Careers in Cognitive Psychology

Michael Kaschak

Cognitive Science

How does the mind work?

How is this instantiated in the brain?Attention, perception, learning, memory,

language, problem solving, decision making…

Cognitive science relates to…Psychology, education, computer science,

etc.

Careers in Cognition: TrainingUndergraduate training Skill based employment

Research methods and statistics (the more, the better)Cognitive psych, plus any 4000-levels in areaDIS in one or more labsComputer programmingAVOID CRIMINAL RECORD!!!!!!

Graduate trainingMaster’s or PhD in Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive

Science, Experimental Psychology, Human Factors[Note…Human factors does not necessarily mean I/O

psychology]

Career PathsWith undergraduate degree…

Human factors: product design, evaluation, and testing

Industries: Aerospace, automobile, military, technology (IBM, Microsoft, etc.), human-computer interaction

With graduate degree…Same as above, with better pay ;-)Academic careers: Cognitive psych; Cog Science;

Business schools; Law schools

What is Human Factors?• The Third Brake Light

• HUD (Head-Up Display)

• Reach Toothbrush

Human-Computer Interaction

Interface between humans and computersHuman factors issues, but also other

things…Communication how do we communicate

with more intelligent machines?Interfacing mind and machine

biofeedback and the possibility of neural control of external systems

Career Paths

Varied options, flexible, challenging careersMultiple projects; self-motivation neededOpportunities to affect people’s lives

Competitive pay scaleUndergrads starting around 50K, grads

somewhat higherManagement starting around 150K

Career Paths in Cognition

Questions?