How has early memory research concerning the growth of cognitive perspectives in psychology changed over the course of the 20th century? What are the reasons for this change?
Do you mean "early" in terms of the research done for memory or in terms of the lifespan of individuals?
Since this historical aspect is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "cognitive psychology memory research history" to get this:
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=cognitive+psychology+memory+research+history&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
In the future, you can find the information you desire more quickly, if you use appropriate key words to do your own search. Also see http://hanlib.sou.edu/searchtools/.
To understand how early memory research concerning the growth of cognitive perspectives in psychology has changed over the 20th century, it's helpful to explore the key developments and reasons for this change.
1. Early Behaviorist Perspective (1900s-1920s): In the early 20th century, behaviorism dominated psychology, emphasizing observable behavior rather than internal mental processes. Memory was primarily studied through behavioral experiments, involving conditioning and reinforcement. However, this approach did not fully consider the cognitive aspects of memory, such as encoding, storage, and retrieval.
2. Cognitive Revolution (1950s-1960s): The emergence of the cognitive revolution brought a significant shift in the study of memory. Influenced by developments in computer science and linguistics, researchers focused on mental processes and information processing models. This period witnessed the birth of cognitive psychology, highlighting memory as an active process involving attention, perception, and encoding.
3. Multi-Store Model (1960s-1970s): During this era, the multi-store model of memory became prominent. Developed by Atkinson and Shiffrin, this model suggested that memory consists of different memory stores, such as sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Research focused on understanding the processes involved in transferring information from one store to another.
4. Levels of Processing Model (1970s-1980s): In response to the limitations of the multi-store model, researchers like Craik and Lockhart introduced the levels of processing model. This perspective emphasized that memory retrieval is influenced by the depth of processing during encoding. Instead of considering memory as static stores, the focus shifted to the processing and meaning-making during encoding.
5. Connectionist Approaches and Neural Networks (1980s-present): Growing technological advancements allowed researchers to explore memory from a neural and computational perspective. Connectionist models and neural networks emerged as new tools to understand memory organization and functioning. These approaches involve simulating memory processes using mathematical algorithms and neural network simulations.
Reasons for the change:
1. Advancement in technology: The development of new research tools, such as brain imaging techniques, computational models, and computer simulations, provided scientists with more sophisticated ways to study memory processes.
2. Paradigm shifts: The cognitive revolution and subsequent paradigm shifts in psychology influenced a more comprehensive understanding of memory. Researchers started to acknowledge the role of mental processes, information processing, and subjective experiences in memory.
3. Interdisciplinary influences: Psychology began drawing insights from other disciplines, including computer science, neuroscience, linguistics, and philosophy. This interdisciplinary collaboration allowed for the integration of diverse perspectives on memory and cognition.
4. Critiques of existing theories: As research progressed, existing theories and models were critiqued and refined. The limitations of early behaviorist and earlier memory models led to explorations of alternative frameworks that better accounted for the complexity of memory processes.
In summary, the growth of cognitive perspectives in psychology has revolutionized early memory research over the course of the 20th century. Advances in technology, paradigm shifts, interdisciplinary influences, and critiques of existing theories played pivotal roles in driving this change.