In cognitive psychology, researchers primarily focus on studying what?

• A. Unconscious conflicts and early childhood experiences as the main causes of adult personality
• B. Mental processes such as perception, attention, memory, language, problem solving, and decision making
• C. How hormones and glands regulate emotion and behavior through the endocrine system
• D. Observable behavior and how it is shaped by reinforcement and punishment

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the main focus of cognitive psychology by understanding its core interest in mental processes rather than unconscious conflicts, biological systems, or observable behaviors alone.
2. Recognize that cognitive psychology studies internal mental functions such as perception, attention, memory, language, problem solving, and decision making.
3. Differentiate cognitive psychology from other psychological approaches: psychoanalysis (unconscious conflicts), biological psychology (hormones and glands), and behaviorism (observable behavior and reinforcement).
4. Understand that cognitive psychology aims to explain how people acquire, process, and store information, which influences their behavior and decision making.
5. Conclude that the correct focus of cognitive psychology is on mental processes like perception, attention, memory, language, problem solving, and decision making.