Cognitive ability
Cognitive Ability
Cognitive ability or cognitive function refers to a person's mental capacity to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience. It is not merely book learning, a narrow academic skill, or test-taking smarts. Rather, it reflects a broader and deeper capability for comprehending our surroundings—"catching on," "making sense" of things, or "figuring out" what to do.
Pronunciation
Cognitive: /kɒɡnɪtɪv/ Ability: /əˈbɪlɪti/
Etymology
The term "cognitive" comes from the Latin word "cognoscere", which means "to know" or "to recognize". "Ability", on the other hand, originates from the Old French "abilete", which means "suitability, excellence, virtue".
Related Terms
- Cognition: The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.
- Intelligence: The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
- Memory: The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.
- Attention: The behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on a discrete aspect of information, whether deemed subjective or objective, while ignoring other perceivable information.
- Perception: The organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment.
- Language: A system of communication used by a particular community or country.
See Also
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