Have you thought about what the intellect is and how the level of development of the human mind is determined? Agree that a large amount of knowledge does not give the right to talk about high intelligence.

It is rather erudition and possession of a large amount of information. How can one not recall the well-known phrase of Bayard Taylor: "A well-read blockhead is the most annoying kind of fool."

Therefore, arguing that this or that person is really smart, by this it is correct to mean his developed cognitive abilities.

What is cognitive ability

Cognitive abilities are called mental processes in the human body, which are aimed at receiving and processing information, as well as solving problems and generating new ideas. Modern science attaches great importance to the strengthening of these processes.

cognitive psychology(Latin cognitio “knowledge”) is a section that studies cognitive, that is, cognitive processes of the human psyche.

It should be noted that scientists still do not have an unambiguous opinion about what cognitive abilities are.

After all, for example, the ability to manage your emotions does not apply to cognitive abilities. This skill can be called emotional intelligence, and it must be developed separately.

Cognitive abilities include:

• Memory
• Attention
• The senses
• Imagination
• Logical thinking
• Decision making ability

Is it possible to call a person smart if he has well-developed all cognitive abilities? Undoubtedly. After all, such a person is able to make the right decisions.

When thinking, he manages to simultaneously use a creative approach to things. It easily remembers large amounts of information and compares the available data according to the degree of significance.

He can easily concentrate on things, as well as masterfully perceive and read information from the external environment or simply by looking at human behavior.

It is for this reason that cognitive abilities are very important for humans. They represent the base, thanks to which the whole is possible.

All of these cognitive abilities can be developed by almost anyone. At this point in time, there are many techniques and exercises to help improve any of these skills.

Mastering at least one of them has a positive effect on others. For example, concentration is closely related to improved memory.

Improving memory, in turn, has a positive effect on development, as it allows you to form many associations regarding any incoming information.

If a person fully develops cognitive abilities, he can easily enter the so-called flow.

The flow state (eng. flow, lat. influunt) is a mental state in which a person is fully involved in what he is doing, which is characterized by active concentration, full involvement in the process of activity. I must say that this state is well known to most scientists, researchers and inventors.

There are people who manage to be in a state of flow for 24 hours a day. So, for example, British billionaire Richard Branson has an incredibly high level of perception.

Of course, knowledge and erudition are also of great importance when we determine the degree of "smartness" of a person. After all, they make people interesting conversationalists and often extraordinary thinkers.

Therefore, it is important to understand that in addition to the development of cognitive abilities and skills, an intelligent person needs to constantly acquire new knowledge. Thanks to this, you will be able to use your knowledge in a variety of areas, achieving something new and original.

Books for the development of cognitive abilities

If you want to develop your cognitive abilities, then it will be useful for you to familiarize yourself with the following literature.

• Frans Johansson "The Medici Effect"
• Dmitry Gusev "A short course in logic: the art of correct thinking"
• Harry Lorraine "Development of memory and the ability to concentrate"
• Peter Bregman "18 minutes"
• Eberhard Heule "The Art of Concentration: How to Improve Your Memory in 10 Days"
• Dmitry Chernyshev "How people think"
• Michael Mikalko "Rice Storm and 21 More Ways to Think Outside the Box"

We hope that now you not only understand what cognitive abilities are, but also realize the importance of their development. By the way, do you have any habits or methods by which you train your brain? Write about it in the comments.

If you generally like the topic of personal development - subscribe to the site IinterestingFakty.org in any convenient way. It's always interesting with us!

What is "Intellect"?

First of all, let me explain what I mean when I say the word "intelligence". To be clear, I'm not just talking about increasing the amount of facts or bits of knowledge you can accumulate, or what is called crystallized intelligence - it's not training in fluency or memorization - in fact, it's almost the opposite. I'm talking about improving your fluid intelligence, or your ability to memorize new information, store it, then use that new knowledge as a basis for solving the next problem or learning another new skill, and so on.

Now, while short-term memory is not synonymous with intelligence, it is very much related to intelligence. To successfully draw an intelligent conclusion, it is quite important to have a good short-term memory. Thus, to make the most of intelligence, it is worth significantly improving short-term memory - this is, for example, using the best and most modern parts to help the mechanism work at the highest level.

What can be learned from this? This study is significant because it found:

1. Hypothetical intelligence can be trained.
2. Training and subsequent success depend on the dosage, the more you train, the more benefits you get.
3. Everyone can develop their cognitive abilities, regardless of the starting level.
4. Progress can be made by practicing on tasks that don't resemble questions on a test.

How can this research be applied and benefited from?

There is a reason why the n-back task has been so successful in increasing cognitive ability. This training includes the division of attention between competing stimuli, that is, multimodality (one visual stimulus, one auditory stimulus). Here you need to focus on certain details, ignoring inappropriate information, and this helps to improve short-term memory over time, gradually increasing the ability to perceive information effectively in several directions. In addition, the stimulus was constantly switched, so that the phenomenon of "training for test questions" never occurred - each time there was something new. If you have never taken an n-back test, let me tell you about it: it is very difficult. No wonder there are so many cognitive benefits from such an activity.

