Cognition

What is Cognition?

Cognition encompasses a broad range of mental processes, including perception, attention, memory, learning, decision-making, problem-solving, reasoning, and language use. Definitions from various academic and authoritative perspectives highlight the complexity and multifaceted nature of cognition.

Authoritative Definitions

American Psychological Association (APA): "The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses," covering processes like perception, attention, memory, language, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Ulric Neisser (1967): "All processes by which the sensory input is transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered, and used." This includes the reception of sensory input and how we interpret and act upon this information.

Sternberg and Sternberg (2016): "The set of all mental abilities and processes related to knowledge: attention, memory & working memory, judgment & evaluation, reasoning & 'computation,' problem-solving & decision-making, comprehension & production of language, etc."

Eysenck and Keane (2015): "The acquisition, storage, transformation, and use of knowledge," focusing on how cognitive processes underpin everything from basic sensory perception to complex decision-making.

Gazzaniga, Ivry, and Mangun (2014): "The collection of mental processes and activities used in perceiving, remembering, thinking, and understanding, as well as the act of using those processes," integrating neural mechanisms that support cognitive functions.

Lachman, Lachman, and Butterfield (1979): "Processes by which the external world is internally represented; this includes perception, memory, concept formation, and language."

APA Dictionary of Psychology: "All forms of knowing and awareness, such as perceiving, conceiving, remembering, reasoning, judging, imagining, and problem-solving. It involves the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment, and reasoning, as contrasted with emotional and volitional processes."

Merriam-Webster Dictionary: "The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses," encompassing processes like attention, memory, and reasoning.

Encyclopedia of Neuroscience: "The set of mental processes that underlie perception, attention, memory, decision-making, problem-solving, and language comprehension. These processes are essential for acquiring, retaining, and applying knowledge."

Jean Piaget (1952): Cognition is "the means by which organisms adapt to their environment, through the processes of assimilation and accommodation, leading to intellectual growth."

References

• American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Cognition. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/cognition
• Eysenck, M. W., & Keane, M. T. (2015). Cognitive psychology: A student’s handbook (7th ed.). Psychology Press.
• Gazzaniga, M. S., Ivry, R. B., & Mangun, G. R. (2014). Cognitive neuroscience: The biology of the mind (4th ed.). W.W. Norton & Company.
• Lachman, R., Lachman, J. L., & Butterfield, E. C. (1979). Cognitive psychology and information processing: An introduction. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Cognition. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cognition
• Neisser, U. (1967). Cognitive psychology. Appleton-Century-Crofts.
• Piaget, J. (1952). The origins of intelligence in children. International Universities Press.
• Squire, L. R., & Kandel, E. R. (2009). Memory: From mind to molecules. Roberts & Company.
• Sternberg, R. J., & Sternberg, K. (2016). Cognitive psychology (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.