Cognition: Definition, Main Processes And Operation
The concept of “cognition” is one of the most important in the world of Psychology, although it is also among the most complex. And this term helps to understand the mental processes related to abstract thinking, what characterizes us as human beings but which, at the same time, also comes to be present (to a greater or lesser degree) in other animals.
In a certain sense, cognition allows us to perceive our environment, learn from it and remember the information we have obtained, as well as solve problems that arise during life or communicate with other people.
In this article we will describe what exactly cognition is and what are the main cognitive processes.
The term “cognition” can be defined as the ability of some living beings to obtain information from their environment and, based on its processing by the brain, to interpret it and give it meaning. In this sense, cognitive processes depend on both sensory capabilities and the central nervous system. In short, cognition is the information that can be expressed in ideas and concepts and that we can express more or less through words (although there is not always language where there is cognition, as occurs in non-human animals and in people with certain disabilities). types of aphasia). It is, so to speak, the textual part of our mental processes, and it allows us to reach conclusions, make decisions based on what we know, etc.
It is a concept with a very broad meaning that can be roughly equated with that of “thought.” However, as we will see later, this term can also refer to one of the processes or phases that make up cognition: reasoning, which in turn overlaps with problem solving.
In the field of psychology, cognition is understood as the processing of any type of information through mental functions. From a historical point of view, this conceptualization is derived from the traditional separation between the rational and the affective; However, nowadays emotion is often also seen as a cognitive process.
Throughout history, many authors have proposed that cognition, particularly that which takes place consciously, should be the main object of study of scientific psychology. Wilhelm Wundt, Hermann Ebbinghaus and William James began to study basic cognitive processes such as memory or attention at the end of the 19th century.
Current developments in the study of cognition owe much to information processing theories and the cognitivist orientation in general, very popular since the mid-20th century. These paradigms favored the consolidation of interdisciplinary fields as relevant as neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience.
Main cognitive processes
The faculties that make up cognition are multiple; We will stop only at some of the most general and relevant such as attention, language and metacognition (or knowledge about one’s own cognition).
Likewise, and based on current knowledge, we will include emotion as a full-fledged cognitive process.
1. Perception
The term “perception” refers to the capture of stimuli from the environment by the sensory organs and its transmission to higher levels of the nervous system, but also to the cognitive process by which we generate a mental representation of this information and interpret it. In this second phase, prior knowledge and attention intervene.
Attention is the general ability to focus cognitive resources on specific stimuli or mental content; Therefore, it has a regulatory role in the functioning of other cognitive processes. This aptitude is divided into several facets, so that attention can be understood as selection, concentration, activation, vigilance or expectations.
3. Learning and memory
Learning is defined as the acquisition of new information or the modification of existing mental content (along with its corresponding neurophysiological correlates). Different types of learning have been described, such as classical and operant conditioning models, which are associated with synaptic potentiation mechanisms.
Memory is a concept closely related to learning, since it encompasses the encoding, storage and retrieval of information. Structures of the limbic system such as the hippocampus, amygdala, fornix, nucleus accumbens or the mammillary bodies of the thalamus are key involved in these processes.
4. Language
Language is the faculty that allows human beings to use complex methods of communication, both orally and in writing. From an evolutionary point of view, it is considered a development of non-specific vocalizations and gestures that were used by our ancestors and that resemble those used by other animal species.
5. Emotion
Although emotion has traditionally been separated from cognition (understood as equivalent to thought), Increased knowledge in psychology has revealed that the two processes work in a similar way The level of activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the motivation to approach or move away from a stimulus are determinants of emotion.
6. Reasoning and problem solving
Reasoning is a high-level cognitive process that is based on the use of more basic ones to solve problems or achieve objectives around complex aspects of reality. There are different types of reasoning depending on how we classify them; If we do it based on logical criteria we have deductive, inductive and abductive reasoning.
The popularization of social psychology, which occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, led to an increase in interest in the study of cognition as applied to interpersonal relationships. From this perspective, transcendental models have been developed such as attribution theories and schema theory on the representation of knowledge.
8. Metacognition
Metacognition is the faculty that allows us to be aware of our own cognitive processes and reflect on them. Particular attention has been paid to metamemory, since the use of strategies to enhance learning and memory is very useful to improve cognitive performance.
