ABSTRACT

In this chapter we examine the nature and scope of applied cognitive psychology by first, outlining the main characteristics of the discipline, its theoretical presuppositions and its emergence as a major force in contemporary psychology. We acknowledge a series of tensions about the appropriate methodology, in particular the degree to which an applied discipline may rely on laboratory studies and the role which theory can play in explicating practical problems. Rather than provide an exhaustive and necessarily tedious list, we discuss the methods of applied cognitive psychology by illustration. We provide four case studies which we consider to be representative of the range of contemporary concerns. While we are conscious that some areas are underrepresented and that a distorted picture might emerge, the accompanying references point to material which is a good deal broader than can be encompassed here. We begin with a broad-based definition of cognitive psychology.