A special place, both in foreign and domestic psychological science, is given to the study of cognitive, and to be more precise, cognitive styles of activity, which scientists began to study in the 60s of the 20th century. But knowing about them is important and necessary not only for a specialist, but also for an ordinary person, because thanks to this you can increase your personal effectiveness and achieve great success in almost any area of life.
What is cognitive style?
Cognitive style is a set of relatively stable procedural features of cognitive activity, characterized by unique ways of obtaining and interpreting information, as well as methods of reproducing information and control methods.
Cognitive styles serve as a reflection of the typical features of intellectual activity, and are understood as such forms of intellectual activity that are qualitatively different from the traditionally described features of cognitive processes.
In the psychological literature you can find over a dozen different cognitive styles, but we will look at a few of the most common ones.
Trainers for the development of cognitive abilities
On the Internet you can find many ready-made services for training cognitive functions. Let's look at a few of the most popular today.
Vikium
Vikium is the largest platform for brain training, which has gained the love of more than 60 million users. On it you will find a huge number of simulators for the development of cognitive functions, more than a dozen training courses, tests for diagnosing mental abilities.
Cognitive abilities can be trained individually or in combination. The platform adapts to your individual characteristics and selects a program specifically for you.
A month of classes on the platform costs 890 rubles, a year – 1,790 rubles. Unlimited access can be purchased for RUB 3,990.
CogniFit
CogniFit is a brain training platform with a serious scientific basis. The creators claim that it can not only improve cognitive function, but also cure mild disorders such as ADHD and insomnia.
Games and simulators were developed jointly with neurophysiologists and tested many times on different population groups. Their effectiveness has been scientifically proven.
Another advantage of CogniFit is its extensive database of professional cognitive tests. With their help, you can reliably assess your abilities and create a development program.
Access to training programs for a month costs from $19.99 to $29.99, for a year – from $119.99 to $169.99. Access to tests is purchased separately.
You will find even more options in our selection of brain development simulators.
Field dependence and field independence
The first appearance of these styles in the field of science dates back to 1954, and is associated with the name of the American psychologist G. Witkin, who studied the relationship between proprioceptive and visual landmarks in perceptual activity.
Experiments conducted by Witkin showed that some people perceive incoming data through visual impressions, and some through proprioceptive ones, i.e. based on body position. The first trend was called field dependence, and the second – field independence.
Subsequently, field independence began to be considered as a skill to overcome the visible field, its structuring and isolation of individual elements in it. And in field dependence, all elements of the visible field are interconnected, and it is almost impossible to separate the details from the spatial background. So, if a person can quickly and correctly detect figures among others, then he is field-independent, and if he detects them slowly and with difficulty, then he is field-dependent.
As we studied, the skill of successfully identifying individual details from their diversity began to be associated with certain intellectual, mainly non-verbal abilities. Based on this, scientists came to the conclusion that there is a more general feature of cognitive style, which they called “the ability to overcome an organized context.” Based on how pronounced it is, two approaches to the field began to be distinguished - active (analytical) and passive (global).
It follows from this that field dependence and field independence reflect the specifics of performing tasks of a perceptual nature. Field dependence is characterized by the fact that a person’s reference point is external sources of information, and, therefore, he is most susceptible to the influence of context in the process of performing perceptual tasks, which is associated with a number of difficulties. And in the case of field independence, a person is focused on internal sources of data, due to which he is less exposed to the influence of context and performs perceptual tasks with greater ease.
Reflexivity and impulsiveness
These cognitive styles were identified in 1976 by another psychologist, N. Kogan, in the process of studying human intellectual activity in decision-making situations, which are characterized by conditions of uncertainty, and where several alternatives need to be considered in order to make a choice.
An impulsive person always reacts quickly to problematic situations, and also finds and accepts solutions without careful evaluation. A reflective person, on the contrary, reacts somewhat slowly, and makes decisions only after a thorough assessment and consideration of all the pros and cons. In addition, reflective people tend to use more effective ways to solve problems and more successfully implement mastered activity strategies in relation to new situations.
Rigidity and flexibility
These cognitive styles are related to how easy or difficult it is for a person to change activities and switch from one information base to another. If it is difficult for a person to switch, then his cognitive control will be inflexible and narrow.
