How to Become a Cognitive Psychologist
A cognitive psychologist works to understand the nature of human thought. Most cognitive psychologists are interested in problem-solving, reasoning, memory, attention, and auditory and visual perception.
Cognitive psychologists work in research, academia, or technology or the corporate world. The goal of research in this field is to understand how the human mind works. This work is done to help others, such as people who have learning problems or memory disorders. Some cognitive psychologists work in private practice and work with clients directly.
If you are thinking about a career as a cognitive psychologist, please use the information here to learn about what cognitive psychologists do, where they work, job demand, and more.
What Is Cognitive Psychology?
The American Psychological Association states that cognitive psychology uses principles of human learning and development as well as cognitive processing to overcome problem behavior and emotional thinking. It uses these principles to help people improve their daily lives.
There are many practical applications for cognitive research, such as providing assistance to people with memory problems, enhancing decision-making accuracy, helping people to recover from brain injury, and treating learning disorders.
Learning how people think and process information helps the cognitive psychologist to understand how the brain works and allows them to devise new ways to help people with psychological problems.
Cognitive psychologists must understand behavior therapy, applied behavior analysis, cognitive therapy, and cognitive psychology. They also need to know how to apply this knowledge to the human condition. (APA.org). Cognitive psychology serves many populations, such as adolescents, children, and the elderly.
What Do Cognitive Psychologists Do?
Cognitive psychologists measure cognitions and behaviors and create case conceptualizations based on learning principles and whys that cognitions and emotions are processed. These psychologists also use evidence-based treatments that are adapted to the individual patient, and they perform a regular assessment of how effective the interventions are.
Cognitive psychology is applied to many problems, including:
- Anxiety problems
- Depressive disorders
- Substance abuse
- Personality disorders
- Health-related problems
- Developmental and intellectual disabilities
- Academic performance
- Relationship problems
- Trauma
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Stress management
- Problems in daily living
Where Do Cognitive Psychologists Work?
Most psychologists working in cognition and brain science work in academia, both teaching and performing research. But there is also a big place for them in the private sector, where AI development calls for expertise in better refining models for optimizing computer-human interaction.
Cognitive psychologists work in private research centers and treatment facilities, such as mental health centers and hospitals, where they study and address issues related to mental processes – everything from speech problems to Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss to perception and sensory problems. Some cognitive psychologists work as consultants or expert witnesses.
The BLS reports there are about 207,500 psychologists throughout the U.S. These professionals can be classified broadly as:
- Clinical and counseling psychologists – 76,800 professionals
- School psychologists – 65,500 professionals
- Industrial-organizational psychologists – 8,600 professionals
- All other psychologists – 56,600 professionals
The largest employers of psychologists are:
- Self-employed – 26%
- Local elementary and secondary schools – 24%
- Ambulatory healthcare services – 23%
- Government – 8%
- State, local, and private hospitals – 4%
Many cognitive psychologists work as independent practitioners, providing services directly to the public, while many more work as part of healthcare teams alongside healthcare providers and \ social workers specializing in healthcare.
What Is the Job Outlook for Cognitive Psychologists?
The job outlook for psychologists is strong. Employment in the field is expected to grow 7% in the ten-year period leading up to 2033, which is faster than average. Job growth will vary somewhat by specialty and location but is generally expected to be strong across the board.
In the years to come, more cognitive psychologists will be relied upon to provide psychological services as the American population grows older and begins to encounter more issues with cognition and memory. There’s also a growing demand for cognitive psychologists in research to gain a better understanding of the causes behind memory and learning problems in the elderly.
May 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics labor market information for Psychologists is based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed March 2025.
How Can You Become a Cognitive Psychologist?
There are limited entry-level opportunities for cognitive psychologists with a bachelor’s degree. Most professionals in cognitive psychology have a master’s or doctoral degree.
SEE ALSO: Online PhD in Cognitive Psychology Programs
For the cognitive psychologist with a master’s degree, significant career options are in human performance research, such as doing tests on how well a patient who has not slept for hours can remember a short story. They also might be employed in organizational and industrial psychology, and some with a graduate degree may work in junior teaching positions. Most of the work of cognitive psychologists with a master’s degree is supervised by a psychologist with a doctorate.
What Do Exams and Licensing Involve?
In most states, practicing any type of psychology requires a state license. All psychologists who work in private practice must be licensed in their state.
Licensing laws are different by state. Most practicing psychologists need at least a master’s or preferably a doctorate in psychology. You also need to have an internship and one or two years of supervised clinical experience. The student also is required to pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology. In many states, psychologists are required to complete continuing education credits annually to maintain their licenses.
To further your psychology career, you may want to earn a specialty certification in cognitive psychology. The American Board of Professional Psychology awards certifications in 15 areas of psychology. Board certification demonstrates a higher level of professional expertise in cognitive psychology. While certification is not required in all cases, some hospitals and mental health facilities like to see certification.
Becoming a cognitive psychologist allows you to do valuable work on the nature of thought and to help people with memory deficits and learning problems. The field of psychology is growing quickly in the next decade, so you should be able to find many rewarding positions in this field in the public or private sector.