Cognitive Psychology is a subfield of psychology that focuses on studying cognition, the mental processes that underlie behavior. These processes include perception, memory, attention, language, problem-solving, and decision-making. Cognitive psychology uses a wide variety of research methods to gather data about these processes, including experiments, eye-tracking, brain imaging, and computational models. Understanding cognitive processes not only helps us understand how people interact with and make sense of the world, but it also aids in addressing psychological disorders, improving educational outcomes, and informing artificial intelligence development.

Here is a list of major theories and their associated theorists:

1. Cognitive Development Theory
   • Theorist: Jean Piaget
   • Piaget proposed that children progress through a series of cognitive developmental stages, which has been fundamental in understanding how cognition develops over time. He identified four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational, each characterized by different ways of thinking and understanding the world.
2. Working Memory Model
   • Theorists: Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch
   • They proposed the model to explain the structure and functions of short-term or working memory. The model includes three components: the central executive, which controls attention; the phonological loop, which processes sound information; and the visuospatial sketchpad, which processes visual and spatial information.
3. Information Processing Theory
   • Theorists: George A. Miller, Richard Atkinson, Richard Shiffrin
   • Information Processing Theory posits that the human brain processes information similarly to a computer through a series of stages including encoding, storing, and retrieving information. George Miller is particularly known for his work on the capacity of short-term memory.
4. Cognitive Load Theory
   • Theorist: John Sweller
   • Sweller’s theory discusses the limits of our cognitive processing. It’s centered on the idea that learners have a limited amount of cognitive resources and that instructional methods should avoid overloading these resources to maximize learning.
5. Dual Process Theory
   • Theorist: Daniel Kahneman
   • Kahneman’s theory suggests two systems for processing information: System 1, which is fast and intuitive, and System 2, which is slow and deliberative. This has been influential in understanding decision-making and biases.
6. Social Cognitive Theory
   • Theorist: Albert Bandura
   • Bandura proposed that learning occurs within a social context and is not a purely internal process. His work emphasizes observational learning, self-efficacy, and the role of reinforcement and punishment in learning.
7. Cognitive Dissonance Theory
   • Theorist: Leon Festinger
   • Festinger’s theory proposes that individuals experience discomfort when they hold conflicting beliefs or when their actions are not aligned with their beliefs, and they are motivated to reduce this dissonance.
8. Schema Theory
   • Theorists: Frederic Bartlett, Jean Piaget
   • Schema theory posits that knowledge is organized into units called schemas, which are mental structures that represent some aspect of the world and provide a framework for understanding new information.
9. Theory of Cognitive Appraisal
   • Theorist: Richard Lazarus
   • Lazarus’ theory explains the mental process that influences stress responses. It posits that individuals’ appraisal of a situation is crucial in determining emotional reactions to it.
10. Distributed Cognition Theory
    • Theorist: Edwin Hutchins
    • This theory argues that cognitive processes are distributed across groups, tools, and environments rather than being confined solely within an individual’s mind.
11. Connectionist Theory / Parallel Distributed Processing (PDP)
    • Theorists: James McClelland, David Rumelhart, Geoffrey Hinton
    • Connectionism posits that human cognition and learning are a result of networks of interconnected processing units. This theory is particularly influential in neural network modeling in artificial intelligence.
12. Depth of Processing Theory
    • Theorists: Fergus I. M. Craik, Robert S. Lockhart
    • This theory suggests that the depth of processing – ranging from shallow, sensory processing to deep, semantic processing – affects how information is stored in memory and how well it is remembered.
13. Prospective Memory Theory
    • Theorists: Mark A. McDaniel, Gilles O. Einstein
    • Prospective memory refers to remembering to perform a planned action or recall an intention at some future point. This theory explores the cognitive processes underlying prospective memory.
14. Attentional Control Theory
    • Theorists: Michael W. Eysenck, Nazanin Derakshan, Rita Santos, and Manuel G. Calvo
    • This theory discusses the influence of anxiety on processing efficiency and performance effectiveness. It suggests that anxiety impairs the efficiency of executive functions and attentional control processes.
15. Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
    • Theorist: Robert Sternberg
    • Sternberg proposed that intelligence is composed of three parts: analytic intelligence, creative intelligence, and practical intelligence.
16. Multiple Intelligences Theory
    • Theorist: Howard Gardner
    • Gardner suggested that there are several different types of intelligences, including linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.

This list provides a comprehensive overview of the major theories and theorists in cognitive psychology. Each theory and theorist has significantly contributed to our understanding of cognitive processes and has implications across various domains such as education, mental health, and artificial intelligence.