But let's think from a practical point of view.
Eventually, the cards in the deck or the sounds in the piece will run out (the experiment lasted 2 weeks), so it's not practical to think that if you want to continuously increase your intelligence throughout your life, then one n-back will be enough. Besides, you will get tired of it and stop doing it. I'm sure that's what I would do. Not to mention the time you spend learning this way - we are all very busy all the time! Thus, we should think about how to model the same types of super-efficient multi-modal brain stimulation techniques that can be used in normal life, and still get the maximum benefit in the growth of cognitive thinking.

So, with all this in mind, I have developed five basic elements that will help in the development of fluid intelligence, or cognitive ability. As I have already noted, it is impractical to consistently perform the n-back task or its variations every day for the rest of your life in order to receive cognitive benefits. But what is practical is a lifestyle change that will have the same – and even greater – cognitive benefits. This can be done every day to benefit from intensive all-brain training, and should also translate into benefits for full cognitive functioning.

These five basic principles are:

1. Look for innovation
2. Challenge yourself
3. Think creatively
4. Don't take the easy way
5. Be online

Each of these points is already a great thing in itself, but if you really want to function at the highest possible cognitive level, it is better to do all five points, and as often as possible. In fact, I live by these five principles. If you accept these as fundamental guidelines, then I guarantee that you will make the most of your abilities, surpassing even what you thought you were capable of - all without artificial boost. Great Information: Science confirms these principles with data!

1. Seek innovation

It's no coincidence that geniuses like Einstein were knowledgeable in many fields, or erudite, as we call them. Geniuses are constantly looking for new activities, exploring new areas. This is their personality.

Only one of the "Big Five" traits of the Five Factor Personality Model (Acronym: ODEPR, or Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Pleasantness, and Irritability) is associated with IQ, and that is the Openness to Experience trait. People who have a high level of Openness are constantly looking for new information, new activities, new things to learn - new experiences in general.

When you are looking for innovation, several things happen. First of all, you create new synaptic connections with every new activity you participate in. These connections build on each other, increasing the activity of the nervous system, creating more connections so that new connections are created on their basis - thus, learning occurs.

An area of ​​interest in recent research is neural plasticity as a factor in individual differences in intelligence. Plasticity refers to the number of connections made between neurons and how that affects subsequent connections, and how long those connections last. Basically it means how much new information you are able to take in, and whether you are able to store it by making permanent changes in the brain. Constantly exposing yourself directly to new things helps to put the brain in its original state for learning.

Innovation also triggers the production of dopamine (I mentioned this earlier in other posts), which is not only highly motivating, but also stimulates neurogenesis - the creation of new neurons - and prepares the brain for learning. All you have to do is satisfy your hunger.

Excellent condition for learning = New activity-> release of dopamine-> promotes a more motivated state-> which promotes the recruitment and creation of neurons-> neurogenesis can occur + increase in synaptic plasticity (increase in the number of new nerve connections, or learning).

As a follow-up to Jaggy's study, researchers in Sweden found that after 14 hours of short-term memory training for 5 weeks, there was an increase in the amount of dopamine D1 binding potential in the prefrontal and parietal regions of the brain. This particular dopamine receptor, type D1, is associated with nerve cell growth and development, among other things. This increase in plasticity, allowing for greater anchoring of this receptor, is very helpful in maximizing cognitive functioning.

Follow the point at home: Be "Einstein". Always look for new activities for the mind - expand your cognitive horizons. Learn the tool. Take a painting course. Go to the museum. Read about a new field of science. Be addicted to knowledge.

2. Challenge yourself

There is a huge amount of terrible work written and distributed about how to "train the brain" and "become smarter." When I talk about "brain training games" I mean memory games and speed games, the purpose of which is to increase the speed of information processing, etc.; this includes games such as Sudoku, which are advised to play in "free time" (end the oxymoron, given the development of cognitive abilities). I'm going to debunk some of the stuff you've heard about brain training games before. Here's what I'll tell you: They don't work. Individual learning games don't make you smarter - they make you more proficient at brain learning games.

So, they do have a purpose, but the result won't last long. In order to get something out of these types of cognitive activities, one must turn to the first principle of the search for innovation. Once you master one of these cognitive activities in the brain training game, you should move on to the next challenging activity. Do you understand how to play Sudoku? Excellent! Now move on to the next type of stimulating games. There has been research that supports this logic.

A few years ago, scientist Richard Hayer wanted to know if it was possible to significantly increase cognitive ability through intense training in new types of mental activity in a few weeks. They used the video game Tetris as a new activity, and used people who had never played the game before as subjects of study (I know, I know - can you imagine such people exist?!). They found that after training for several weeks on a game of Tetris, the study subjects experienced an increase in cortical thickness as well as an increase in cortical activity, as evidenced by an increase in the amount of glucose used in that area of ​​the brain. Basically, the brain used more energy during that training period, and got fatter - meaning more nerve connections, or new learned experiences - after such intense training. And they became experts at Tetris. Cool, yeah?

