Absolutely all human beings are capable to have this faculty, sometimes considered as the series of basic procedures for the perception of external elements through multiple perspectives. It is part of psychology and psychoanalysis, as a way of evaluating traits or behaviors of the human being.
We know that you are passionate about knowledge and discovering new universal terms, which is why we have been forced to create an exclusive article on cognition and cognitive processes. This way you will know if you put self-knowledge into practice correctly.
What is cognition?
As mentioned before, cognition is a clearly human faculty where man is capable of assimilating and process information according to various learning processes. Problem solving, memory, feelings, reasoning, learning, attention and even decision making, encompasses a single mental process called cognition.
It is related to the abstract concepts that inhabit the human mind, for psychology this process includes various objects of assimilation of information considered belonging to human intelligence. Where an emphasis is placed on the ability to solve problems, planning, decision-making and learning to give an exact connotation to the abilities of discernment.
A recommendation that is increasingly given to human beings is that they broaden the horizons of possibilities within their lives, that is, that they create new experiences from new habits and in different attitudes to expand the cognitive field and thus maintain a much mental health. more active.
Definitions of the term
This word comes from Latin and its meaning is inclined to the action of "knowing", it is then that cognition is nothing more than the act of knowing both internal and external factors that allow man to create learning processes much more in line with its possibilities or limitations.
In turn, it encompasses the capacities of the human being to be able to have conscious emotions, make decisions, create new habits and even be able to memorize a past or recent event.
Thus, the presence of stimulating external factors also creates a more pleasant experience to the memories and attitudes of the being. Generally speaking, the ability to retain information thanks to an external sensory stimulus, it is called cognition.
Cognitive activity
To delve further into the subject, the various processes of cognition can be classified according to psychology standards, for example, we find that cognitive activity defines cognition as a mental process that consists of the following characteristics or stages:
- Sensory process: the sensory process is all that is carried out through sensory stimuli, where the behavior of the person is seen influenced by the ability to receive such stimuli from reality. The main purpose of the sensory process is to be able to fully understand reality.
- Integration process: This cognitive activity includes the integration of said external stimuli and sensory experiences in relation to constant information. It is then that the person receives the information with the ability to renew it as many times as they want, so they can modify or adapt the perceived stimuli to generate knowledge.
- Idea creation: one of the most predominant features within cognitive activity is the creation of ideas, if a person is not able to integrate meaningful knowledge through images and the creation of scenarios, will have a relatively null cognitive process.
- Structuring process: this activity results in the possibility of structuring the construction of knowledge. This process gives a hierarchical structure to the types of knowledge that compose it.
Cognitive structure
There are many elements under study related to the structure that makes up cognition. Is then that determine what activities make up the processes of cognition or cognitive.
In general terms, the cognitive structure states that it is necessary to undergo several processes that define it. Today there are controversies as to the correct definition of the term and the objects of study, however, we understand that every psychological approach can have counterparts; without it, evolution would be impossible.
- Comment: It is the first activity that cognition performs to perceive the images and information to be processed through this sensory stimulus. It allows the individual to successfully capture the stimulus to generate retention in an ideal way.
- Identification of variables: It is the second activity that comprises the cognitive structure, and it is about the identification of variables that happens when the stimulus has already been perceived and captured. They give rise to a moment of organization of the elements previously captured with which they become familiar within a possible past perception.
- Comparison: a process subsequent to the identification of the variables and consists of being able to generate a comparison of the recently perceived elements with those already stored in memory.
- Relationship: After having generated a comparison, the relationship between the objects perceived is produced in order to obtain the acquisition of global knowledge.
- Sorting: It occurs through orderly structures to efficiently distribute or store the acquisition of knowledge.
- Hierarchical classification: Finally, the hierarchical classification process occurs in the cognitive structure as the hierarchical classification of the knowledge obtained according to the information given.
Cognitive processes
Cognitive processes are those that are carried out to find new knowledge and be able to have the ability to integrate solutions to it. There are several cognitive functions that work together to generate the integration of knowledge.
- Perception: This process allows the human being to be able to perceive his environment effectively and optimally, this cognitive process receives the captured information by the central nervous system through sensory stimulation from external organs. The five senses are basic and fundamental so that the perception of all the information received is diffuse or distorted; It is then that the information cannot access the brain without the cognitive processes involved. Perception is of course conditioned by the knowledge and values acquired throughout life, such is the case of deep-rooted beliefs or insecurities and self-esteem.
- Attention: It is a key part of cognitive processes such as the possibility of organizing activities concentrating on a specific stimulus or activity. It therefore modulates the function of the different perceptual processes. It is an ability of the human being to be able to concentrate and pay attention to the correct cognitive functioning of the mind, so a being with little cognitive stimulation can be a serious problem for itself.
- Memory: stores, retrieves and modifies events from the past, it is then known as a sequel of cognitive functions instead of a spontaneous activity of the human being.
- Thought: one of the cognitive processes most used by humans, has a difficult limitation and therefore, the meaning of the word will always be relative. However, in general terms, thinking can be appreciated as the acquisition of new information through basic mental functions. Thus, thought is considered a key action to develop perception, attention and memory reciprocally. Make it useful afterwards to manage new thoughts.
- Language: This term refers to the communicative method that humans use verbally or non-verbally. Unlike language, language can be expressed in multiple ways according to the very needs of being. In this sense, it is one of the most representative and sometimes limiting cognitive processes for the human being. Through language, abstract elements can be hierarchically structured, which are generally difficult to explain. For this there is language.
- Learning: Finally and as a synthesis of each of the cognitive processes we find learning. This is responsible for addressing all kinds of knowledge stored in the mind in advance.