PERDEV Hand Outs Cognition

Course Code PERDEV 101
Course Title Understanding the Self

Time Frame Week 5
Topic Cognition, Memory, Intelligence and Human Learning
Introduction
This lesson will discuss the nature of cognition and metacognition, its underlying mechanisms, and how it contributes to
one’s sense of self. This will further tackle the mechanism of human memory and the different types of human
intelligence. An overview of human learning, the factors that contribute to the learning process, and how it shapes the
individual self.
Lesson Review
Write two concepts that you have learned from the previous lesson. Give some descriptions or examples.
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Learning Content: Cognition

People are born with innate capabilities that empower them 10 manage themselves in various settings and
situations. As an individual is born, his or her reactions and reflexes that are developmental milestones are dependent on
the individual's senses. As one grows older, he or she begins to observe the environment, analyze information, make
choices, and behave appropriately according to what the situation warrants. From a sensory-based acquisition of
knowledge, one is led to a more logical and abstract manner of thinking as an individual grows older, evidenced by more
complex tasks and challenges that one is faced with as he or she matures. Even school tasks correspond to the mental
level that students are expected to be in. From the simple counting of numbers and basic mathematical operations,
students in senior high school and college are expected to successfully hurdle through complicated math problems in
algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and the like because of the intellectual competency level these students are expected
to have compared to when they were in grade school. High school and college students are expected to write
compositions, research studies, and other literature that require the use of more advanced mental mechanisms than
what was expected from them when they were just learning to write and read. From these examples, it is observed that
one's mental capacity is evolving in a progressive, sequential manner which is anchored on an individual's biological
development.
Cognition is a crucial part of an individual's development process which influences behavior, just as how behavior
also impacts it, assuming a bi-directional connection. The way information is taboo in and how it is analyzed and
processed is a function of human cognition. Cognition is defined as the complex array of mental processes involved in
remembering, perceiving, thinking, and how these processes are employed (Ashcraft & Radvansky, 2010). It is an
umbrella term to cover all "higher-order" thinking processes. Even something as simple as slicing a piece of cake drinking
a glass of water, reading a book, and taking down notes involve a number of thinking mechanisms. When one is
presented with options, he or she analyzes which among them is the best choice, pursue it, and anticipate the
consequences that come along with. The study of how individuals think and arrive at choices and decisions is relevant
across several points of human development. When one is able to understand how he or she and other people think, he
or she achieves greater understanding of himself or herself and of others.
In the past, people were thought to behave according to how they were conditioned. For instance, a child states
he intends to become a doctor because he was conditioned by his parents to pursue this profession. An adolescent
smoke because of peer pressure. From a behaviorist perspective, behavior manifested is predisposed by the
environment. However, people are not robots; they are not machines that can be manipulated by different factors of the
environment. People are capable of reasoning to manage their behavior. An individual is his or her own agent of behavior
and change. People may be placed in certain environments, exposed to the same people constantly, and drilled
consistently with facts and habits but people have a choice in dealing with all these factors. One is able to make mental
PerDev 101. Understanding the Self Wk. 5

Page 1 representations of what is present around him or her, select which are the most viable options available, and
then act on them. People are overtly and covertly active individuals, constantly moving and constantly processing
information coming from the environment.
Memory
If cognition covers all higher-order thinking processes within an individual, a major focus of its study is the
function of memory. It is the faculty of the mind through which information is acquired and retained for later use.
Memory is often likened to a computer system, where the processes of encoding, storing, and retrieving information
happen continuously. These processes are employed in daily life. When one learns something new and one sees it as
something that be useful, this information is stored in one's memory that can be accessed when the information is
needed again. Just like a computer, human memory is limited within specific conditions; people select information to be
retained and discard those that are deemed irrelevant and useless. Memory can also be corrupted by various factors,
both internal and external to an individual.
Memory functions in three levels: sensory, short-term or working, and long-term memory. Sensory memory is
the level that allows information from the external environment to be perceived by an individual through senses, usually
in the form of chemical and physical stimuli, often with focus and intent. In sensory memory, information can be grasped
even at a split second. However, not all stimuli are perceived by sensory memory; the mind can only accommodate
sensory information that will be useful which is then transferred to one’s short-term memory. When information is
deemed to be useful for the immediate future, it is then transferred to the short-term or working level of memory.
Attention is a critical factor of the transfer of information from sensory to short-term memory.
Short-term or working memory is where information 1s temporarily stored, where information is simultaneously
remembered and is in a readily-available state, typically from 10 to 15 seconds up to one minute. Shortterm memory can
store up to 5-9 items, after which information is discarded if there is no conscious and deliberate effort to retain it. For
example, in reading one tends to hold on to the first statement while reading the next set of statements. When the
reader proceeds to the next paragraph, information from the first statement often decays, unless it is transferred to one’s
long-term memory. Crossing the streets, for instance require one to take note of his or her surroundings and determine
when it is safe to cross. This illustrates short-term memory at work to process information to avoid getting run over. Short
–term memory often absorbs cues that enable the brain to process readily available information.
When there is a deliberate effort to store information and is done consistently and with practice, then this
information is transferred to long-term memory. Information stored in Iong-term memory is often permanent and allows
for repeated retrievals across situations. Learning basic mathematical operations which are addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division, require rehearsal and practice because these are procedures commonly applied in daily life
and are useful for a long time.
Note: For the succeeding topics please refer to the PDF file uploaded in the FB group.
References
Go, Ma. Jocelyn M. & Ramirez, Normaliza C. (2018) Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing, Inc. Edsa South
Triangle, Quezon City.
Macayan, Jonathan V., Junghan, Jasmine P. (2018) Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing, Inc. Edsa South
Brawner, Dalisay G. and Arcega, Annaliza F. (2018) Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing, Inc. Edsa South
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Course Code PERDEV 101

Course Title Understanding the Self

Learning Content: Cognition

PerDev 101. Understanding the Self Wk. 5

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