higher cognitive process
Definition
Noun: A higher cognitive process is a mental operation that involves complex thinking. These processes require and utilize existing knowledge to perform tasks such as solving problems, making decisions, or creating new ideas. They go beyond basic sensory perception or simple memory recall.
Examples of Usage
- Reasoning is a higher cognitive process essential for scientific discovery.
- Critical thinking and creative problem-solving are both considered higher cognitive processes.
- The study aimed to understand which higher cognitive processes are most affected by sleep deprivation.
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in academic contexts like psychology, neuroscience, and education to distinguish advanced mental functions from more automatic ones.
- It can be discussed in the singular form when referring to the general concept or a specific type of process, and in the plural form when referring to multiple such operations.
Variants and Related Words
- Cognition (n): The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. Higher cognitive processes are a subset of cognition.
- Executive Function (n): A related set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. These are often considered a core group of higher cognitive processes.
- Metacognition (n): Awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes—"thinking about thinking." This is itself a higher cognitive process.
Synonyms
- Complex reasoning
- Advanced thought
- Higher-order thinking
Related Phrases
- Higher-order cognitive skill: A phrase often used interchangeably with "higher cognitive process," emphasizing its advanced, learned nature.
- Lower cognitive process: A contrasting term referring to more basic, often automatic mental operations like pattern recognition or simple memory retrieval.
Noun
-
cognitive processes that presuppose the availability of knowledge and put it to use
