What are the 6 types of cognitive processes?
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Cognitive Psychology: Attention · Decision making · Learning · Judgement · Memory · Motivation · Perception · Reasoning · Thinking - Cognitive processes Cognition - Outline Index Cognitive processes (aka mental functions or Mental operations ) are terms often used interchangeably (although not always correctly so, the term cognitive tends to have specific implications - see cognitive, cognition and cognitivism) which highlight such functions as:
Further processes include:
These processes give rise to cognitions, the products of cognition, which include:
See also
What is cognition?Cognition refers to all mental processes that lead to thoughts, knowledge, and awareness. The underlying mechanisms are called cognitive processes. They govern cognitive functions like attention, pattern-matching, problem-solving, memory, learning, decision-making, language, mental processing, perception, imagination, logic, strategic thinking, etc. The word cognition comes from the Latin word cognoscere which means “get to know”. Meaning of cognitive processes and cognitive functionsCognitions come in layers of processes and components. Think of it as a Rubik’s cube which is meaningful even if it is unsolved. Each square represents a cognitive process and any type of final arrangement (proper solve, mixed color patterns) represents cognitive abilities or cognitive functions.
Cognitions (a fancy term for thoughts) are often assumed to be verbal thoughts, but they also include other forms of thinking such as auditory imagery (mental sounds), visual imagery (mental pictures), and kinesthetic imagery (mentally perceived bodily sensations). Notice that cognitions (with the “s”) typically indicate thoughts and cognitive processes/functions/abilities indicate all other processes given below. APA definition of cognitionThe American Psychological Association defines cognition as “all forms of knowing and awareness, such as perceiving, conceiving, remembering, reasoning, judging, imagining, and problem-solving.” Along with affect (emotions) and conation (motivation, intent), it is one of the three traditionally identified components of the mind. List of cognitive functions, processes, abilities, and related conceptsYou can view the following terms as cognitive processes (the smaller units of cognition) as well as cognitive abilities (overall competence in a type of cognitive process). These are examples of cognition in a holistic sense – a person’s overall cognitive capacity. Genetic tendencies, biological make-up, past learning and experience, expectations, skills, expertise, motivation, emotions, sleep, diet, well-being, etc. influence these.
To simplify many aspects of cognition, researchers classify cognition as hot cognition and cold cognition. Hot cognition involves emotions and motivation. Cold cognition is more neutral, raw information processing. Within both these categories, all facets of cognition are roughly divided into 4 categories: Sensory-Perceptual processes, Attention, Memory, and Executive functions (cognitive control). The executive functionsFurther down the cognitive assembly lies a core set of cognitive processes called the Executive functions (cognitive control) that help us guide, plan, initiate, stop, monitor, and modify our interactions with the outside world and the inside world. This is like a management team or the “executive system” for all aspects of cognition and behavior. Definition: According to Raymond C.K. Chan, David Shum, Timothea Toulopoulou, Eric Y.H. Chen “Executive functions” is an umbrella term for functions such as planning, working memory, inhibition, mental flexibility, as well as the initiation and monitoring of action. Executive functions are flexible, goal-directed, and adaptive cognitive functions. They are usually most engaged in novel, challenging situations. The executive functions help us bring ideas into awareness and think. They help us have meaningful conversations. The core executive functionsThe core executive functions work together, not in isolation.