The concept of “rigidity” was introduced by psychologist R. Cattell in 1935 to denote the constant repetition of the same movements, images and thoughts while switching from one form of activity to another.
Cattell identified significant differences in how this phenomenon manifests itself in practice. And you can determine whether a person belongs to a rigid or flexible cognitive style using the Stroop verbal-color test, when the test taker needs to name the colors in which words are written, these colors denote, but the color in which the word is written and the color that it denotes are different. from friend.
How to develop cognitive functions
The abilities of our brain directly depend on our state of health. If the body has enough vitamins and good blood circulation, then you can count on proper brain function and the rapid formation of neural connections. Therefore, among the recommendations you will find not only specific mental exercises, but also lifestyle tips.
Create a complete diet
This does not mean that you need to deprive yourself of your favorite “harmful foods” forever. Most of the time, it is enough to ensure that your food contains the necessary minerals and vitamins. Also, be sure to stay hydrated - dehydration negatively affects brain function and cognitive function decreases.
To improve your mental abilities, add fats to your diet: nuts, oils, red fish. Also, do not forget about carbohydrates, which we need for energy, and proteins, without which organs cannot function normally.
sleep well
Lack of sleep primarily affects our brain. I think everyone has noticed the difference in well-being if they sleep 8 hours versus 3. The following recommendations will help improve attention, concentration and memory:
- sleep at least 7 hours a day;
- fall asleep before 22:00;
- 2 hours before bedtime, exclude emotional events;
- spend the night in a well-ventilated room.
It is also not recommended to watch movies, videos on your phone, or play computer games before going to bed. But since it is very difficult to adhere to this rule (I also like to spend time on my phone before going to bed), try to at least minimize irritating factors.
Eliminate bad habits
Stop smoking and alcohol first if you want your brain to function well into old age. Neurons that support all cognitive functions die due to the influence of alcohol, tobacco and psychotropic substances.
You can have a glass of wine at dinner with a friend or enjoy hookah once a month, but this should not become your regular pastime.
Reduce stress
“Easy to say!” – you will be indignant, and I will understand you. But you need to deal with stress. All cognitive functions suffer from it.
During a stressful situation, the amygdala of the brain (in scientific language - amygdala) is activated. It turns off our ability to think rationally, logically and blocks parts responsible for cognitive functions. The body works in “fight or flight” mode, when its only task is to hide from danger.
This applies not only to serious shocks, but also to such “little things” as nervous work, quarrels with your husband and worries about lack of money.
The harmful effects of stress can be reduced through regular meditation and other anxiety-reducing practices.
Organize an information detox
Our brain perceives information constantly throughout the day. Everything we hear, see and feel is recorded by neurons. If we load our heads with a large amount of unnecessary data, then the brain will have to “free up” space for them due to a decrease in cognitive functions.
How to improve brain function:
- don't watch TV;
- limit viewing of entertainment programs;
- reduce the time spent monitoring bloggers;
- try every day to be alone with yourself, without talking to anyone.
Your brain remembers information about what a girl you didn’t know on Instagram ate for breakfast or what happened to a person who had an accident in another part of the city. Instead, it is better to load it with useful data, depending on your interests. For example, a new recipe or knitting pattern.
I recommend regularly having a day when you don't use the Internet. For me this is once every 2 weeks. Take this time for yourself and do what you love.
Look for brain-healthy stimuli
The “detox” has been arranged, now you need to load your head with useful information. Here are some good ideas:
- go to a concert;
- visit an art gallery;
- visit nature;
- visit a restaurant and try a new dish;
- read a book;
- study a scientific experiment;
- go to the cinema to watch a quality film.
It is important that incentives are of high quality. If the book is a classic, history or self-development. If the film is a documentary or about a famous person who has achieved success.
Play sports and relax actively
Fast walking is also a sport. Therefore, there is no need to buy an expensive gym membership. You can ride a bike, swim, jump rope. This is necessary, especially for people with sedentary work.
If you are too lazy to exercise, I recommend our article on how to motivate yourself to exercise.
Some interesting exercises
They help develop high cognitive abilities in children and adults who have been stuck in place.
