Interested in a cognitive psychologist career? This page will answer all of your questions!

Why do we remember moments from childhood but can’t remember crucial information for a college test? Why do our friends remember an incident one way, but we remember it a different way? These questions don’t always have quick answers, but certain concepts in cognitive psychology can explain them. Cognitive psychology is a branch of psychology that looks specifically at the processes within the mind: memory storage and retrieval, how our senses perceive the world around us, and how our memories shape what we “know” and how we behave.

This is a fascinating psychology area that advertisers, healthcare companies, and other organizations want to learn more about. But it is also one that sparks as many questions as it does answers. Cognitive psychologists have the fascinating job of learning, understanding, and sharing information about cognitive psychology.

What does a Cognitive Psychologist Do?What is Cognitive Psychology?Job RequirementsSalary for Cognitive Psychologist CareerSchools for Cognitive Psychology DegreesCompanies That Hire Cognitive PsychologistsInterviews with a Cognitive PsychologistFamous Cognitive PsychologistsHow Did Cognitive Psychology Start?Is Cognitive Psychology a Science?Cognition and the Role of Cognitive PsychologistsCognitive Psychology ExamplesResources for Researching a Cognitive Psychologist Career

What does a Cognitive Psychologist Do?

What is Cognitive Psychology?

Job Requirements

Salary for Cognitive Psychologist Career

Schools for Cognitive Psychology Degrees

Companies That Hire Cognitive Psychologists

Interviews with a Cognitive Psychologist

Famous Cognitive Psychologists

How Did Cognitive Psychology Start?

Is Cognitive Psychology a Science?

Cognition and the Role of Cognitive Psychologists

Cognitive Psychology Examples

Resources for Researching a Cognitive Psychologist Career

Cognitive psychologists study and share information on different cognitive processes and how they influence personality and behavior. They focus on memory, learning, language, and other cognitive tasks. Through various job positions and partnerships, cognitive psychologists increase awareness of this field of psychology.

Not all cognitive psychologists hold the job title “Cognitive Psychologist.” They might work as a research assistant studying theories withincognitive psychology. They might use their knowledge of cognitive psychology to work directly with patients with learning difficulties or memory loss issues. Cognitive psychologists may also work directly with businesses to educate them on how the minds of their employees or customers work and how each group makes different decisions.

The common thread amongst all these jobs is that the cognitive psychologist has expertise in this area of psychology.

You must earn a doctorate from an accredited university to be recognized as a cognitive psychologist. Plenty of colleges and universities offer graduate programs in cognitive psychology. This field is more popular and “modern” than other fields like psychoanalysis or behaviorism, so finding the right program for you requires sifting through programs instead of searching for professors or institutions that recognize it.

To practice as a Cognitive Therapist, you will likely have to earn a certification through the American Board of Professional Psychology. This certification requires that you complete an exam, an internship, and a doctoral degree in the area in which you want to be certified.

Research assistant jobs may only require an undergraduate degree. Still, these positions are typically short-term and considered stepping stones to a more sustainable career in healthcare, consulting, or government agencies.

How much do cognitive psychologists make? Salaries vary because cognitive psychologists take on many roles in society. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics limited its data collection to “substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors.” These counselors often use Cognitive Therapy orCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)in their treatments. Other salary statistics consider the wages of psychologists who work as a consultant or with businesses - these salaries tend to be a little higher.

Cognitive Psychologist Reported SalaryLowAverageHighBureau of Labor Statistics​$46,240​ZipRecruiter$20,500$51,728$114,000VeryWellMind​$97,260​

Cognitive Psychologist Reported Salary

Low

Average

High

Bureau of Labor Statistics

​

$46,240

ZipRecruiter

$20,500

$51,728

$114,000

VeryWellMind

$97,260

Want to go to the best of the best schools for cognitive psychology? Make sure you havethese schoolson your radar. You can study cognitive psychology all around the country.

As you study cognitive psychology, work on different research projects, and network within your field, you may better understand who you want to work with daily. Where can a cognitive psychologist work? A lot of places! Maybe you do not want to treat patients directly - you would prefer doing research or teaching at a local university. Or, you want to work at a healthcare company instead of running your private practice. As a cognitive psychologist, you might find yourself working for:

The possibilities are endless!

Interested in learning more about cognitive psychology? Take a listen to the people who engage with this field every day! YouTube has plenty of interviews with cognitive psychologists covering topics from CBT to having a career in psychology to specific topics (like this TED Talk on “what we don’t see”).

And lastly, hear acognitive psychologist’stake on clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life. Not all psychologists see things the same way!

