Cognitive abilities are a factor in the development of personality, the transition from ignorance to knowledge. At any age, a person learns something new. He receives the necessary knowledge in various fields and directions, accepting and processing information from the world around him. In childhood and adulthood, cognitive abilities can and should be developed. This will be discussed further.
General definition
Cognitive abilities are the development of the intellect and the processes of mastering knowledge. They find themselves in the process of successfully solving various tasks and problems. Such abilities tend to develop, which determines the degree to which a person masters new knowledge.
Cognitive activity of a person is possible due to the fact that he has the ability to reflect reality for himself in consciousness. Cognitive abilities are the result ofbiological and social evolution of man. Both at a younger and older age, they are based on curiosity. This is a kind of motivation for thinking.
The mental abilities of a person are involved both in cognitive activity and in the processing of information received by our consciousness. Thinking is the perfect tool for this. Cognition and transformation of information are different processes that occur at the mental level. Thinking brings them together.
Cognitive abilities are processes that reflect and translate the material into an ideal plane. When thought penetrates the essence of the object of thought, understanding comes.
Motivation for the implementation of cognitive activity is curiosity. It is a craving for new information. Curiosity is a manifestation of cognitive interest. With its help, both spontaneous and ordered knowledge of the world occurs. This activity is not always safe. This is especially noticeable in childhood.
For example, the cognitive abilities of preschool children are predominantly spontaneous. The child strives for new objects and modes of action, which he subsequently implements, wants to get into a new space. This sometimes leads to problems and difficulties, it can be unsafe. Therefore, adults begin to prohibit this type of activity for the child. Parents may respond inconsistently to a child's curiosity. This leaves an imprint on the behavior of the baby.
Some children will seek to explore even a dangerous object, while others will notwill make a step towards him. Parents must satisfy the baby's craving for new knowledge. Do it in the safest, but most visual way. Otherwise, cognitive abilities will either decrease due to limiting fear, or develop into an uncontrolled process when the child, without the knowledge of his parents, tries to get the information of interest himself. In both cases, this will negatively affect the process of learning the world by the child.
Types of knowledge
Cognitive abilities have been studied by many philosophers, teachers of the past and present. As a result, three types of development of such skills were identified:
- Concrete sensory cognition.
- Abstract (rational) thinking.
- Intuition.
In the course of the development of cognitive and creative abilities, skills of a concrete-sensual nature are acquired. They are also inherent in representatives of the animal world. But in the course of evolution, humans have developed specific sensory-sensitive skills. The sense organs of people are adapted to carry out activities in the macrocosm. For this reason, micro- and mega-worlds are inaccessible to sensory cognition. A person received three forms of reflection of the surrounding reality through such knowledge:
- feelings;
- perception;
- views.
Sensations are a form of sensual reflection of the individual properties of objects, their components or separately taken. Perception means obtaining information about the properties of an object. Like sensation, it arises in the process of interaction with the object under study.
By analyzing sensations, one can single out primary and secondary qualities that are perceived by a person on a sensory level. The result of internal interactions are objective qualities, and dispositional ones are the effect of external interactions. Both of these categories are objective.
Sensations and perception allows you to form an image. Moreover, each of these approaches has certain approaches to its creation. A non-pictorial image creates a feeling, and a pictorial image creates a perception. Moreover, the image does not always coincide with the original object of study, but it always corresponds to it. The image cannot be an exact reflection of the subject. But he is not familiar. The image is consistent and corresponds to the object. Sense experience is therefore limited to situational and personal perception.
In order to expand the boundaries, cognition goes through the stage of representation. This form of sensory reflection allows you to combine images, as well as their individual elements. In this case, it is not required to perform a direct action with objects.
Cognitive abilities are sensory reflections of reality that allow you to create a visual image. This is a representation that allows you to save and, if necessary, reproduce an object in the human mind without direct contact with it. Sensory cognition is the first point in the formation and development of cognitive abilities. With its help, a person can master the concept of an object in practice.
Rational cognition
Abstract thinking or rational knowledge arises in the process of communicative or labor activity of people.
Socio-cognitive abilities develop in a complex way along with thinking and language. There are three forms in this category:
- concept;
- judgment;
- inference.
A concept is the result of the selection of a certain class of generalized objects according to a certain commonality of features. At the same time, judgment is a form of thought process during which concepts are connected, and then something is affirmed or denied. A conclusion is a reasoning in which a new judgment is made.
Cognitive abilities and cognitive activity in the field of abstract thinking has a number of differences from sensory perception:
- The objects reflect their general regularity. In sensory perception, there is no differentiation in individual objects of single or common features. Therefore, they merge into a single image.
- The essential stands out in objects. With sensory reflection, there is no such distinction, since information is perceived in a complex.
- It is possible to construct, on the basis of previous knowledge, the essence of the idea, which is subject to objectification.
- Cognition of reality occurs indirectly. This can happen with the help of sensitive reflection or by inference, reasoning, using special devices.
