As I said at the beginning of this chapter, it is impossible to tell whether cognitive psychology will prove to be THE psychology of the future. In fact, as I pointed out with Ulric Neisser, even some of its major proponents have their doubts. Cognitive psychology is far more sophisticated, philosophically, than behaviorism. And yet it lacks in sophistication when compared, for example, to phenomenology and existentialism. It does, of course, have the tremendous advantage of being tied to the most rapidly developing technology we have ever seen -- the computer. But few people see the computer as ultimately being a good model for human beings, in some ways not even as good as the old white rat, which at least was alive!

© Copyright 2000 by C. George Boeree