Vocabulary
Cognitive meaning: relating to thinking
Sign in to saveWhen you compare two ideas, remember a route, or solve a puzzle, you use cognitive skills. Cognitive is an adjective for thinking and related mental processes.
Use cognitive to describe thinking, learning, remembering, and related mental processes.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
cognitive /ˈkɒɡ.nɪ.tɪv/
The short answer
Cognitive means relating to thinking, learning, remembering, or understanding.
The course includes activities that build cognitive skills.
Why it works: The activities ask learners to use mental abilities rather than physical movement.
3 more examples
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Reading a map is a cognitive task because you interpret information and choose a route.
The task uses thinking to understand the map and make a choice.
Not this:Reading a map is
a physical taskbecause you interpret information and choose a route. What changes: Physical changes the focus to the body. It does not name the thinking involved. -
The game tests cognitive skills such as attention and memory.
Attention and memory are abilities used by the mind.
Not this:The game tests
communication skillssuch as attention and memory. What changes: Communication skills concern sharing ideas with others. They are not the same as attention and memory. -
The article discusses cognitive development in early childhood.
The phrase concerns changes in how children think, learn, and understand.
Not this:The article discusses
economic developmentin early childhood. What changes: Economic does not fit this meaning. The sentence is about mental growth.
Read the full guide
Use cognitive when the sentence concerns what the mind does. It usually describes a noun, so cognitive skills and cognitive task are more natural than using cognitive alone.
Connect it with thinking
Cognitive describes an activity or ability of the mind. Use it when someone thinks, learns, understands, remembers, or works out an answer.
Remembering a password uses cognitive skills.
Use common combinations
Cognitive skills are abilities such as memory and attention. A cognitive task needs thought. Cognitive function is a phrase for how mental abilities work.
The teacher gave the class a cognitive task that involved sorting information.
Keep the meaning in view
Cognitive does not simply mean difficult. Carrying a heavy box may be difficult, but it is mainly physical. Planning the safest way to carry it is cognitive.
Physical describes the body. Cognitive describes thinking and other mental processes.
Say the word clearly
Cognitive has three syllables: COG-ni-tive. Keep the first syllable strong, then say the final two syllables quickly but clearly.
The study measures cognitive function.
Choose it in context
A worker must notice patterns in a table and decide what they mean. Is cognitive a good word for the skills used?
Yes. The worker uses attention, understanding, and decision-making, so cognitive skills fits.
Before you go
Remember this
Use cognitive before a noun when you mean connected with thinking or other mental processes. Cognitive skills, cognitive task, and cognitive development are common phrases.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Cognitive meaning: relating to thinking"
What does cognitive mean?
Cognitive means relating to thinking, learning, remembering, understanding, and similar mental processes.
Reading a map is a cognitive task because you interpret information and choose a route.
What are cognitive skills?
Cognitive skills are mental abilities used to pay attention, remember information, understand ideas, make decisions, and solve problems.
Reading a map is a physical task because you interpret information and choose a route.
Can I say cognitive task?
Yes. A cognitive task needs thought, such as comparing information, following a route, or working out an answer.
The game tests cognitive skills such as attention and memory.
What is the difference between cognitive and physical?
Cognitive relates to the mind and thinking. Physical relates to the body and movement. Some activities involve both.
The game tests communication skills such as attention and memory.
How do you pronounce cognitive?
Say COG-ni-tive. The stress falls on the first syllable. Use the lesson examples to choose the meaning and sentence pattern that fit your context.
The article discusses cognitive development in early childhood.