Cognition

Cognition
Definition

• Cognition refers to a range of mental processes relating to the

acquisition, storage, manipulation, and retrieval of information.

• Cognition is a term referring to the mental processes involved in gaining

knowledge and comprehension. These cognitive processes include thinking,
knowing, remembering, judging, and problem-solving. These are higher-level
functions of the brain and encompass language, imagination, perception, and
planning.
"Cognition" is a term signifying general mental operations, such as
pattern recognition, language processing, etc. "Thinking," on the
other hand, is subsumed under "cognition," but it is a problematic
term because of the difficulty in determining just what "thinking" is.

• Both the terms are used interchangeably. Higher order cognitive

skills include critical thinking, creative thinking, problem solving
and decision making.
Cognitive Skills are basics mental abilities we use to think, study and learn.
It includes:- Attention, working memory, processing speed, long term memory,
visual processing ,auditory processing, logic and Reasoning etc.

Thinking Skills are the mental processes we use to do things like: solve
problems, make decisions, ask questions, make plans, pass judgements, organize
information and create new ideas. Often we're not aware of our thinking - it
happens automatically - but if we take time to consider what's going on then we
can become more efficient and more creative with our minds.
Both (cognition, thinking) are different as well. However, inter-related.

• We learn different information with cognitive skills.

• Thinking skills to organize and use information learned.

Cognitive skills represent innate and natural skills whereas thinking
skills represent the processing skills which are developed to improve
the quality of outcomes from the thinking process.
Types of Cognitive Processes

There are many different types of cognitive processes. These include:

•Attention: Attention is a cognitive process that allows people to focus on a

specific stimulus in the environment.

•Language: Language and language development are cognitive processes that

involve the ability to understand and express thoughts through spoken and
written words. It allows us to communicate with others and plays an important
role in thought.
•Learning: Learning requires cognitive processes involved in
taking in new things, synthesizing information, and integrating it
with prior knowledge.

•Memory: Memory is an important cognitive process that allows

people to encode, store, and retrieve information. It is a critical
component in the learning process and allows people to retain
knowledge about the world and their personal histories.
•Perception: Perception is a cognitive process that allows people to
take in information through their senses (sensation) and then utilize
this information to respond and interact with the world.

•Thinking: Thought is an essential part of every cognitive process. It

allows people to engage in decision-making, problem-solving, and
higher reasoning.
Types of Thinking

• Convergent thinking
• Divergent thinking

Convergent thinking

Convergent thinking is a term coined by Joy Paul Guilford. It generally

means the ability to give the "correct" answer to standard questions
that do not require significant creativity.
• It relies heavily on logic and less on creativity. This mode of thinking
emphasizes on speed, logic and accuracy.

Divergent thinking

Divergent thinking is a thought process or method used to generate

creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions.
Focus more on creativity

e.g., multiple solutions for one problem or showing a person a photo and
asking them to create a caption for the photo.
1. Identifying the Problem

Identifying the problem seems like the obvious first stem, but it’s not exactly as
simple as it sounds. People might identify the wrong source of a problem, which
will render the steps thus carried on useless.
For instance, let’s say you’re having trouble with your studies. identifying the
root of your failure is your first priority. The problem here could be that you
haven’t been allocating enough time for your studies, or you haven’t tried the
right techniques. But, if you make an assumption that the problem here is the
subject being too hard, you won’t be able to solve the problem.
2. Defining/Understanding the Problem

It’s vital to properly define the problem once it’s been identified. Only by defining
the problem, further steps can be taken to solve it. While at it, you also need to
take into consideration different perspectives to understand any problem; this will
also help you look for solutions with different perspectives.

Now, following up with the previous example. Let’s say you have identified the
problem as not being able to allocate enough time for your studies. You need to
sort out the reason behind it.
Have you just been procrastinating?
Have you been too busy with work?
You need to understand the whole problem and reasons behind it, which is the
second step in problem solving.
3. Forming a Strategy

Developing a strategy is the next step to finding a solution. Each different

situation will require formulating different strategies, also depending on
individual’s unique preferences.
Now, you have identified and studied your problem. You can’t just simply jump
into trying to solve it. You can’t just quit work and start studying. You need to
draw up a strategy to manage your time properly. Allocate less time for not-so-
important works, and add them to your study time. Your strategy should be well
thought, so you are able to manage enough time to study properly and not fail in
the exams.
There are two approaches in psychology to solve the problem

When solving a problem, choosing the right approach is often the key to arriving
at the best solution. In psychology, one of these problem-solving approaches is
known as an
• Algorithm
• Heuristics
An algorithm is a defined set of step-by-step procedures that provides the correct
answer to a particular problem.
A heuristic is a mental shortcut that allows people to quickly make judgments and
solve problems.
These mental shortcuts are typically informed by our past experiences and allow
us to act quickly. However, heuristics don't always guarantee a correct solution
4. Organizing Information

Organizing the available information is another crucial step to the process. You need
to consider
What do you know about the problem?
What do you not know about the problem?
Accuracy of the solution for your problem will depend on the amount of information
available.
The hypothetical strategy you formulate isn’t the all of it either. You need to now
contemplate on the information available on the subject matter. Use the
aforementioned questions to find out more about the problem. Proper organization of
the information will force you to revise your strategy and refine it for best results.
5. Allocating Resources

Time, money and other resources aren’t unlimited. Deciding how high the
priority is to solve your problem will help you determine the resources you’ll be
using in your course to find the solution. If the problem is important, you can
allocate more resources to solving it. However, if the problem isn’t as important,
it’s not worth the time and money you might spend on it if not for proper
planning.