Here's the thing: After the initial cognitive spike, they noticed a decrease in both cortical thickness and the amount of glucose used during the task. However, they still played Tetris just as well; their skill did not deteriorate. Brain scans showed less brain activity during the game, instead of an increase as in previous days. Why the decline? Their brains have become more efficient. Once their brain understood how to play Tetris, and really started to understand it, it became too lazy to do something. He didn't have to work as hard to play the game well, so cognitive energy and glucose went in the other direction.

Efficiency is not your friend when it comes to cognitive growth. In order for the brain to continue making new connections and keep them active, you must continue to move on to other stimulating activities once you have reached the peak of mastery in a particular activity. You want to be in a constant state of little embarrassment, struggling to achieve something, no matter what it is, as Einstein noted in his quote. It keeps the brain in limbo, so to speak. We will return to this issue later.

3. Think creatively

When I say that thinking creatively will help you improve your nervous system, I don't mean painting a picture, or doing something fancy like the first paragraph, "Look for innovation." When I talk about creative thinking, I mean direct creative cognition and what it means while the process is going on in the brain.

Contrary to popular belief, creative thinking is not “thinking with the right side of the brain.” Both halves of the brain are involved here, not just the right. Creative cognition includes divergent thinking (a wide range of topics/subjects), the ability to find distant associations with ideas, switch between traditional and non-traditional perspectives (cognitive flexibility), and generate original, fresh ideas that are also relevant to the activity you are doing. To do everything right, you need the right and left hemispheres to work simultaneously and together.

A few years ago, Dr. Robert Sternberg, former Dean of Tufts University, opened the PACE (Psychology of Ability, Competence, and Excellence) Center in Boston. Sternberg tried not only to define the basic concept of intelligence, but also to find ways in which any person can maximize their intelligence through training, and especially through schooling.

Here Sternberg describes the goals of the PACE Center, which was founded at Yale University:
“The main concept of the center is that abilities are not fixed, they are flexible, they can be changed, each person can transform his abilities into his competence, and competence into mastery,” Sternberg explains. “Our focus is on how we can help people change their abilities so that they can better solve problems and cope with the situations they will face in life.”

Through his research, Project Rainbow, he developed not only innovative methods for creative classroom learning, but produced assessments that tested students in a way that they had to approach problem solving in a creative and practical way, as well as analytically, rather than just memorizing facts. .

Sternberg explains:
“In Project Rainbow, we valued creative, practical as well as analytical skills. A creative test could be, for example: ‘Here is a cartoon. Give it a title.’ A practice task could be a film about a student who comes to a party, looks around, doesn’t know anyone, and obviously feels uncomfortable. What should a student do?

He wanted to see if teaching students to think creatively about assignments could make them learn more about a topic, enjoy learning more, and transfer what they learned to other areas of science. He wanted to see if, by changing teaching and assessment methods, it was possible to prevent "learning to take tests" and get students to learn more, in general. He collected information on this topic and still got good results.

Briefly? On average, students in the test group (those who were taught using creative methods) scored higher at the end of their college course than the control group (who were taught using traditional methods and assessment systems). But, to be fair, he gave the test group the same analytical-type exam as the regular students (the multiple-choice test), and they also scored higher on that test. This means that they were able to transfer the knowledge they received using creative, multi-modal learning methods and scored higher on a completely different cognitive test of the same material. Doesn't this remind you of anything?

4. Don't take the easy way

I mentioned earlier that efficiency is not your friend if you are trying to increase your IQ. Unfortunately, many things in life are geared towards increasing efficiency. Thus, we do more with less time, physical and mental effort. However, this does not have a beneficial effect on your brain.

Take one object of modern convenience, GPS. GPS is an amazing invention. I am one of those people for whom GPS was invented. I'm awfully bad at navigating the area. I get lost all the time. So I thanked fate for the advent of GPS. But you know what? After using the GPS for a short time, I found that my sense of direction became even worse. When it wasn't at my fingertips, I felt even more lost than before. So when I moved to Boston - the city where horror movies about the lost come from - I stopped using GPS.

I will not lie - my suffering knew no bounds. My new job meant traveling all over the outskirts of Boston, and I got lost every day for at least 4 weeks. I got lost and wandered so often that I thought I was going to lose my job due to chronic tardiness (I was even complained about in writing). But over time, I began to find my way, thanks to the vast navigational experience I gained with just my brain and a map. I really began to feel where and what is in Boston thanks solely to logic and memory, and not GPS. I still remember how proud I was that I found a hotel in the city center where my friend was staying, based only on the name and description of the area - even without an address! I felt like I graduated from a navigational education school.

Technology makes our lives easier, faster, more efficient in many ways, but sometimes our cognitive abilities can suffer as a result of this kind of simplification and harm us in the future. Before everyone starts yelling and emailing my transhumanist friends about my sin against technology, I must warn you that this is not what I do at all.

