Role of Cognition and Thought in Learning

Learning is an essential part of man’s life. Learning is attained through continuous education and acquisition of knowledge pertinent to a man’s daily concerns and activities. Thus, learning is a process of acquiring knowledge and information over time. There are various ways and means of attaining information and knowledge. Some people choose to attend formal education in order to obtain a systematic form of learning. However, learning can also be attained through experiences and observation.

Learning is comprised of various mechanisms that helps perform total learning process. Cognition is one of the relevant mechanisms that are needed in acquiring pertinent knowledge and information. Cognition is a concept that is utilized in various fields. In the field of psychology, cognition refers to the processing of information viewed by the psychologists in human’s psychological functions. It can also be interpreted as gaining perceptions and opinions. The term cognition refers to the various mental processes used to acquire learning.

This includes “gaining knowledge and comprehension, including thinking, knowing, remembering, judging, and problem solving. These are higher-level functions of the brain and encompass language, imagination, perception, and planning” (Wagner, 2008). It also involves various processes of human beings such as learning, attention, memory, thought, perception, problem-solving, reading and concept formation. It is a concept that is very broad and involves abstract processes such as thinking (Ireland On-Line, n. d. ). Cognition also involves adjusting to the internal processes of the external world.

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The adjustment period is accomplished through process of experience and discovery and the assimilation of interaction and the resulting adaptation. The very task of cognition is learning (Alpiner & McCarthy, 2000). Thought, on the other hand, is one of the underlying mechanisms of cognition. It is one of the mental processes that are parts of human cognition. It is a product of mental activity which can be in the form of idea, concept and percept. Cognition and thought play significant roles in the whole learning process.

Cognition is regarded with high value of importance especially during childhood, as majority of the knowledge and information acquired by an individual happens through the early stages of development. It is a part of child’s learning as they move along the various stages of development. Cognition evolves through the entire life p of a person, but the development is rapid during childhood years (Alpiner & McCarthy, 2000). It has been observed that language development in children fails unless they are exposed to language.

Language is an emergent behavior which can be acquired if the person is exposed on the certain aspect of learning. Such input is important in cognition, as cognition is the aspect of mental activity which processes the acquisition of knowledge. Moreover, cognition is an important aspect of the child’s learning. The various underlying mechanisms comprise of the different mental activities of human, which serve as the basic components needed for the successful children’s acquisition of knowledge. Two of these important mechanisms include memory and meaning (Alpiner & McCarthy, 2000).

Thought, as a product of the various mental processes of the human cognition, also plays an important role in learning. Thoughts are the developed ideas, concepts and percepts that resulted from human cognition. Thoughts, therefore, are the views and perceptions of a person about certain things. It adds up on the body of knowledge of a person. Thought and cognition are two of the most important aspects of learning which serve as essential parts of man’s development and growth. Man’s education and learning mainly relies on these vital processes and products.

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