Cognitions are mental activities that deal with knowledge. They encompass psychological processes that acquire, store, retrieve, transform, or otherwise use information. Cognitions are a pervasive part of mental life, helping individuals understand and interact with the world.
Cognitive processes are typically categorized by their function. Perception organizes sensory information about the world, interpreting physical stimuli, such as light and sound, to construct a coherent experience of objects and events. Attention prioritizes specific aspects while filtering out irrelevant information. Memory is the ability to retain, store, and retrieve information, including working memory and long-term memory. Thinking encompasses psychological activities in which concepts, ideas, and mental representations are considered and manipulated. It includes reasoning, concept formation, problem-solving, and decision-making. Many cognitive activities deal with language, including language acquisition, comprehension, and production. Metacognition involves knowledge about knowledge or mental processes that monitor and regulate other mental processes. Classifications also distinguish between conscious and unconscious processes and between controlled and automatic ones.