It is worth noting that cognitive abilities are a symbiosis of rational and sensory perception. They cannot be perceived as eliminated stages of one process, since these processes permeate each other. Sensory-sensitive knowledge is carried out through abstract thinking. And vice versa. Rational knowledge cannot be produced without sensory reflection.
Abstract thinking uses two categories of operating its content. They are expressed in the form of judgments, concepts and conclusions. These categories are understanding and explanation. The second of them provides a transition from general to specific knowledge. Explanations can be functional, structural or causal.
Understanding is related to meaning and meaning, and also involves a number of the following procedures:
- Interpretation. Attributing meaning and meaning to the original information.
- Reinterpretation. Changing or clarifying meaning and meaning.
- Convergence. Combining disparate data.
- Divergence. Separation of the previously single meaning into separate subcategories.
- Conversion. Qualitative modification of meaning and meaning, their radical transformation.
In order for information to move from explanation to understanding, there are many procedures. Such operations provide a multiple process of data transformation, which allows you to move from ignorance to knowledge.
Intuition
The formation of cognitive abilities goes through another stage. This is getting intuitive information. For this manguided by unconscious, instinctive processes. Intuition cannot refer to sensory perception, however they may be related. For example, a sensory-sensitive intuition is the statement that lines that run parallel do not intersect.
Intellectual intuition allows you to penetrate the essence of things. Although the very idea of this process may have a religious and mystical origin, since earlier it was used for direct knowledge of the divine principle. In the rationalism of modern times, this category was recognized as the highest form of knowledge. It was believed that it operates directly with the ultimate categories, the essence of things themselves.
Among the main cognitive abilities in postclassical philosophy, it was intuition that began to be considered as a way of irrational interpretation of objects and phenomena. It had a religious connotation.
Modern science cannot neglect this category, since the fact of the existence of intellectual intuition is confirmed by the experience of natural science creativity, for example, in the works of Tesla, Einstein, Botkin, etc.
Intellectual intuition has several features. The truth is comprehended directly at the essential level of the objects under study, but problems can be solved unexpectedly, the paths are chosen unconsciously, as well as the means of their solution. Intuition is the ability to comprehend the truth through its direct vision without substantiation and evidence.
Such an ability has developed in a person due to the need to take quickdecisions under conditions of incomplete information. Therefore, such a result can be regarded as a probabilistic response to the existing environmental conditions. In this case, a person can acquire both a true and an erroneous statement.
Intuition is formed by several factors that are the result of professional thorough training and deep knowledge of the problem. Search situations develop, search dominants appear as a result of continuous attempts to solve the problem. This is a kind of “hint” that a person receives on the path of knowing the truth.
Categories of intellectual intuition
Considering the concept of cognitive abilities, it is worth paying attention to such a component as intellectual intuition. It has several components and can be:
- Standardized. It is also called intuition-reduction. In the course of comprehending a certain phenomenon, probabilistic mechanisms are used that set their own framework for the process under study. A certain matrix is formed. For example, it can be a correct diagnosis based on external manifestations, without the use of other methods.
- Creative (heuristic). As a result of such cognitive activity, radically new images are formed, knowledge appears that did not exist before. There are two subspecies of intuition in this category. It can be eidetic or conceptual. In the first case, the transition from a concept to a sensual image occurs by means of intuition in leaps and bounds. Conceptual intuition does not generalize the transition to images.
Based on this, a new concept stands out. This is creative intuition, which is a specific cognitive process, which is the interaction of sensory images and abstract thinking. Such a symbiosis leads to the formation of new concepts and knowledge, the content of which cannot be derived through a simple synthesis of old perceptions. Also, new images cannot be derived by operating on existing logical concepts.
Development of cognitive abilities
Cognitive abilities are skills that can and should be developed. This process begins at a very early age. The basis of the entire learning process is the development of cognitive abilities. This is the activity of the child, which he shows in the course of mastering new knowledge.
Preschoolers are distinguished by curiosity, which helps them to learn about the structure of the world. This is a natural need in the course of development. Toddlers not only seek to receive new information, but also deepen their knowledge. They are looking for answers to emerging questions. Cognitive interest should be encouraged and developed by parents. How the baby will learn further depends on this.
The cognitive abilities of preschool children can be developed in many ways. The most effective is reading books. The stories told in them allow the child to learn about the world around them, phenomena that the child cannot actually get acquainted with. It is important to choose books that are appropriate for your baby's age.
So, at 2-3 years old, it is interesting for a child to listen to fairy tales, fantastic stories, stories about nature and animals. When the child grows up a little more, he will identify himself with the main character, so you can read stories about obedient children who adhere to the rules of hygiene, are interested in the phenomena happening around.
Cognitive abilities of a preschool child can be developed in the form of mobile, story games. So he will build relationships with others, interact, be part of a team. The game should teach the child logic, analysis, comparisons, etc.
