In psychology, cognitive psychology primarily focuses on the scientific study of which aspect of human functioning?

Introduction / Context:
Psychology is a broad field that studies behaviour and mental processes. Within it, different branches focus on different aspects of human experience. Cognitive psychology is one of the most important subfields and often appears in general knowledge and introductory psychology questions. This question checks whether you know what cognitive psychology primarily studies. Having a clear idea of this helps you interpret research findings, understand learning theories, and answer questions on memory, attention, and problem solving more effectively.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The branch named in the question is cognitive psychology.
• The question asks what this branch focuses on in terms of scientific study.
• Options include mental processes, physical growth, social customs, and genetic inheritance.
• We assume standard textbook definitions of psychological subfields at school or undergraduate level.

Concept / Approach:
The key concept is the word “cognitive”. In psychology, cognition refers to mental processes such as perception, attention, memory, language, problem solving, and decision making. Therefore, cognitive psychology is the scientific study of those mental processes. It is not primarily about physical development, social norms, or genetics, although those topics can influence cognition. The approach is to match the term “cognitive” with the correct domain and to eliminate options that belong to other branches like developmental, social, or biological psychology.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the branch: cognitive psychology. Step 2: Recall that cognition refers to processes of knowing, such as thinking, remembering, understanding, and problem solving. Step 3: Check option A, which mentions mental processes such as thinking, memory, and perception. This exactly matches the meaning of cognition. Step 4: Examine option B, which focuses on physical growth and bodily changes. That is more closely related to developmental or biological psychology rather than cognitive psychology. Step 5: Examine option C, which talks about social customs and cultural traditions. Those topics fall mainly under social or cultural psychology. Step 6: Examine option D, which refers to genetic inheritance and biological evolution. Those topics belong mainly to biological psychology or behavioural genetics. Step 7: Conclude that option A is the only one that correctly captures the focus of cognitive psychology.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, you can recall common topics covered in courses labeled “Cognitive Psychology” or in chapters titled “Cognition and Memory”. They usually include perception, attention, short term and long term memory, language processing, reasoning, and problem solving. These chapters rarely focus on height, weight, puberty, or physical development, which are covered in developmental psychology. They also do not focus mainly on group behaviour or cultural norms, which are handled by social psychology. This clear separation of topics across subfields confirms that cognitive psychology is centred on mental processes.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Physical growth and bodily changes across the lifespan: This is the domain of developmental psychology and sometimes health psychology, not cognitive psychology. While development can affect cognition, it is not the central focus of this branch.
Social customs and cultural traditions in a society: These belong to social and cultural psychology, which study how people behave and think in groups and under cultural influences. They are not the primary focus of cognitive psychology.
Genetic inheritance and biological evolution: These are studied in biological psychology, behavioural genetics, and evolutionary psychology. Cognitive psychology uses such findings but does not centre on them.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to choose an option that sounds broadly related to psychology without focusing on the specific branch named in the question. For example, some learners pick physical growth or social customs because they associate psychology with general human behaviour. Another pitfall is ignoring the root word “cognitive” and failing to connect it with thinking and mental processes. To avoid these errors, always break down the technical term into its meaning and match that meaning to the correct option. Remembering simple associations like “cognitive equals thinking and memory” helps you answer such questions quickly.

Final Answer:
Cognitive psychology focuses on the scientific study of mental processes such as thinking, memory, and perception.