Look at it this way: when you drive to work, it takes less physical effort, less time, and it's more convenient and enjoyable than walking. Everything seems to be fine. But if you only ride or spend your whole life on a segway, not even short distances, then you will not waste energy. Over time, your muscles will atrophy, your physical condition will weaken, and you are likely to gain excess weight. As a result, your general condition will worsen.

Your brain needs exercise too. If you stop using your problem solving skills, your logical, cognitive abilities, then how will your brain always be in the best shape, not to mention improve your mental abilities? Think about the fact that if you constantly rely only on useful modern conveniences, your skills in a certain area may suffer. For example, translation software: great, but my knowledge of languages ​​deteriorated markedly as soon as I started using them. Now I force myself to think of a translation before I know the correct one. The same applies to spell check and automatic correction. In truth, auto-correction is the worst thing that has been invented to improve the thought process. You know the computer will find and correct your mistakes, so you keep typing to yourself without even thinking about it. How to spell a particular word. As a result, after several years of stable autocorrect and automatic spell checking, are we the most illiterate nation? (Wish someone would do some research on this.)

There are times when the use of technology is justified and necessary. But there are times when it's better to say no to simplifications and use your brain while you can afford the luxury of time and energy. In order to keep yourself in good physical shape, it is recommended to walk to work as often as possible or take the stairs instead of the elevator several times a week. Don't you want your brain to stay in shape too? Put the GPS aside from time to time, and do a favor for your navigation and problem-solving skills. Keep it handy, but try to find everything yourself first. Your brain will thank you for this.

5. Be online

And so we come to the last element on the path to increasing your cognitive potential: a computer network. What's great about this last install is that if you're doing the previous four things, you're probably already doing this as well. If not, then start. Immediately.

By interacting with other people, either through social media such as Facebook or Twitter, or face-to-face, you expose yourself to situations that will make it much easier for you to achieve goals 1-4. As you encounter new people, new ideas, and new environments, you open yourself up to new opportunities for mental growth. By being around people who may not be in your field, you will be able to see problems from a new perspective or discover new solutions that you have never thought of before. Connecting with other people online is a great way to learn how to open yourself up to new things and perceive unique and meaningful information. I won't even go into the social benefits and emotional well-being of a computer network, but that's just an added benefit.

Stephen Johnson, who wrote How Good Ideas Are Born, discusses the importance of groups and networks in promoting ideas. If you are looking for new situations, ideas, environments and perspectives, then the web is the answer for you. It would be quite difficult to implement the concept of "smarter" without making the network a core component. The great thing about computer networks: Beneficial for everyone involved. Collective intelligence for victory!

I have one more thing to mention...
Remember back at the beginning of this article I told a story about my clients with autism spectrum disorders? Let's think for a moment about how to increase the level of flexibility of your intellect in light of everything that we have already talked about. What are these children capable of achieving at such a high level? It's not an accident or a miracle - it's because we incorporated all of these teaching principles into their therapy program. While most other therapy providers are stuck on the "Infallible Learning" paradigm and slightly modified Lovaas Methods of Applied Behavior Analysis, we have embraced and fully embraced a multi-modal approach to learning. We made the kids try their best to learn, we used the most creative methods we could think of, and we dared to set the bar seemingly far beyond their abilities. But you know what? They went beyond the time frame and made me truly believe that amazing things are possible if you have the will, courage and perseverance to set yourself on this path and stick with it. If these children with disabilities can live while constantly improving their cognitive abilities, then so can you.

In parting, I'll ask a question for thought: If we have all of this supporting data showing that these teaching methods and learning approaches can have such a profoundly positive impact on cognitive growth, why don't therapy programs or school systems take advantage of some of these methods? I would like to see them as a standard in the field of education, and not an exception. Let's try something new and shake up the education system a bit, shall we? We would greatly raise the collective IQ.

Intelligence isn't just about how many levels in a math course you've taken, how fast you can solve an algorithm, or how many new words over 6 characters you know. It is about approaching a new problem, recognizing its important components, and solving it. Then collect the knowledge gained and apply it to solve the next, more complex problem. It's about innovation and imagination and being able to apply them to make the world a better place. It is this kind of intelligence that is valuable, and it is this kind of intelligence that we should strive for and encourage.

About the Author: Andrea Kuszewski is a consultant behavioral therapist for children with autism based in Florida; specialist in Asperger's syndrome, or high-functioning autism. She teaches the basics of behavior in society, communication, as well as the impact of behavior on the sphere of home and society, teaching children and parents about therapy methods. Andrea's work as a researcher with METODO Transdisciplinary, American Social Science Research Group, Bogota, Colombia, is investigating the influence of neuro-cognitive factors in human behavior - this includes aspects such as creativity, intelligence, illicit behavior, and diffuse-confuser disorders. like schizophrenia and autism. Also, as a creativity researcher, she is a painter herself and has studied various forms of visual communication ranging from traditional drawing to digital painting, graphic design, and 3D modeling, animation in the medical sciences and behavioral sciences. She has a blog on The Rogue Neuron and on Twitter

Human cognitive abilities are given by nature, it is important to develop them from infancy and throughout life. In old age, cognitive processes begin to fade, therefore, in order to remain in a clear mind and memory, you need to “train” the brain.