While traditional views look at attentional control or executive attention as a small component of the other 3 executive functions, some researchers argue attention (or focus) is another executive function. These core cognitive functions (or executive functions) help us build higher-order executive functions by drawing additional “resources” from our previous learning & memory. So Higher-order executive functions are a combination of the core executive functions which use “knowledge” units from what we have already learned or can remember. These knowledge units include everything from language, experiences, memories, expectations, and emotions. One example of higher-order executive functioning is browsing Amazon and choosing the best product to buy. It uses working memory, inhibitory control to not impulse-buy, attentional control to keep track of what’s important, self-regulation to deal with your budget, cognitive flexibility to compare different products, and rely on past learning such as an experience with a brand and memories of conversations with friends regarding recommendations. The higher-order executive functions
Adele Diamond developed a model of executive functions. You can read the original paper here or refer to the diagram below (also from the paper). Intelligence, skill, and learning through top-down and bottom-up processesAccording to Adele, fluid intelligence – a type of intelligence that describes one’s ability to think, plan, and reason – is the same as the higher-order executive functions. The other aspect of intelligence called crystallized intelligence is more about your experiences and past learning. They are both related but different based on the role executive functions play. Neuroimaging studies show that people who do well in new tasks that require executive functions have high activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex. But when the tasks get familiar, the ones who perform the best use the lateral prefrontal cortex the least. So when the task is familiar, the need for executive functions drops. We can view some executive functions as a Top-Down control system where we exert executive control (top) on the information or work we are doing (down). If a task is new or someone is learning a new skill or learning a new topic, top-down control can be helpful. But for those who have practiced a lot and have the experience, top-down control can hamper performance. Once learning takes place, it becomes automatic with new neural connections dedicated to that learning. So a top-down approach interferes with it by overriding past learning. This is why experts and skilled people can rely on their gutfeel and perform well but asking them to monitor and evaluate their process can hamper their performance. Just like “Top-Down” processes, some executive functions rely on a Bottom-Up approach. The core executive functions of “attentional control” and “inhibition” often depend on features of the stimuli like size and shape. (stimuli is anything that has the potential to modify mental activity.) Distractions, overwhelming sensations, random repetitive thoughts, etc. exert bottom-up control over our cognition. Bottom-Up control and Top-Down control are rarely isolated from each other. For example, while studying, loud sounds can exert Bottom-Up control, and then other cognitions like remembering your goals can exert Top-Down control and remove distractions. Intelligence is made from many layers of cognition and cognitive abilities like reasoning, verbal skills, planning, logic, and mathematics. Intelligence isn’t a single stand-alone “module” because multiple types of intelligence like musical intelligence, social intelligence, and practical intelligence are built from the same cognitive functions or executive functions Help me run this site with a donation :) Deeper layers of cognitionThe deepest layer of cognition is abstract and full of theoretical cognitive structures that explain all forms of cognition. These include sensory abstraction, cross-modal correspondence, estimations, simulations/predictions, smallest bits of data and how it transforms, cooperation and competition between sensory inputs, conversion of sensory inputs to perception, etc. These layers of cognition aren’t necessarily a hierarchy. They have feedback loops between each other, and they often work as a whole system. Usually, along with factors like behavior, emotions, environment, society, instinct, and genetics. Such as intelligence and creativity. Cognition, especially as a system that connects reality to the inner mental space, is a big part of understanding consciousness. What are cognitive abilities?Cognitive abilities are cognitive processes and groups of cognitive processes that can be measured in a meaningful way. In easy words, everything under cognition can be a cognitive ability if you can measure it for practical benefits. Cognitive abilities can be improved, so they are cognitive “skills.” See how you can cognitively train to play the guitar better. How are cognitive abilities measured?Usually, most cognitive abilities are measured through tests that require a person to do a task which indicates a person’s cognitive capacity. For example, the digit span task measures working memory for numbers. In that task, a person is asked to recall a sequence of digits and scored on accuracy, errors, and time. More complex cognitive abilities include the measurement of short-term memory as well as attentional control and interference inhibition. One such task is the n-back task where a person has to remember symbols that appeared n rounds ago. In a series of random pictures, one would need to indicate when a particular photo appeared 2 rounds ago. This task can get more complex through distractions or by asking a person to report images seen 5 rounds ago. Musical ability, mathematical ability, verbal ability, reasoning, pattern-matching, problem-solving, etc., are higher-order cognitive abilities that involve all of the core executive functions as well as previous learning and memory. Cognitive abilities are like higher-order executive functions applied to a specific theme. Intelligence tests and creativity tests are combinations of multiple cognitive abilities. So are tests like the Gibson test of cognitive abilities. More common examples: Cognitive reflections test, Weschler’s intelligence tests, Stanford-Binet tests, Stroop tests, Raven’s progressive matrices. Where does cognition happen in the brain?The current theories look at the whole cerebral cortex (the folded region of the brain) as the primary area of cognition. It is divided into 4 broad theme-based regions.
