road bumps students face. He summarizes this goal by saying: “Shout at a computer and it ignores you. Can you imagine a layer of computing that goes beyond simply issuing instructions or gestures and, in five to 10 years, when you’re confused or frustrated with what you are doing, the system helps you along?.”

D’Mello seems to have created a fusion between cognitive psychology and computer science, two things that have been connected for a while. Since the beginning of computers, psychologists have seen similarities between computers and the mind. Two systems that receive input information and therefore produce some type of response. Sidney D’Mello is taking this a step further by looking to create computer responses that hold a bit of humanity in them. The complexity of his system, however, is that it must be manufactured for certain individuals because not every human is the same.

Overall, the research that is being performed by D’Mello and his crew could open a new door into the future. Instead of trying to learn about the system of the brain based on what one can do with a computer, he has decided to combine the two things for the benefit of learning.

 

  1. Neisser, U. (2014). Cognitive Psychology[Classic Edition]. Retrieved January 25, 2018, from https://books.google.es/books?hl=en&lr=&id=oyGcBQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=computers and cognitive psychology&ots=RCqUfoJx7d&sig=uvXJO2WuMIFXX5AdFT8SIdizESE#v=onepage&q=computers%20and%20cognitive%20psychology&f=false
  2. Bauters, F. (2016, January 13). Blending Psychology and Computer Science, Professor Seeks to Build Technologies That Help Humans Learn. Retrieved January 25, 2018, from https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/sidney-d-mello-psychology-computer-science-technologies-learning/

One thought on “Computers in Cognitive Psychology

  1. kelvin

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