What does cognitive mean?

For an ordinary person, the concept is familiar - mental or intellectual development, and not everyone will answer what cognitive means. Cognitive is a cognitive process in which the consciousness processes incoming information, its mental transformation into knowledge, storage and use of accumulated experience in everyday life.

Cognitive Research

What is the cognitive abilities of people, the topic is of interest to psychologists, sociologists, linguists, philosophers. Cognitive research in various fields of science helps to understand and study the following processes:

• human knowledge of the world;
• the influence of language and culture on a personal picture of the world (subjective);
• what is the conscious and the unconscious and how is it related to brain activity;
• which cognitive abilities are innate and which are acquired in different age periods;
• what does the cognitive abilities of artificial intelligence mean (is it possible to create an artificial intelligence in the future that is not inferior to the human one).

Cognitive Psychotherapy

Cognitive therapy is aimed at eliminating errors in thinking and changing illogical thoughts and beliefs into new, constructive ones. During a psychotherapy session, the cognitive psychologist pays full attention to what the client says, how he expresses his thoughts. The method of cognitive therapy was discovered by A. Beck, who successfully applied it to many patients suffering from depression and affective disorders.

cognitive thinking

The cognitive abilities of the brain are mental functions of a higher order: attention, gnosis, perception, speech, praxis, intellect. Thinking is one of the most important cognitive processes, divided into three types:

• visual-effective (predominant in children under 3 years old) - solving specific problems, cognition and analysis of objects through manipulations with hands.
• visual-figurative - is formed from 4 to 7 years. Solving problems by using mental images.
• abstract - operating with abstract concepts that are difficult to imagine.

Development of cognitive abilities

How to develop cognitive abilities at any age? Normal human development involves interest, curiosity and the desire for development - this is inherent in nature, so it is important to maintain this and be in a state of constant interest in the world and what is happening around. From the very moment of birth, the cognitive (cognitive) abilities of the child need to be developed - this should become one of the important tasks of parents.

Development of cognitive abilities in adults

Cognitive improvement is possible at different ages, and you need to approach this in the right way, using a creative approach so that it does not seem like a chore. Discovering the exploratory spirit in oneself, a person improves his worldview, mood and helps the development of higher mental functions, which include cognitive abilities. Simple recommendations of psychologists for productive brain activity:

• brush your teeth with your left hand (left-handers - right);
• choosing a new route when going to work;
• choose your option of physical activity;
• start learning a foreign language;
• solving crossword puzzles, riddles, charades;
• a few minutes a day to do simple things with your eyes closed;
• develop intuition;
• give up junk food in favor of a healthy diet.

Development of cognitive abilities in children

Cognitive skills are important to develop from infancy. The modern choice of educational toys for children is huge, but do not neglect the tools at hand that are in every home. Cognitive abilities in young children can be developed in the following ways:

• games with cereals and buttons (under the strict supervision of adults) - pouring from container to container);
• a variety of finger games with nursery rhymes and jokes (“magpie-crow”, “finger-finger where have you been”);
• games with water (bottling).

Gradually, games and activities become more complex and are aimed at developing motor skills and speech:

• drawing and coloring;
• drawing up puzzles, mosaics;
• cutting the image along the contour;
• construction;
• memorization of verses;
• reading and retelling;
• finding differences in two identical images;
• writing stories.

Exercises for the development of cognitive abilities

Cognitive training is the key to productive longevity and a clear mind, even in old age. The brain needs the same exercise as the body, it is important to spend 15-20 minutes a day on simple, but very useful exercises for brain activity:

1. Synchronized drawing. You will need a sheet of paper and 2 pencils. Draw geometric shapes with both hands at the same time. You can start with the same shapes for each hand, then complicate the exercise, for example, draw a square with your left hand, and a triangle with your right. Exercise balances the work of both hemispheres of the brain, develops cognitive abilities, motor skills.
2. Words backwards. Several times during the day, try to pronounce the words you heard from other people to yourself in reverse.
3. calculation. Everything that is to be counted is important to do through mental mental calculations. Put the calculator away.
4. Autobiography. There are 2 options for the exercise. In the first, a person begins to remember and write from the present moment, and deepens year after year towards his early childhood. In the second version, childhood is first described.

Loss of cognitive abilities

Cognitive functions and abilities deteriorate with age, this is due to age-related changes, but more often this happens due to comorbidities and an unhealthy lifestyle. At the first symptoms, it is important to consult a doctor for maintenance therapy. Causes of cognitive impairment:

• violation of homeostasis and metabolism;
• obesity;
• type I and II diabetes;
• hypothyroidism;
• arterial hypertension (hypertension);
• violation of cerebral circulation;
• myocardial infarction;
• traumatic brain injury;
• alcohol and drug use;
• Alzheimer's disease;
• Parkinson's disease.

