The cognitive is that associated with knowledge.
The cognitive is that which belongs to or is related to knowledge . This, in turn, is the accumulation of information that is available thanks to a learning process or experience .
The current of psychology in charge of cognition is cognitive psychology , which analyzes the procedures of the mind that have to do with knowledge. Its purpose is the study of the mechanisms that are involved in the creation of knowledge, from the simplest to the most complex.
cognitive development
Cognitive development (also known as cognitive development ), for its part, focuses on intellectual procedures and the behaviors that emanate from these processes. This development is a consequence of people's will to understand reality and function in society, which is why it is linked to the natural capacity that human beings have to adapt and integrate into their environment.
The most common way of analyzing data and using cognitive resources is known as cognitive style . It should be noted that this is not linked to intelligence or IQ , but is a factor of personality .
Prejudice and therapy
Another related concept is cognitive bias , a distortion that affects the way a person grasps what is real. At a general level, we speak of cognitive distortions when errors or failures are noticed in the processing of information.
Cognitive therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy , meanwhile, is a form of psychotherapy intervention that focuses on cognitive restructuring , since it considers that the distortions mentioned above produce negative consequences on behaviors and emotions.
Various diseases can cause cognitive impairment.
Cognitive learning
Multiple authors have spoken about cognitive learning, including Piaget, Tolman, Gestalt and Bandura . Everyone agrees that it is the process in which information enters the cognitive system, that is, reasoning, is processed and causes a certain reaction in said person.
As Piaget describes it, the development of intelligence is divided into several parts, these are:
*Sensory motor period : It covers from the birth of the individual until 2 years of age. It is the learning that is carried out through the senses and the possible representations that memory makes of the objects and situations that the individual faces. At this stage imitation is the response to learning .
*Preoperational period : From the age of 2 until reaching the age of 7, the child can analyze things through symbols, hence the importance of children's stories full of practical metaphors that allow the child to become aware of his or her environment. The limitation that exists at this stage is linked to logic, and deferred imitation and language are the ways in which the person reacts to what they learn.
*Period of concrete actions : This stage covers from 7 years to 11 years, it is characterized by the development of the ability to reason through logic but on present and concrete situations, it is not possible yet, according to the age of the child. CI , that the individual makes abstractions to classify his knowledge. In any case, the person is capable of understanding concepts such as time and space, discerning which things belong to reality and which to fantasy. The first approach to understanding morality also occurs at this stage. The reaction to knowledge is logic at the moment the events occur.
*Period of formal operations : From the age of 11 to 15, the individual begins to develop the ability to perform mental tasks for which thinking is needed to formulate hypotheses and achieve resolution to problems. He begins to express interest in human relationships and personal identity .
The deterioration of cognition
Before closing this definition I would be interested in sharing one more point about cognitive. As certain studies have revealed, after the age of 45 a decrease in the functioning of our cognitive system can be seen. It begins with slight forgetfulness, such as the place where we left the house keys or reading a text several times without being able to understand it, etc. They are simple facts that are usually related to abundant stress or a high level of tension or anxiety (in some cases it is just that) but in many cases they are the first symptoms of diseases that will be diagnosed years later, such as Dementia or Alzheimer's .
The way in which scientists can diagnose a person's cognitive impairment is through studies on memory , vocabulary, skills to understand their environment, and the ability to respond to writing and semantic problems.
Cognitive deterioration can take 20 or 30 years to manifest and the triggers can be mental illness, obesity and other disorders that contribute to wear and tear. The medicinal form in which this damage could be prevented is unknown, however it is known that leading a healthy life is the best way in which we can avoid falling into this deterioration or contracting the diseases that are linked to it.