By Attention, memory, and cognitive flexibility are essential components of intelligence. Explore these and other tools we use to adapt to the world around us.
Cognitive skills are the tools of your mind that help you understand, learn, and solve. They allow you to understand the world around you and make smart decisions in it.
Among the most important ones, we find abilities such as attention, language, reasoning and decision-making. Join us to investigate each one.
Cognitive skills: essential for processing information from our environment
We are part of an environment saturated with information . Stimuli, images, sensations surround us constantly. In this context , the skills that allow us to absorb all this data and know what to do with it come into play .
Cognitive psychology compares the human mind to a computer . Both systems receive, encode, store, manipulate and transform information to generate responses and actions.
With the above in mind, cognitive abilities are the basis of our learning and how we process and respond to what we experience in life.
What are basic cognitive skills?
Basic cognitive skills are the foundations on which more advanced skills are built. They develop earlier and provide the basis for learning and functioning in daily life. Let’s explore the most important ones.
1. Attention
It is the ability to concentrate on specific stimuli, while filtering out distractions. For example, when you read a book and ignore the sounds coming from outside to concentrate on the plot, you employ this skill. Now, although attention can be sustained , it is not infinite . It is like a battery that runs out with use and needs to be recharged through breaks.
2. Language
It is one of the most distinctive characteristics of human beings. It is our unique ability to understand and communicate through speech, writing, gestures and even sign language . Through systems of signs and sounds, we interact with each other and share ideas, emotions and concepts.
3. Perception
We take in information from the world around us and make sense of it in our brains through perception . For example, when you look at and touch an apple, you not only identify its shape, color, and texture, but you also recognize that it is an edible fruit.
4. Memory
Memory is the cognitive function that allows us to retain, store and retrieve information. It is essential for learning, decision-making and building our identity and personal experience. There are different types of memory , each with a specific function.
More complex cognitive skills
Compared to basic cognitive abilities, more complex cognitive abilities involve more sophisticated mental processes and may require a higher level of experience, knowledge or maturity. Let’s look at the following ones.
5. Reasoning
Our reasoning is the most complex among all species. Therefore, our ability to think logically, analyze information and draw conclusions is considerably more advanced compared to other animals. Thinking can be inductive, deductive or hypothetico-deductive.
An interesting fact: as suggested by research published in the Journal of Science and Research , practice in solving mathematical problems is essential for the development of our reasoning, as well as other cognitive skills.
6. Executive functions
These are a set of higher cognitive abilities . If our mind is an orchestra, the executive functions are the conductor. They supervise and coordinate different mental processes to achieve goals and objectives. Some of them are the ones we will detail below.
Planning
Planning is like making a map to get where you want to go. This ability involves setting goals, designing an action plan to achieve them, and organizing the necessary resources. For example, if you want to take a trip, you would plan how much money you need, how much you can save each month, and how to do it.
Metacognition
Through metacognitive ability we recognize what we know (our strengths) and what we don’t (our areas for improvement), which is valuable for the process of ” learning to learn .” For example, you might notice that you are easily distracted while studying, so you decide to change your environment to improve your concentration.
decision making
It involves thinking through options, evaluating the consequences, and choosing the best alternative based on our goals and values. We face decisions every day, from what we eat for breakfast to choosing a career or how to handle a relationship.
Cognitive flexibility
Cognitive flexibility allows us to shift gears depending on what we need. It allows us to adapt to new situations and modify our strategy when something doesn’t work. Not only that, it also gives us the ability to recognize and accept points of view different from our own and tolerate diversity.
Troubleshooting
We’re talking about spotting a problem and using our lateral, logical, or creative thinking to find possible solutions. For example, if we lost our house keys, we might try hard to remember where we left them, consider alternative ways to get into the house, or come up with an improvised solution, such as asking a neighbor for help.
Emotional self-regulation
Although not cognitive per se, the way we process, interpret and respond to emotions involves cognitive processes. Thus, emotional self-regulation includes skills such as emotional awareness, frustration tolerance and impulse control.
How do cognitive skills intervene in daily activities?
All of these capabilities work together to help us function in our daily lives. From the simplest, most mundane tasks to the largest problems, we require these skills to learn, interact, make decisions, and achieve our goals.
Without them, it would be impossible to function in a world full of challenges and opportunities. Our success in life, whether at work, in studies or in personal relationships, depends largely on how developed these faculties are.
There is always room for improvement!
It is important to note that in some cases, organic or environmental factors limit the ability to improve certain cognitive skills. However, in most cases, with the right strategies, resources and support, it is possible to boost cognitive development.
You could try puzzles or logic games to improve your reasoning and problem-solving, make changes to your routine to strengthen your cognitive flexibility, or take part in debates to improve your public speaking and communication skills. These skills are like muscles: the more you exercise them, the stronger they become.