Cognitive Activity in AP Psychology

Definition

Cognitive activity refers to any mental process or thinking activity that involves acquiring, processing, storing, and using information. It includes processes such as perception, attention, memory, language comprehension, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Theoretical Perspectives

Cognitive Activity

Study And Research Findings

Pioneering studies by Miller (1956) on memory capacity and Baddeley & Hitch (1974) on working memory illustrate cognitive processes. Brain imaging research has advanced our understanding of neural substrates underlying cognitive activities.

Related terms

Perception:

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information from our environment.

Attention:

The ability to selectively focus on certain stimuli while ignoring others.

Memory:

The mental capacity to encode, store, and retrieve information over time.