# cognition

> mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses

**Wikidata**: [Q2200417](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2200417)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognition)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/cognition

## Summary
Cognition is the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. It encompasses a range of mental functions — such as perception, attention, recall, learning, planning, and orientation — that organize and use information about the environment and oneself.

## Key Facts
- Cognition is defined as the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses (wikidata_description).
- Wikipedia title: "Cognition" (wikipedia_title).
- Aliases include GO:0050890, cognitive abilities, cognitive ability, cognitive process, and human cognition.
- Sitelink count for the cognition entity: 90.
- Cognition contains (is composed of) the following subsidiary processes:
  - perception — organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information to represent and understand the environment in the brain (sitelink_count: 86).
  - attention — behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on a discrete aspect of information while ignoring other perceivable information (sitelink_count: 85).
  - recall — retrieval of events or information from the past (sitelink_count: 33).
  - learning — process of acquiring new knowledge (sitelink_count: 124).
  - planning — process of determining the activities required to achieve a desired goal (sitelink_count: 58).
  - orientation — function of the mind involving awareness of three dimensions: time, place and person (sitelink_count: 12).
- Cognition is listed as part of or closely related to these parent or broader concepts:
  - cognitive process (sitelink_count: 12).
  - intelligence — described as a mental faculty (sitelink_count: 117).
  - reading — cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning; a form of language processing (sitelink_count: 116).
  - rumination — persistent thinking that causes worry and distress (sitelink_count: 20).
  - motivated reasoning — form of cognitive bias where a decision is based on supporting a desired outcome rather than the preponderance of evidence (sitelink_count: 9).
  - reflective practice — ability to reflect on one's actions to engage in continuous learning (sitelink_count: 7).
  - social cognition — information processing about social situations (sitelink_count: 25).
  - categorization — cognitive process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood (sitelink_count: 29).
  - metacognition — higher-order thinking skills including knowledge about cognition and regulation of cognition (sitelink_count: 39).
  - cognitive distortion — exaggerated or irrational thought patterns involved in psychopathology (sitelink_count: 22).
  - executive disfunction — difficulty accessing executive functions such as organization, planning ahead, and self-monitoring (sitelink_count: 9).
  - sensory processing — organization of sensory information from the body and external world (sitelink_count: 15).
  - situation awareness — perception of environmental elements and events, comprehension of their meaning, and projection of their future status (sitelink_count: 17).
  - animal cognition — intelligence of non-human animals (sitelink_count: 28).
  - mental calculation — arithmetical calculations using only the human brain (sitelink_count: 33).
  - volition — cognitive process by which an individual decides on and commits to a particular course of action (sitelink_count: 27).
  - number sense — ability to understand or manipulate numbers (sitelink_count: 9).
  - distributed cognition — psychological theory (sitelink_count: 5).
  - embodied cognition — interdisciplinary theory (sitelink_count: 19).
  - awareness — state or ability to perceive, feel, or be conscious of events, objects, or sensory patterns (sitelink_count: 34).
  - reality testing — psychotherapeutic function evaluating the objective world and one's relation to it (sitelink_count: 8).
  - memorialization — process of preserving memories of people or events (sitelink_count: 10).
  - mental disability — impairment in thinking (sitelink_count: 7).
  - plant cognition — proposed cognition of plants (sitelink_count: 10).
- Related concepts and contexts associated with cognition include:
  - biological process — processes relevant to functioning of integrated living units (sitelink_count: 30).
  - academic discipline — an academic field of study or profession (sitelink_count: 50).
  - field of study — specialization in a branch of learning or occupation (sitelink_count: 12).
- Related people and items listed with cognition:
  - Andrew Targowski — Polish computer scientist; birth date 1937-10-09; occupations listed include computer scientist and engineer; additional occupation entry lists tennis player; citizenship: Poland; sitelink_count: 5. (birth_date references included in source).
  - Rafael E. Núñez — described as an American mathematician; occupations listed in source as , , , , ; citizenship: Q30; sitelink_count: 5.
  - fall of man — in Christianity, the transition of the first man and woman from innocent obedience to guilty disobedience (sitelink_count: 43).
- Specific subsidiary "attention" appears both in the "Contains / Subsidiaries" list and again in the "Part of / Parent" list (sitelink_count: 85 in both occurrences).

## FAQs
Q: What is cognition?
A: Cognition is the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.

Q: What major mental processes make up cognition?
A: Cognition includes perception, attention, recall, learning, planning, and orientation; each is a distinct process for organizing, selecting, retrieving, acquiring, determining, or situating information about the world or oneself.