For instance, let’s consider a different scenario where your business deal is stuck,
but it’s few thousand miles away. Now, you need to analyze the problem and the
resources you can afford to spend to solve the particular problem. If the deal isn’t
really in your favor, you could just try solving it over the phone, however, more
important deals might require you to fly to the location in order to solve the issue.
6. Monitoring Progress

You need to document your progress as you are finding a solution. Don’t rely on
your memory, no matter how good your memory is. Effective problem-solvers
have been known to monitor their progress regularly. And, if they’re not making
as much progress as they’re supposed to, they will reevaluate their approach or
look for new strategies.
Problem solving isn’t an overnight feat. It takes time and patience. Likewise, you
need to work towards solving any problem every day until you finally achieve
the results. Looking back at the previous example, if everything’s according to
plan, you will be allocating more and more time for your studies until finally you
are confident that you’re improving. One way to make sure that you’re on a right
path to solving a problem is by keeping track of the progress. To solve the
problem illustrated in the first example, you can take self-tests every week or two
and track your progress.
7. Evaluating the Results

Your job still isn’t done even if you’ve reached a solution. You need to evaluate
the solution to find out if it’s the best possible solution to the problem.
The foundation of thought is based upon five components/tools

• Mental images
• Concepts
• Proposition
Mental images

A mental representation of a previously stored sensory experience including,

visual, smell, touch, taste & smell imagery.

The mental image or mental representation is defined as what an individual can

feel, hear, see or taste in one’s own mind. However, the stimulus which creates the
image is not actually seen, heard, felt, tasted, or smelt.

for example, someone can look at a picture of an object, create a mental image in
their mind, and then maintain this mental image as they look away or close their
eyes or created entirely from previously stored information held in long-term
memory.
for example, someone can look at a picture of an object, create a mental image in their mind, and then maintain this
mental image as they look away or close their eyes or created entirely from previously stored information held in
long-term memory.
Similar to the screen of a computer monitor/TV screen, we mentally visualize
and manipulate our sensory images as it’s actually existing.

Researchers suggested that some of most creative moments com when we are
forming mental images & manipulating them.
Concepts

Concepts are the categories for objects, events, experiences or ideas that are similar to
one another in one or more aspects.

Concepts play a central role in our task of understanding the world around us & representing it
mentally

e.g., Our mental concept of car represent s a large group of objects that share similar characteristics
(vehicles with four wheels, seating space of four people)

Concepts are an essential part of thinking & communication because they simplify & organize
information.

Normally when you see a new object ,encounter a new situation, you relate it to existing conceptual
structure.
How do we learn concepts

They develop through three major strategies

• Artificial concepts
• Natural concepts

Artificial concepts

Artificial concepts are clearly defined as a set of rules, properties, characteristics, attribute or trait.

e.g., color, taste of vegetables are the concept of artificial concept.

Natural concepts

Natural concepts are having no fixed, specified set of defining feature

Proposition

This is a relationship between concepts.

e.g.,

I sitting a chair
I am sitting on a chair

I writing
I am writing a letter

Concepts make a complete sense,It makes the thinks simple & easier.
Errors in reasoning/Forgetting

It refers to loss of information from long-term memory. We all forget things,

like a loved one’s birthday, someone’s name, or where we put our car keys,
important appointment. As you’ve come to see, memory is fragile, and
forgetting can be frustrating and even embarrassing.

Forgetting is a surprisingly common event.. Why do we forget information we

have learned in the past?
There are four basic explanations for why forgetting occurs

• Failure to store
• Interference
• Retrieval failure
• Motivated forgetting
Failure to store

Sometimes, losing information has less to do with forgetting and more to do with the
fact that it never made it into long-term memory in the first place. Encoding
failures sometimes prevent information from entering long-term memory.

Chances are that you were able to remember the shape and color, but you probably
forgot other minor details.
Interference

Another theory known as interference theory suggests that some memories compete and interfere
with other memories. When information is very similar to other information that was previously
stored in memory, interference is more likely to occur.

1: Proactive interference is when an old memory makes it more difficult or impossible to remember
a new memory.

2: Retroactive interference occurs when new information interferes with your ability to remember
previously learned information.

While interference can make it difficult to remember some things, there are things you can do to
minimize its effects. Rehearsing new information is often the most effective approach. By essentially
overlearning new things, it is less likely that old information will compete with new.
Retrieval failure

Have you ever felt like a piece of information has just vanished from your memory?
Or maybe you know that it's there, but you just can't seem to find it. The inability to
retrieve a memory is one of the most common causes of forgetting.
So why are we often unable to retrieve information from memory? One possible
explanation of retrieval failure is known as decay theory. According to this theory, a
memory trace is created every time a new theory is formed. Decay theory suggests
that over time, these memory traces begin to fade and disappear. If​the information is
not retrieved and rehearsed, it will eventually be lost.

One problem with this theory, however, is that research has demonstrated that even
memories which have not been rehearsed or remembered are remarkably stable
in long-term memory.
Motivated forgetting

Sometimes we may actively work to forget memories, especially those of traumatic

or disturbing events or experiences. Painful memories can be upsetting and anxiety-
provoking, so there are times we may desire to eliminate them. The two basic forms
of motivated forgetting are suppression, which is a conscious form of forgetting,
and repression, an unconscious form of forgetting.
However, the concept of repressed memories is not universally accepted by all
psychologists. One of the problems with repressed memories is that it is difficult, if
not impossible, to scientifically study whether or not a memory has been repressed.
Also note that mental activities such as rehearsal and remembering are important
ways of strengthening memory, and memories of painful or traumatic life events are
far less likely to be remembered, discussed, or rehearsed.

Research has shown that one of the critical factors that influence memory failure is
time. Information is often quickly forgotten, particularly if people do not actively
review and rehearse the information.