higher cognitive process
- noun
- Specialized
:
proceso cognitivo superior
- Teachers encourage students to engage in higher cognitive processes, which help them analyze and evaluate information critically.
Examples
-
Through the use of higher cognitive processes, he successfully solved the intricate mathematical problems presented in class.
-
At best, education is understood to include higher cognitive processes that Project Zero itself has introduced to educational theory, such as critical thinking and reflective thinking.
Academic text (1997) -
Using higher cognitive processes, she was able to devise a comprehensive plan to tackle the complex issue.
How Complex
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
8.9
51
5.1
- Specialized
13
4.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is fully compositional: 'higher' (more advanced) modifies 'cognitive' (mental) and 'process' (a sequence of steps), so the overall meaning 'an advanced mental process' is directly derivable from the parts. This modifier + adjective + noun pattern is common cross-linguistically and involves no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should understand it.
Etymology
Higher cognitive process creates a simple picture: imagine a tall ladder where your mind climbs using learned tools — higher shows the level, cognitive points to thinking skills, and process shows the step-by-step work to 'reason', 'plan', and 'solve problems'. That's why it means 'an advanced mental process' that uses what you already know to think through hard ideas.