Cognitive psychology is a branch of psychology that examines internal mental processes such as problem solving, memory, and language. It came to be important in technical communication theory in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and contributed to the development of such fields as usability, user-centered design, experience design and interaction design.
#34991
Design for Effective Support of User Intentions in Information-Rich Interactions 
With the rise of Web pages providing interactive support for problem-solving or providing large amounts of information on which a person is expected to act, designers and writers need to consider how a person interacts with increasingly complex information-rich environments and how they intend to use the information. This article examines some of the theory underlying why people make errors early in the problem-solving process when they form an intention. Since these errors are cognitively-based and occur before any physical action, it is harder to analyze their cause or incorporate changes to reduce them in a design. It examines factors which contribute to user errors and which designers and writers must consider to produce documents which reduce user errors in forming intentions.
Albers, Michael J. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2009). Articles>User Centered Design>Interaction Design>Cognitive Psychology
#35229
Applying Curiosity to Interaction Design: Tell Me Something I Don’t Know
Given just a bit of information, we naturally crave more. Given a puzzle, we have to solve it. So, as interaction designers, how are we using this bit of insight into human behavior?
Anderson, Stephen. Johnny Holland (2009). Articles>User Centered Design>Interaction Design>Cognitive Psychology
#35359
How Do Experts Assess Usability Problems? An Empirical Analysis of Cognitive Shortcuts
Discusses the cognitive shortcuts that may hinder technical communicators in empathizing with readers. Explores the issue of judging the severity of problems detected in a document evaluation. Demonstrates how cognitive shortcuts may affect technical communicators' capability to assess the likelihood and impact of reader problems.
Lentz, Leo and Menno D.T. de Jong. Technical Communication Online (2009). Articles>Usability>Assessment>Cognitive Psychology
#35704
Understanding Your Brain for Better Design: Left vs. Right
This article will cover a basic understanding of what the left and right brains are, and each of their traits. We’ll also go into how we, as creative people, can harness this understanding of the left and right brain to be more creative, as well as succeed in other work-related tasks.
Knight, Kayla. Webdesigner Depot (2009). Articles>Graphic Design>Theory>Cognitive Psychology