From the first year of life, children can learn to add pyramids, cubes, puzzles. When a child turns 2 years old, he already masters the skills of interacting with others. The game allows you to socialize, learn partnerships. Classes should be moving and interesting. You need to play with both peers and older children, adults.
At 4-6 years old, a child should be an active participant in outdoor games. Developing physically, the baby sets goals for himself, strives to achieve them. Leisure should be filled with different emotions and impressions. You need to walk more often in nature, attend concerts, performances, circus performances. It is essential to be creative. This instills curiosity and interest in the world that surrounds us. This is the key to the development of personality, learning abilities.
Primary school age
Cognitive abilities of a person of different ages developunequally. This must be taken into account in order to stimulate such activity. At primary school age, the arbitrariness of cognitive abilities develops. Thanks to acquaintance with different disciplines, the horizons of the baby develop. In this process, curiosity, aimed at understanding the world around us, occupies not the last place.
Cognitive abilities of schoolchildren of different ages are not the same. Until the 2nd grade, children love to learn something new about animals, plants. By the 4th grade, kids begin to be interested in history, human development, and social phenomena. But it must be borne in mind that there are individual characteristics of each child. So, for example, cognitive abilities in elementary school in gifted children are stable, and their interests are broad. This is manifested by a passion for different, sometimes completely unrelated objects. It can also be a long-term passion for one subject.
Innate curiosity does not always develop into an interest in knowledge. But this is precisely what is necessary so that the material of the school curriculum is assimilated by the child. The position of a researcher, taken even at preschool age, helps in the primary grades and in the future, facilitating the process of acquiring new knowledge. Independence is formed in the process of searching for information, as well as, importantly, in making decisions.
The cognitive abilities of younger students are manifested in the study of surrounding things, the desire for experiments. The child learns to hypothesizeto ask questions. To interest the student, the learning process must be intense and exciting. He should experience the joy of discovering on his own.
Cognitive autonomy
In the course of the development of cognitive abilities in educational activities, independence is developed. This is a psychological basis that stimulates learning activities, forming interest in the material of the school curriculum. Independent cognitive activity develops in order to solve creative problems. Only in this way knowledge is not superficial, formal. If samples are used, the child quickly loses interest in such activities.
However, in elementary school there is still a large number of such tasks. In the course of assessing the cognitive abilities of children of primary school age in the modern education system, it was found that such an approach of teachers cannot stimulate conscious interest in children. As a result, it is impossible to achieve high-quality assimilation of the material. Schoolchildren are overloaded with tasks, but there is no result from this. According to research, productive self-study keeps students interested in learning for a long time.
This approach to learning allows younger students to achieve their goals. As a result, the acquired knowledge is well fixed, since the student completed the work independently. To achieve the set goals, the student must be active in order to realize his own potential.
One way to stimulate activity and student interest is to use an exploratory approach. It takes the student to a completely different level. He gains knowledge in the course of independent work. This is one of the urgent problems that arises in the modern school. Students should be able to actively participate in the search for answers, to form an active life position.
Principles for developing self-reliance
Cognitive abilities of young schoolchildren are formed on the basis of the development of independence of such activities. This process is effective only if certain principles are followed, on the basis of which the learning process should be built:
- Natural. The problem that the student solves in the course of independent research should be real, relevant. Farfetched, artificiality does not arouse interest in both children and adults.
- Awareness. Problems, objectives and goals, as well as the approach to research should be reflected on.
- Amateur activity. The student masters the course of the research only if he lives this situation, gets his own experience. If you listen to the description of an object many times, you still can not understand its main qualities. Only by seeing it with your own eyes, you can add up your idea of the object.
- Visibility. This principle is best implemented in the field, when the student explores the world not according to the information in the book, but in reality. Moreover, some facts may be distorted in books.
- Cultural conformity. Every culture has a tradition of understanding the world. Therefore, in the course of training, it must be taken into account. This is the feature of interaction that exists in a certain social community.
Cognitive abilities of younger students develop if the problem has personal value. It should correspond to the interests and needs of the student. Therefore, in the course of posing the problem, the teacher must take into account the individual and general age characteristics of children.
It is worth considering that at primary school age, children have unstable cognitive processes. Therefore, the problems posed must be local, dynamic. Forms of cognitive work should be formed taking into account the peculiarities of thinking of children of this age.
What should a teacher be able to do?
The development of a person's cognitive abilities largely depends on the approach of his teacher to the process of organizing this process. To stimulate interest in research activities, the teacher should be able to:
- Create an environment in which the student will be forced to make independent decisions in a polyversion environment. The student will be able to complete the task on the basis of the research work.
- Communication with students should be built in the form of a dialogue.
- Provoking students to have questions, as well as a desire to seek answers to them.
- The teacher must build trusting relationships with students. To do this, resort to an agreement, mutualresponsibility.
- Take into account the interests and motivations of the child and your own.
- Give the student the right to make important decisions for him.
- Educator must develop an open mind. You need to experiment and improvise, look for a solution to the problem together with the students.
