During the 50s and 60s, the interest in psychology about the thought process changed with the appearance of computers. This invention forced the scientists to study problem solving and basic mental processes (like memory, language, perception, etc.) Looking at a insanely complex computer was like looking at the insanely complex brain. Cognitivism was born.
Cognitive comes from latin cognitum, which means "knowing".
For psychologists using the cognitive perspective, in order to understand how humans use language, common sense, social values and emotions, they must study the ways humans select and organize social informations. Clearly, what do we do with all the informations we receive. For personal feelings, they have to find the origin of the thoughts, memories and and things like that.
But "cognitivists" don't need to use Freudian introspection for that. These scientists study mental processes through observable behavior.
An exemple:
Some scientists ask someone to memorize a list of words. Depending on which words he will remember and which ones he will forget, the psychologists will be able to study the process of memorization (like the way words are 'packed' in the brain, by meaning or sound, a bit like a computer).
Cognitive perspective proved that perceptions and
interpretations of a human can influence on someone's acts and feelings. We are all searching for a " meaning of life" or why we are feeling sad or happy right now, etc. Another example:
You walk on the street, look at some hip teenager and the young boy immediately punches you on the nose. Freud would say that it's because his father punched him a lot when he was a child (ok, I know, I'm simplifying it) but cognitivists say the boy did this because he interpreted your look as an aggression. They would study how his interpretation of the event influenced his actions and thoughts.
Some famous psychologists for the cognitive perspective:
Jean Piaget
Alfred Binet
Howard Gardner of Harvard
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