Final answer:
Schools of thought are principles or approaches guiding research and understanding in academic or professional fields. They frame how we study phenomena like human thinking within cognitive psychology, and guide the use of the scientific method and the development of hypotheses and theories. The correct option is b.
Step-by-step explanation:
Schools of thought are best explained as principles or approaches that represent different ways of thinking about and understanding the world.
They are not simply hypotheses (tentative statements about reality), nor are they restricted to cognitive activities or the specifics of scientific research such as forming a hypothesis or conducting an experiment.
Instead, schools of thought encompass overarching frameworks that guide research, interpretation, and understanding in various academic or professional fields.
For instance, in psychology, cognitive psychology is a school of thought that focuses on studying human thinking, not mere behavior or development. The correct option is b.