Q: How is cognition related to intelligence and other higher-order concepts?
A: Cognition is listed as part of broader concepts such as cognitive process and intelligence (described as a mental faculty). It also connects to metacognition, reflective practice, and social cognition as higher-order or socially contextualized forms of information processing.

Q: In what academic or disciplinary contexts does cognition appear?
A: Cognition appears across biological process frameworks, academic disciplines, and specific fields of study, reflecting its relevance to life sciences, psychology, education, and interdisciplinary research.

Q: Who are some individuals or topics linked to cognition in the source material?
A: The source lists Andrew Targowski (Polish computer scientist, born 1937-10-09) and Rafael E. Núñez (American mathematician). It also links to conceptual topics such as the fall of man in Christianity.

Q: Can cognition be impaired or distorted?
A: Yes. The parent/related list includes cognitive distortion and mental disability, and executive disfunction is noted as difficulty accessing executive functions like planning and self-monitoring.

Q: Are non-human and non-animal forms of cognition mentioned?
A: Yes. The source references animal cognition (non-human animals) and plant cognition (a proposed form of cognition in plants).

## Why It Matters
Cognition is foundational to how organisms and humans in particular perceive, interpret, and act in the world. It structures the processes by which sensory input becomes organized knowledge (perception), how attention selects what matters, and how learning and recall change and use information over time. Because cognition links directly to intelligence, reading, social processing, decision-making (volition, motivated reasoning), and higher-order regulation of thought (metacognition, reflective practice), it underpins education, clinical assessment, human-computer interaction, and theories in psychology and neuroscience. Cognition also frames discussions of dysfunctions (executive disfunction, cognitive distortion), the boundaries of non-human and plant intelligence, and interdisciplinary theories (distributed and embodied cognition), making it central to both basic science and applied fields that address how beings understand and adapt to their environments.

## Notable For
- Being defined explicitly as the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses (canonical definition).
- Encompassing a broad set of subsidiary processes with concise definitions: perception, attention, recall, learning, planning, and orientation.
- Appearing as both a component of and being integrated into multiple broader concepts, including intelligence, reading, metacognition, social cognition, and categorization.
- Having standardized aliases and ontology identifiers, including GO:0050890 and the terms cognitive abilities, cognitive ability, cognitive process, and human cognition.
- Connecting to a wide set of related concepts spanning biological processes, academic disciplines, and fields of study, reflecting its interdisciplinary reach.
- Inclusion of both traditional subjects (animal cognition, mental calculation, number sense) and more speculative areas (plant cognition, distributed cognition, embodied cognition).

## Body

### Definition and Core Description
- Cognition is identified as the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.
- The entity is represented on Wikipedia under the title "Cognition" and has a sitelink_count of 90 in the provided dataset.
- Recognized aliases include GO:0050890, cognitive abilities, cognitive ability, cognitive process, and human cognition.

### Contained Processes (Subsidiaries)
Cognition is described as containing specific subsidiary mental processes. Each subsidiary is given with its definition and sitelink_count where provided.
- Perception (sitelink_count: 86): The organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information to represent and understand the environment in the brain.
- Attention (sitelink_count: 85): A behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on a discrete aspect of information while ignoring other perceivable information.
- Recall (sitelink_count: 33): The retrieval of events or information from the past.
- Learning (sitelink_count: 124): The process of acquiring new knowledge.
- Planning (sitelink_count: 58): The process of determining the activities required to achieve a desired goal.
- Orientation (sitelink_count: 12): A function of the mind involving awareness of three dimensions: time, place and person.