- Crossing movements. Lie on your back on a flat surface. Bend your left leg at the knee, your right arm at the elbow and bring them together. Then repeat the action with your right leg and left arm. Movements should be slow. This stimulates brain activity.
- Exercise "Elephant". It is carried out standing. Tilt your head towards your right shoulder. Extend your right hand forward and try to draw an infinity sign with it. Do it alternately for both sides. It helps improve the body-brain connection and is good for children as they learn to read and write.
- Synchronized drawing. Take pencils in both hands. Place a blank sheet of paper on the table. Try to draw symmetrical shapes with both hands at the same time. Improves coordination, stimulates the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Dancing is also recommended. Try it at home while listening to your favorite song – it’s a great stress reliever and improves your mood. Or join a dance studio near you to learn new moves and improve your memory.
Narrowness and breadth
This implies the narrowness and breadth of the range of equivalence. Such cognitive styles characterize individual characteristics on the scale used by a person when evaluating the differences and similarities of objects.
Some people, when randomly classifying, can divide objects into many groups with a small volume of objects (this is a narrow range), while others - into a smaller number of groups with a large volume of objects (this is a wide range).
The basis of these differences is mainly the level of “sensitivity” to established differences and the focus on establishing differences of different types. A person with a narrow range of equivalence relies on the physical properties of objects, and a person with a wide range relies on hidden additional properties. Some domestic experts characterize the first style as analytical, and the second as synthetic. A connection has also been established between analytical and synthetic cognitive styles with personality characteristics.
Cognitive personality traits.
Cognitive style
is a term used in cognitive psychology to refer to enduring characteristics of how different people think, perceive, and remember information, or their preferred way of solving problems.
Cognitive style is usually distinguished from cognitive ability
or
level
- the latter is measured by so-called intelligence tests. There is still disagreement about the meaning of the term “cognitive style.” However, the term "cognitive style" is widely used, especially in applied business psychology, as well as in educational psychology, where it has a synonym - "learning style").
The concept of cognitive style was first used by A. Adler to denote a personality characteristic, which represents stable individual characteristics of cognitive processes that predetermine the use of various research strategies. Within the framework of his individual psychology, it was understood as the uniqueness of a person’s life path, structured by setting and achieving goals.
G. Allport began to consider cognitive style as an integral personality system of an instrumental order (ways and means to achieve goals). Subsequently, this problem was dealt with by K. Stadner, G. Witkin and others.
In the former USSR, the study of cognitive styles was carried out by V. A. Kolga (Estonia), the Teplov-Nebylitsyn school (Moscow), M. A. Kholodnaya (Kyiv, since the 1990s - Moscow), A. Libin, and others.
A similar concept is metaprograms in NLP. Some of the cognitive styles listed below are at least correlated with the metaprograms described in the literature[1].
Essence
The nature of cognitive styles is not fully understood. There is evidence of their connection with interhemispheric asymmetry, level of intelligence, temperament properties and personal motivation[2]. At the same time, there is every reason to consider cognitive styles to be an education that is formed during life under the influence of sociocultural factors[3]. For example, it has been empirically proven that field dependence is more typical for women, as well as for children whose parents exercise excessive control over their behavior [2] [3].
Varieties of cognitive styles
Most often, about 10-15 cognitive styles are considered in the literature (it is noted that many of them obviously correlate with each other, and the difference in terminology is due to the approaches of different authors):
· field independence - field dependence;
Representatives of the field-dependent style trust visual impressions more when assessing what is happening and have difficulty overcoming the visible field when it is necessary to detail and structure the situation. Representatives of the field-independent style, on the contrary, rely on internal experience and easily tune out the influence of the field, quickly and accurately identifying a detail from a holistic spatial situation.
· concreteness - abstractness;
Concreteness-abstractness is based on psychological processes such as differentiation and integration of concepts. The pole of “concrete conceptualization” is characterized by insignificant differentiation and insufficient integration of concepts. The following psychological qualities are typical for “concrete” individuals: a tendency to black-and-white thinking, dependence on status and authority, intolerance of uncertainty, stereotypical decisions, situational nature of behavior, less ability to think in terms of hypothetical situations, etc. On the contrary, the pole “ abstract conceptualization" implies both high differentiation and high integration of concepts. Accordingly, “abstract” individuals are characterized by freedom from the immediate properties of the situation, an orientation towards internal experience in explaining the physical and social world, a tendency to take risks, independence, flexibility, creativity, etc.
