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A brief history of applied cognitive psychology
Author(s) -
Hoffman Robert R.,
Deffenbacher Kenneth A.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
applied cognitive psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.719
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1099-0720
pISSN - 0888-4080
DOI - 10.1002/acp.2350060102
Subject(s) - cognition , psychology , history of psychology , experimental psychology , perceptual psychology , point (geometry) , theoretical psychology , cognitive science , differential psychology , basic science , cognitive psychology , mathematics , neuroscience , geometry
Currently, applied cognitive psychology seems to be a ‘hot topic’. What are the origins of this area of specialization? In this article we survey the history of applied cognitive psychology, beginning with the earliest applied psychological research of the late 1800s, through the impact on psychology of the World Wars, through the advent of the information processing view of the 1950s, and up to the recent flurry of work on topics in cognitive science, such as human–computer interaction. We also consider recent changes in the structure of American professional societies, economic changes and funding patterns, and other factors that have contributed to the advent of this new field. Although our discussion is largely descriptive, we point to some of the influences on applied psychology, such as the practical concerns that have arisen outside the laboratory. Our discussion is best characterized as a historically contextualized cautionary tale that asserts the values of neofunctionalism for applied cognitive psychology.