Memory + learning, on the other hand, is widely distributed across the brain. The current understanding is that all forms of neural changes account for various types of learning and memory: Long-term memory, knowledge of facts, smells, song lyrics, skills, language, etc. Memory is like a vast network of densely connected “features.” For example, the spreading activation model of memory describes memory as millions of multi-colored spider webs with each color representing closely related information and each intersection representing individual “units of memory.” A rough neurobiological hierarchy exists for cognitive functions. Cognition, broadly speaking, is our brain’s information processing ability. With that in mind, perception and sensation is a rapid form of information processing. It typically occurs in sub-cortical and posterior cortical regions. Attention works on all levels of processing. Higher-order executive functions like decision-making and problem-solving are a more complex form of information processing that works on pre-processed information in more evolutionarily young cortical regions. Research in cognition usually moves toward grounding measurable abilities in identifiable neurobiological circuits. What are cognitive resources?A number of psychological theories use the word “cognitive resources” to explain away some unknown “demand”. For example, a positive mood can enable more cognitive resources. Or curiosity and fun increase cognitive resources for learning. So what exactly are cognitive resources?
Apart from these, cognitive resources also refer to the deepest layer of cognition we discussed in the previous section. Those cognitive structures aren’t necessarily meaningful but can be useful in current processing. For example, spontaneous thoughts that pop into an idle brain can help with creativity because the default mode network accesses large amounts of brain networks that may represent useful knowledge. What do cognitive psychologists and cognitive scientists do?Cognitive psychologists study the mind at various levels of cognition, usually through carefully conducted experiments that tease out a particular process. They then create “models of cognitive processes” based on that data. Theories of memory and learning have a direct influence on applications like education, artificial intelligence, marketing, advertisements, therapy, mental health, and rehabilitation. Check out these therapy insights based on cognition. Learning, memory, intelligence, decision-making, cognitive biases, and creativity are some of the most commonly studied cognitive phenomena since the popularity it gained in the 1940s and 50s. This popular thrust was an intellectual movement called the cognitive revolution. It began to uncover the secrets of the mind and the processes within. Cognitive psychologists usually take up academic and R&D positions after earning a Ph.D. Other psychologists and scientists focus on aspects of cognition based on their areas of interest like music, UI/UX, product design, education, artificial intelligence, sports, self-help, leadership, etc. Everything about humans can have a cognitive perspective, even artificial intelligence and theology. Related areas: Linguistics, cognitive science, computing, cognitive neuroscience, neuroscience, social psychology, philosophy, mathematics, artificial intelligence, animal cognition, and education. Hypocognition and HypercognitionWhen we don’t have the cognitive tools, or we lack the words to understand something, we are in hypocognition. In hypocognition, we do not possess the mental tools to comprehend or perceive something. For example, many people were in a state of medical hypocognition before the COVID pandemic began. We are also in a state of hypocognition to speak about consciousness. When we overapply a cognitive structure where it isn’t appropriate, we are in a state of hypercognition. For example, applying metaphors like “finding myself” to a physically, uniquely located you. With this post, I hope you are no longer hypocognitive about cognition:) Hey! Thank you for reading; hope you enjoyed the article. I run Cognition Today to paint a holistic picture of psychology. My content here is referenced in Forbes, CNET, Entrepreneur, Lifehacker, a few books, academic courses, and research papers. I’m an applied psychologist from Bangalore, India. Love sci-fi, horror media; Love rock, metal, synthwave, and pop music; can’t whistle; can play the guitar. Help me run this site with a donation :) What are the 7 cognitive processes?Cognitive processes may include attention, perception, reasoning, emoting, learning, synthesizing, rearrangement and manipulation of stored information, memory storage, retrieval, and metacognition.
What are the major cognitive processes?Cognition includes basic mental processes such as sensation, attention, and perception. Cognition also includes complex mental operations such as memory, learning, language use, problem solving, decision making, reasoning, and intelligence.
What are the 5 cognitive processes?The steps involved in cognitive processing include attention, language, memory, perception, and thought.
How many types of cognitive processes are there?Within both these categories, all facets of cognition are roughly divided into 4 categories: Sensory-Perceptual processes, Attention, Memory, and Executive functions (cognitive control).
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