Big Questions Facing Vocational Psychology: A Cognitive Information Processing Perspective

Abstract

This article draws upon the authors’ experience in developing cognitive information processing theory in order to examine three important questions facing vocational psychology and assessment: (a) Where should new knowledge for vocational psychology come from? (b) How do career theories and research find their way into practice? and (c) What is the nature of career development and vocational choice in a global economy? Topics include the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge in this field, the extensive information provided by established career theories and applications, the ongoing need to inform practice through theory and research, the transformation and dissemination of knowledge from the laboratory to the field, and the common themes among education and work issues in a global economy.