Cognitive psychologists have shaped how we understand learning, memory, and other cognitive processes. We know what we know about the brain, thanks to these notable figures in psychology!

Jerome Brunerwas one of the first psychologists to recognize the importance of sensation and perception in how we see the world and how our experiences may differ from the people around us.

Jean Piagetwas a pioneer in cognitive psychology. His Four Stages of Cognitive Development explained how children grew from infants to adolescents, gaining new skills and looking at the world through a more developed lens.

Albert Banduracreated experiments like the Bobo Doll Experiment to demonstrate how children learn through observation.

Daniel Kahnemandeveloped one of the latest theories on processing information, the two-system theory. You can read about this theory in his best-selling book Thinking Fast and Slow.

Nancy Kanwisheris a cognitive psychologist who identified different regions of the brain and how they process information. One of her notable achievements is recognizing the fusiform face area, which recognizes different faces.

Cognitive psychologists see psychology (and patients) differently than yesterday’s behavioral psychologists or psychoanalysts. Compared to some other forms of psychology, cognitive psychology is relatively new. But that does not mean that a cognitive psychologist career is any harder or easier than another career in psychology. It’s just a different approach.

In the 1950s, behavioral psychology was psychology’s dominant school of thought. Psychologists look at the way our behaviors shape our personalities. Think about psychologists like B.F. Skinner or Ivan Pavlov. This approach to psychology was at its peak…and then Ulric Neisser came along.

Ulric Neisser studied at Harvard University and Swarthmore College. He worked with some of the greatest psychologists at the time, including one of the founders of Gestalt psychology. Gestalt psychology is another field that challenged behaviorism and considered how thinking and cognition factored into behaviors. When Neisser went to Harvard for his doctorate, he studied “experimental psychology.” After further research, mainly focused on thought, memory, and perception, he published “Cognitive Psychology.” To this day, he is considered the father of cognitive psychology.

Yes! Cognitive psychology is a scientific approach within the world of psychology. Some scholars equate cognitive psychology tocognitive science. APA defines cognitive science as “an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the mind and mental processes that combines aspects of cognitive psychology, philosophy of mind, epistemology, neuroscience, anthropology, psycholinguistics, and computer science.”

Cognition Defined: Cognition refers to the mental processes and activities of acquiring, processing, storing, and using information. It encompasses various activities, including thinking, understanding, learning, remembering, problem-solving, perception, attention, and language. Cognition is integral to how we experience the world and make decisions based on our experiences and knowledge.

Cognitive psychologists play a pivotal role in enhancing our understanding of the human mind and its intricate functions. Their insights contribute to academia and have practical applications that can improve quality of life, education, healthcare, and various industries.

Not all cognitive psychologists focus on the same subjects, although they all relate to memory, perception, and language. If you work toward a career in cognitive psychology, you might find yourself:

Do you still have questions about what it’s like to be a cognitive psychologist? Reach out to cognitive psychologists and people who have experience in this field! There are many ways to go about connecting with cognitive psychologists.

Audit Cognitive Psychology Classes.Are you in college, or do you live near a university? Research cognitive psychology programs and the people who teach them. You may be able to audit a cognitive psychology class and get a sense of the subjects you will learn as a cognitive psychology major.

Stanford University, for example, offers the following classes in its cognitive psychology program:

Do these classes interest you? Find similar classes near you that you can audit!

Ask Questions in Online Forums.Even if you don’t live near a university or don’t know cognitive psychologists, the Internet gives you access to so many people! The CognitivePsychology and CognitivePsychologist subreddits, for example, are very active. Read through conversations with people interested in cognitive psychology and ask questions to cognitive psychologists!

Talk to Admissions Counselors and Other Resources.If you’re still in high school or undergrad, contact your counselors. They can connect you with cognitive psychologists and other resources that will help you. Parents, family friends, and other networking events can also point you in the right place. If you are interested in a cognitive psychologist career, make it known! The more people know that you are interested in the subject, the more likely they will connect you with someone who will make your career dreams a reality.

Reference this article:Practical Psychology. (2021, June).Cognitive Psychologist Career (Salary + Duties + Interviews).Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/cognitive-psychologist/.Practical Psychology. (2021, June). Cognitive Psychologist Career (Salary + Duties + Interviews). Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/cognitive-psychologist/.Copy

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Practical Psychology. (2021, June).Cognitive Psychologist Career (Salary + Duties + Interviews).Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/cognitive-psychologist/.Practical Psychology. (2021, June). Cognitive Psychologist Career (Salary + Duties + Interviews). Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/cognitive-psychologist/.Copy

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