Classification of cognitive impairment:

1. Mild cognitive impairment- indicators of tests and psychometry may be normal or slight deviations are observed. A person begins to complain of problems with memory, rapid fatigue, attention also suffers at the same time - concentration decreases.
2. Moderate cognitive impairment- about 15% of this form of disorders are transformed in the future into Alzheimer's disease, senile dementia. Symptoms are increasing: deterioration of thinking, memory and speech.
3. severe cognitive impairment. They appear after 60 - 65 years of age. A pronounced clinical picture, symptoms characteristic of dementia (dementia). A person ceases to navigate in space, falls into a "childish" age. People with severe cognitive impairment need constant care and drug therapy.

An important role in the processes of understanding is played by taking into account the natural stages of development of the child. As Piaget showed, mental development consists of several successive stages, each of which has its own laws and logic. The stages go in a certain ontogenetic sequence, each new stage begins with a sudden manifestation of a new cognitive ability. This ability largely determines the range of understood phenomena. The new ability is integrated with the existing abilities, causing the mental development of the child.

Thus, the qualitative change in the abilities of understanding is both continuous and discontinuous. Each new phase of the development of cognitive abilities is, to a certain extent, a leap in continuous development.

Understanding can act both as a sudden “enlightenment” and as a purposeful process. Understanding is infinite, in the process of understanding new facets, properties, qualities of a cognizable object are revealed.

Decision Making as an Intelligent Operation

Usually, decision making is understood as the process of choosing one alternative from several possible ones. This is an extremely general definition, and from the point of view of a psychologist, it requires further development and clarification. Firstly, it is necessary to single out the subject of analysis of the decision-making process at the psychological level, and secondly, to correlate the processes of decision-making and problem solving.

The decision-making problem is currently being studied in many branches of science and technology, they talk about decision-making when a choice from a number of alternatives is carried out by a computer, in a neuron or in a separate body system. Obviously, one can speak of a proper psychological approach to the problem only in the case when the processes of decision-making by a person as a subject of activity (life activity) are studied. At the same time, such psychological features of the decision-making process as the motivation for making a decision, responsibility for the decision being made, the right to choose, the possibility of understanding, evaluating and correcting the decisions being made, etc. come to the fore.

Comparing the processes of decision-making and problem solving, we should note that in the first case, the subject of activity has a certain number of alternatives for solving the problem and he needs to make a choice between them, and in the second case, he must find a way to solve the problem himself. There is no doubt that the difference between making a decision and solving a problem is relative. In every decision making there are elements of solving the problem and vice versa. However, it is necessary to distinguish between them.

By defining a decision as a choice, we are only touching on one side of it. The other side of it is the process of integration. This point of view, formulated by P.K. Anokhin, seems to us promising. It allows, when studying decision-making processes, not to be limited to a decision as such, but indicates the need to study the processes of preparing a decision. With this approach, “in a functional system, decision making is not an isolated mechanism, an isolated act, but one of the stages in the development of purposeful behavior” 1 .

The study of decision-making processes allows us to distinguish two types of decisions: deterministic and probabilistic.

Deterministic decisions are algorithmic data processing procedures according to certain rules and criteria. The formation of decisions of this type consists in the development of decision rules and criteria specific to each block of the psychological system of activity. An analysis of the various types of criteria used in the decision-making process allows us to divide them into two classes:

1) criteria for achieving the goal of the activity;

2) preference criteria (programs, mode of activity, information features).

The criteria of the first class allow you to decide whether the activity has achieved the goal or not. Based on the criteria of the second class, a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of a particular goal, method of activity, program of activity, result, etc. is carried out.

The decision rules and criteria in the process of professionalization do not remain constant, they change with the development of the entire psychological system of activity, being at the same time one of the components of this system.

Deterministic decisions are possible when the subject has the necessary and sufficient information, decision rules, criteria and time sufficient to process information according to the relevant rules and criteria. In the absence of the necessary and sufficient information or in conditions of lack of time, the decision is built by the subject according to the probabilistic type. The transition to a probabilistic type of solution leads to a change in the decision rule and, in part, to a change in the criteria. However, as in the case of a deterministic decision, the presence of decision rules and criteria is a necessary condition for making a probabilistic decision.

Thus, the formation of a decision-making block is reduced to the development and (or) development of a decision rule and criteria for achieving the goal and preference. As professionalization proceeds, the decisive rule and criteria are constantly improved in unity with other components of the psychological system of activity.