· smoothing - sharpening;
Individual differences recorded in this cognitive style are related to the characteristics of storing memorized material in memory. With “smoothers”, storing material in memory is accompanied by its simplification, loss of details, and the loss of certain fragments. On the contrary, in the memory of “sharpeners”, specific details of the memorized material are highlighted and emphasized. Subsequently, it was specially emphasized that this style parameter reveals itself in conditions of perception and memorization of a sequence of stimuli, thus characterizing the sensitivity of subjects to gradually increasing differences in a number of perceived influences.
· rigid—flexible cognitive control;
This cognitive style characterizes the degree of subjective difficulty in changing methods of processing information in a situation of cognitive conflict. Rigid control indicates difficulties in the transition from verbal to sensory-perceptual functions due to their low degree of automation, while flexible control indicates the relative ease of such a transition due to their high degree of automation.
· low - high tolerance to unrealistic experience;
This cognitive style reveals itself in uncertain, ambiguous situations and characterizes the degree of acceptance of impressions that do not correspond or even contradict the person’s ideas, which he regards as correct and obvious. Tolerant subjects evaluate experiences according to their actual characteristics, while intolerant subjects resist cognitive experiences in which the initial data contradicts their existing knowledge.
· focusing - scanning control
;
This cognitive style characterizes individual characteristics of the distribution of attention, which are manifested in the degree of breadth of coverage of various aspects of the displayed situation, as well as in the degree of consideration of its relevant and irrelevant features. Accordingly, some subjects quickly distribute attention to many aspects of the situation, while highlighting its objective details (the pole of broad, or scanning, control). The attention of other subjects, on the contrary, turns out to be superficial and fragmented, while it captures obvious, conspicuous characteristics of the situation (the pole of narrow, or focusing, control).
· impulsiveness - reflectivity;
People with an impulsive style quickly make hypotheses in a situation of alternative choice, while they make many erroneous decisions in identifying perceptual objects. People with a reflective style, on the contrary, are characterized by a slower pace of decision-making in such a situation; accordingly, they make few mistakes when identifying perceptual objects due to their thorough preliminary analysis.
· narrow—wide range of equivalence;
Representatives of the pole of a narrow range of equivalence (analytical style) tend to focus on the differences between objects, paying attention mainly to their details and distinctive features. Representatives of the pole of a wide range of equivalence (synthetic style), on the contrary, tend to focus on the similarity of objects, classifying them taking into account some generalized categorical bases.
· cognitive simplicity - complexity;
Some people understand and interpret what is happening in a simplified form based on recording a limited set of information (the pole of cognitive simplicity). Others, on the contrary, tend to create a multidimensional model of reality, highlighting many interconnected aspects in it (the pole of cognitive complexity).
Cognitive style, like other stylistic formations of an individual, performs the following functions: 3 1. adaptive, consisting in adapting the individual to the requirements of a given activity and social environment; 2. compensatory, since its formation is based on the strengths of the individual and taking into account the weaknesses; 3.system-forming, which allows, on the one hand, to form a style based on many previously established characteristics of individuality, and, on the other hand, to influence many aspects of human behavior; 4. self-expression, consisting in the ability of an individual to express himself through a unique way of performing an activity or through a manner of behavior
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_style
“Cognitive” – related to the mental mechanisms of information processing in the process of constructing a cognitive image at different levels of cognitive reflection, i.e. This term is addressed to how a cognitive image is constructed. We are talking about individual differences in the ways of processing information in one’s environment, or cognitive styles themselves as a certain type of cognitive styles, which should be understood as individually unique ways of studying reality. Cognitive styles are a formal-dynamic characteristic of intellectual activity, not related to the content (effective) aspects of the work of the intellect. In addition, cognitive styles are stable cognitive preferences characteristic of a given individual, manifested in the predominant use of certain methods of processing information - those methods that best correspond to the psychological capabilities and inclinations of a given person. Thus, the term “cognitive style,” being a characteristic of the cognitive sphere, reflects the characteristics of personal orientation as a whole.