### Parent Concepts and Broader Relationships
Cognition sits within a network of broader and related concepts. The source lists numerous parent or "part of" relationships, many with brief descriptions:
- Cognitive process (sitelink_count: 12): Cognition is part of the general category of cognitive processes.
- Intelligence (sitelink_count: 117): Classified in the source as a mental faculty; cognition is closely associated with or a component of intelligence.
- Reading (sitelink_count: 116): Reading is characterized as a cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning; cognition encompasses and supports reading as a form of language processing.
- Rumination (sitelink_count: 20): Persistent thinking causing worry or distress — listed as related to cognition.
- Motivated reasoning (sitelink_count: 9): A cognitive bias where decisions are influenced by desired outcomes rather than evidence.
- Reflective practice (sitelink_count: 7): Ability to reflect on one's actions to engage in continuous learning; positioned as related to cognitive regulation.
- Social cognition (sitelink_count: 25): Cognitive processing of social situations is a listed parent/related domain.
- Categorization (sitelink_count: 29): The cognitive process recognizing, differentiating, and understanding ideas and objects.
- Metacognition (sitelink_count: 39): Higher-order thinking including knowledge about cognition and regulation of cognition.
- Cognitive distortion (sitelink_count: 22): Exaggerated or irrational thought patterns tied to psychopathology.
- Executive disfunction (sitelink_count: 9): Difficulty accessing executive functions like organization and planning — directly relevant to cognitive control.
- Sensory processing (sitelink_count: 15): Organization of sensory information; closely linked with perception.
- Situation awareness (sitelink_count: 17): Perception and comprehension of environmental elements and projection of future status.
- Animal cognition (sitelink_count: 28): Intelligence of non-human animals, indicating cognition is studied beyond humans.
- Mental calculation (sitelink_count: 33): Performing arithmetic mentally; a domain of cognitive skill.
- Volition (sitelink_count: 27): The cognitive process of deciding and committing to actions.
- Number sense (sitelink_count: 9): Cognitive ability to understand or manipulate numbers.
- Distributed cognition (sitelink_count: 5): A psychological theory situating cognitive processes across people, tools, and environments.
- Embodied cognition (sitelink_count: 19): An interdisciplinary theory linking cognition to bodily interactions.
- Awareness (sitelink_count: 34): State or ability to perceive, feel, or be conscious; tightly related to cognitive states.
- Reality testing (sitelink_count: 8): Psychotherapeutic function evaluating the objective world and one's relation to it.
- Memorialization (sitelink_count: 10): Process of preserving memories, linked to recall and collective cognition.
- Mental disability (sitelink_count: 7): Impairment in thinking; cognition is central to assessments of such impairments.
- Plant cognition (sitelink_count: 10): Proposed cognition of plants; signals an expansion of cognition concepts beyond animals.

Note: The entity "attention" appears both as a contained subsidiary and again in the "part of/parent" list, each time with sitelink_count 85.

### Related Concepts, Disciplines, and Contexts
- Biological process (sitelink_count: 30): Cognition is contextualized within biological processes relevant to living systems.
- Academic discipline (sitelink_count: 50): Cognition is a subject of formal academic disciplines.
- Field of study (sitelink_count: 12): The study of cognition constitutes distinct fields and specializations.

### Related People and Topics
The source links specific people and cultural/religious topics to cognition in the "related" list.
- Andrew Targowski (sitelink_count: 5): Identified as a Polish computer scientist. Birth date given as 1937-10-09 with source reference pointers in the raw data. Additional occupations recorded in the source entries include engineer and tennis player; citizenship: Poland.
- Rafael E. Núñez (sitelink_count: 5): Described as an American mathematician in the related list. Occupation entries in the source are provided as identifiers (Q-codes) and citizenship Q30 (United States).
- Fall of man (sitelink_count: 43): Included as a related conceptual topic; described as the Christian account of the transition from innocent obedience to guilty disobedience for the first man and woman.

### Structured Properties and Identifiers
- Aliases: GO:0050890; cognitive abilities; cognitive ability; cognitive process; human cognition.
- sitelink_count for cognition: 90.
- wikipedia_title: Cognition.
- wikidata_description: mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.

### Theoretical and Applied Extensions
- Distributed cognition and embodied cognition are named as theories that extend how cognition is conceptualized beyond individual internal processes. These theories indicate interdisciplinary frameworks that link cognition with environment, tools, and bodily processes.
- Metacognition and reflective practice indicate regulatory or self-monitoring layers built upon primary cognitive processes like learning and planning.
- Clinical and pathological perspectives are represented through links to cognitive distortion, executive disfunction, and mental disability, signaling areas where cognition is assessed for dysfunction or impairment.

### Domains and Abilities
- Numerical abilities are represented through mental calculation and number sense as specific cognitive skill domains.
- Social and situational processing appears in social cognition and situation awareness entries, emphasizing cognition's role in interpersonal and environmental comprehension.
- Sensory and memory processes are captured by perception, sensory processing, recall, and memorialization.

### Summary of Scope
- The source frames cognition as a broad umbrella covering sensory organization, attention selection, memory retrieval, learning mechanisms, goal-directed planning, and orientation to time/place/person.
- It situates cognition both as constituent processes and as part of larger constructs like intelligence, reading, and various cognitive theories and disorders.
- The provided related people and thematic links highlight cognition's intersections with computer science, mathematics, and cultural-religious topics.

(End of entry.)

## References

1. Gene Ontology release 2019-10-07
2. Integrated Authority File
3. Gene Ontology release 2022-07-01
4. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
5. BBC Things
6. YSO-Wikidata mapping project
7. UMLS 2023
8. Quora
9. National Library of Israel
10. KBpedia
11. Research Vocabularies Australia
12. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)