An essential moment in the development of activity is not only the development of decision rules and criteria, but also the development of methods for preparing and making a decision, and the method of decision is determined by the relationship between the conditions of activity and the selected criteria. As studies by A.V. Karpov, depending on the conditions of choice uncertainty, three ways of preparing and making a decision can be distinguished. The first one is as follows. The subject accepts the maximum preference criterion, i.e. involves searching for information necessary and sufficient to prepare a fully deterministic solution. At the same time, the structure of the search for the recovery of unknown information is also strictly determined. The search is based on the use of normative rules, algorithmic prescriptions. The number of rules used in the solution is quite close to the number of normative ones. This indicates the similarity of the real-psychological and normative pictures of the solution. Thus, the essence of the first method is to maximize the preference criterion and ensure the possibility of making a deterministic decision. However, the conditions of activity (lack of time and information) do not always allow this method to be implemented. With a large shortage of time and information, a transition to the second method is possible. In this case, the preference criterion is minimized and a method is chosen that, although not optimal, will allow implementation in complex informational and temporal conditions. Studies show that this method is associated with the process of information preparation and the adoption of a probabilistic decision. This second method is characterized by the use of not only and not so much normative as heuristic and statistical rules. There is a significant discrepancy between the normative and actually used number of rules, which indicates a significant transformation of the normative structure of the solution. It should be emphasized that the minimization of the preference criterion for the second method in difficult operating conditions performs an adaptive function. Making a decision to change the method of activity to a less efficient, but the only one possible under the given conditions, the subject thereby minimizes the probability of error, failure, maintains the accuracy of the activity at the highest possible level. It consists in establishing invariant situations of activity that unambiguously determine a specific program of action. These situations are fixed and ordered by the subject. In the future, when one of these fixed situations occurs, the previously developed program is reproduced. The third method should be considered as a means of optimizing the activity of the subject, reducing its psychological "price".

The adoption of the maximum criterion of preference in complex operating conditions (in particular, under conditions of high uncertainty) and the achievement of this criterion constitute the most effective way. Experiments have shown that the possibility of achieving the maximum criterion with increasing uncertainty is determined by the volumetric, dynamic and accuracy characteristics of the individual qualities of the subject and their integral subsystems. These subsystems, which underlie the three methods of decision making described above, turned out to be significantly different. Thus, not only the operational side of the activity changes, but also the actual psychological mechanisms that implement it. The system-forming factor for the psychological mechanisms of decision-making is, therefore, the chosen criterion, which in turn depends on the goals and conditions of the activity. Because of this, the criterion of preference acts as an important link in mental self-regulation.

In the course of mastering activities, a complex process is unfolding to develop and master decision rules, criteria and methods for preparing and making decisions, depending on the conditions of activity and the criteria adopted. At the same time, individual acts of decision-making in the course of improving professional skills are built into a hierarchical system.

The quality of decisions made is largely determined by the abilities of the subject of activity, acting as internal conditions through which external influences are refracted. In the process of activity, internal conditions do not remain constant, there is a development of professional abilities associated with decision-making.

Decision-making processes are implemented by a complex system of neurophysiological mechanisms. In this direction, the approach to the analysis of decision-making mechanisms from the position of a physiological functional system seems promising. Studies carried out from this standpoint have shown that three problems can be distinguished in the neurophysiological approach to decision-making: the problem of the functioning of a neuron, the problem of integrating neurons into a single system, and the problem of the place and role of decision-making processes in a functional system. The latter aspect has now been broadly studied. According to modern concepts, “decision making is the critical point at which the organization of a complex of afferent excitations takes place, capable of producing a well-defined action. Under any conditions, we have the choice of one act and the exclusion of all other possibilities. The choice of this act is the creation of an afferent integral in which certain forms of activity of a huge number of separate mechanisms are coordinated, “fitted” to each other. Making a decision translates one systemic process - afferent synthesis - into another systemic process - a program of action. It is a transitional moment after which all combinations of excitations acquire an executive character. The study of the problems of the functioning of neurons and the integration of neurons into a single system is one of the promising directions in the development of the neurophysiology of learning.

Consider the specifics of decision-making in educational activities.

At the macro level, the decision-making process is associated with the choice of an individual educational trajectory by the student, which later determines the entire nature of his learning behavior and, above all, the motivation for learning. This problem has been sufficiently developed in the context of vocational guidance.

Let us dwell on the meso- and microlevels of the analysis of educational activity and individual educational actions. Here, as objects of student choice, we can distinguish:

General solution path (give priority to analysis or synthesis);

Operational mechanisms of abilities (for example, how to better remember educational material);

Operations that are appropriate to use in this case;

Strategies and plans for solving a learning problem;

Additional (private) tasks;

Missing information. At these levels of analysis, the student must decide:

About ways to search for missing information;

About sources of information;

About the correctness of the chosen search path;

On the division of the main task into separate ones;

On the choice of an adequate method of action;

About choosing the most effective program;

About the prerequisites for the success of educational activities (the student must find out what he knows and can do and how it relates to the new task).

When making a decision, the student must follow certain rules and be guided by certain criteria. Each block of the psychological system of educational activity uses its own rules and criteria. It should be noted that it is advisable to single out the criteria for achieving the goal and the criteria for preference. As the goals of educational activity are achieved, the decision rules and criteria change not only for the student, but also for the teacher. Note that they are significantly different in different pedagogical concepts: in authoritarian pedagogy they are focused on normative values, in humanistic - on personal, individual. In this regard, it is advisable to consider the problem of the plurality of truths.

One of the tasks facing education is to educate a person with non-ideologized thinking, i.e. a person who thinks constructively, a person who admits a plurality of truths and considers plurality a natural phenomenon, a person who respects the position of another, who engages in criticism in order to clarify the truth, like the search for truth by Socrates. This, in all likelihood, is the main task, a change in the pedagogical paradigm - to educate non-ideologized thinking, tolerant, moral, pure, striving to reveal the truth.