Each cognitive style was considered by scientists as a psychological trait of a higher order, including not only cognitive, but also motivational, emotional and other personal characteristics. Moreover, some authors consider cognitive styles as personality traits.
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Level of tolerance for unrealistic experiences
Tolerance means tolerating something. As a stylistic characteristic here, it characterizes a person’s ability to accept impressions that do not correspond or even contrast with his existing ideas.
Intolerant people tend to resist such experiences because... it is at odds with their knowledge of how things “should be,” while tolerant people, on the contrary, are open to this experience. The main indicator of tolerance can be called the duration of the period during which a person perceives a phenomenon.
By and large, we are talking here about the skill of accepting information that does not correspond to a person’s existing attitudes, and perceiving external influences as they really are.
Cognitive simplicity and cognitive complexity
From a theoretical point of view, the basis of cognitive simplicity and cognitive complexity can be called D. Kelly’s theory of personal constructs. The predominance of someone's style can be determined by measuring the simplicity or complexity of a complex of personal constructs in the process of interpretation, prediction and analysis of the surrounding reality, based on subjective experience organized in a specific way.
Here, constructs should be understood as a bipolar subjective measurement scale, which plays the role of a way to establish similarities or differences in the process of perception. These styles are diagnosed using the repertory grid method developed by D. Kelly.
In addition to the cognitive styles discussed above, which can be considered basic, some others can also be distinguished, for example, the figurative-effective style of interpreting information, due to the leading role of the right hemisphere of the brain; verbal-logical style of interpreting information, in which the leading role is given to the left hemisphere, and some others. To diagnose each style, specialists use various test methods.
YOUR COGNITIVE STYLE: Despite the fact that, as was said, a lot of different methods are used to establish a person’s leading cognitive style, there are special test materials that allow you to determine with maximum accuracy which cognitive style a particular person belongs to. Today you can test for yourself how such materials work, and at the same time establish your own cognitive style. This is exactly what we invite you to do - we invite you to take our course on self-knowledge (you can find it here), and learn a lot of new things not only about the nuances of your perception, but also about other features of your personality.
We wish you good luck and success!
We also recommend reading:
- Storytelling
- Roger Shepard test
- Combinatorial thinking
- Learning styles
- Psychodiagnostic methods
- Thinking styles Boncheck and Steele
- Cognitive psychology and cognitive psychotherapy
- Thinking styles: how to determine yours
- Method of intellectual lability
- “I-concept”: characteristics, features, meaning
- Interesting things about cognitive distortions
Key words:1Cognitive science
Types of cognitive thinking
Cognitive functions develop in a person from the first days of life. The child receives information about what mom smells like, what food tastes like, and how to call for help. The main stages of development are divided into three stages:
- Visually effective, it is typical for children from birth to 3 years. During this period, children collect information about the world around them using any available means: they taste, remember the smell and appearance of objects. During this period, the child distinguishes between the functions of father and mother, knows in front of whom he can make a scandal and get his way, and on whom his whims do not affect.
- Visual and figurative, it develops until the age of 7. The child learns to think logically and can now perform simple tasks, relying on previously acquired knowledge. At this age, the boundaries of what is permitted are mastered, memory is trained, and imagination develops, which parents often confuse with the desire to deceive.
- Abstract. Over 7 years old, a child already tries to imagine what cannot be touched or seen, and the ability of abstract thinking is mastered.
As children grow up, they attend various clubs and extra classes; parents strive to teach them how to play the piano, dance the waltz, speak foreign languages, and want their children to succeed in the basic program and get high scores.
But after graduating from school, it’s as if all this development ceases to matter. Children receive certificates and diplomas, become adults and are not interested in anything else. The brain stops developing, its potential sharply decreases, and along with it cognitive abilities. With age, specific terms and mathematical formulas are forgotten, and basic knowledge is erased.
Scientists have proven that if you don’t give your brain a workout every day, neural connections disintegrate, which means memory deteriorates and your ability to think decreases. Cognitive disorders appear.