Ideologized thinking is dogmatic thinking. And it doesn't matter what dogma it is based on. “In our time,” writes K. Jaspers, “the sphere of ideology has reached its highest volume. After all, hopelessness always causes the need for illusions, the emptiness of life - the need for sensation, impotence - the need for violence against the weaker. One of the roots from which ideologized thinking grows is the disintegration of traditional values.

Ideologized thinking does not strive for knowledge of the truth, it strives for simplifications, for slogans that explain everything, acting as universal theories.

The plurality of truths is especially clearly manifested in the humanitarian, ideological disciplines. An indispensable condition for their study is the freedom of the student's personality. However, this does not mean freedom from moral and ethical norms, freedom of ignorance, but implies freedom of manifestation of individuality in assessments and judgments, freedom combined with responsibility.

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Many children are frustrated with the learning process, finding it too difficult, all because, in fact, they do not have the proper cognitive skills needed to process information. That is, those specific basic skills that provide successful learning. The extra workload at school, homework, or focus on the lack of these skills exacerbate their frustration and further increase their reading problems and difficulty in acquiring new knowledge.

Most schools do not allocate sufficient funds or time for the individualized instruction required by students with poor cognitive skills. In addition, educators have to read the curriculum at a pace that is difficult for these children to keep up. They cannot keep up with their peers and experience learning difficulties, falling further and further behind, and often becoming a problem for life.

Cognitive stages of child development - stages of learning

Learning is a complex process that develops in stages. It relies on innate abilities, inherited and genetically coded at birth. But few of us learn with the maximum efficiency that is genetically determined. This is why study and practice improves learning ability and productivity in most people.

The development of our learning progresses through stages of sensory and motor skills, then cognitive skills, and finally leads to the ability to learn formal instructions. Deficiency in any of the stages can lead to problems in the following dependent stages.

Schools, government programs, and special education focus on academic instruction (final stage). Unfortunately, they rarely acknowledge that not all children have the appropriately developed cognitive skills needed to effectively process and understand information given through academic instruction. Without the development of appropriate cognitive skills, detailed academic instruction and tutoring do not improve learning ability, and all efforts to help the student learn are wasted.

A closer look at the stages of learning reveals the importance of developing cognitive skills.

• innate abilities. The innate abilities of a person are the basis of the learning process. They are genetically predetermined capabilities and limitations that we have at birth and that we have inherited from our parents and ancestors. Mozart certainly had more innate musical ability than most of us, but with practice, most of us can improve our musical ability too. The upper limits of our capabilities are determined by innate data, but how close we approach these upper limits is determined by other elements necessary for learning.
• Sensory and motor skills. Sensory and motor skills develop based on our innate abilities. Sensory skills include sight, hearing and touch. They are responsible for receiving information. Motor skills refer to muscles and movement and include the ability to crawl, walk, run, write and speak. Motor skills express and display information that our senses have received and processed. Both sensory and motor skills are partly determined by the genetic code and partly acquired through repeated interaction with the environment. In almost all people, these skills can be improved with proper targeted practice. They are the basis for sports and musical instruments, physical therapy, and other similar performance-enhancing efforts.
• cognitive skills- cognitive (cognitive) abilities allow us to process the sensory information that we receive. They include our ability to analyze, evaluate, store information, recall experiences, compare, and determine actions. While cognitive skills are partly innate, most of them are acquired. If their development does not occur naturally, a cognitive deficiency develops that reduces learning potential and is difficult to correct without special and appropriate (medical) intervention. Just like sensory and motor skills, cognitive skills can also be trained and improved with the right training. Cognitive changes can be observed when trauma has a damaging effect on a specific area of ​​the brain. The right therapy is often able to "repair" the patient's brain, and, accordingly, restore or improve cognitive function. This also applies to students. Weak cognitive skills can be strengthened and normal cognitive skills can be improved, thereby increasing the ease and productivity of the learning process.
• Perception of instructions. Formal acceptance and following of instructions is the last and most heterogeneous level of learning. It includes the study of academic subjects, such as algebra, reading, writing, - those that cannot be mastered either intuitively or independently (for the most part). These subjects are learned through formal education, and successful and easy learning of these subjects depends on the basic cognitive skills of the individual. The knowledge base in each subject can be expanded, but without a proper foundation in the form of effective cognitive skills already developed, doing well can be a daunting and frustrating task.

​Cognitive skills can be trained and improved

As a person ages and academic tasks become more complex, it is essential that the basic problem solving skills are present and functioning properly. Strong cognitive skills are the key to high academic achievement. Without them, a person with learning or reading problems cannot reach their full potential.

If your child is having difficulty learning or reading, the reason may be that one or more basic cognitive skills are not being developed enough. If this is indeed the reason, it must be corrected with the help of special individual training programs aimed at overcoming the “weak points” specific to each individual child, which means that the information of the school curriculum will as a result be absorbed much faster and better.