Cognitive abilities are not something that we think need explaining as we do it every day and take it for granted.
Let’s explore the meaning of human cognition and cognitive abilities, especially what the word human is uniquely referring to.
The meaning of cognitive abilities :
Cognitive abilities refer to our capacity to gather inputs, convert them into information, analyze that information, in response to our environment.
This cognitive process defines how we manifest in the 3D reality, shaping our identity.
When we talk about cognitive abilities, we are describing the process of thinking and the outcomes of this process—our thoughts.
This cognitive process enables us, as humans, to engage with the 3D world, influencing decisions from what to wear and eat to major life choices. It forms our ideas and determines our relationships with everything in our lives, including people, loved ones, work, society and more.
Academic definition of cognitive abilities :
The academic definition of cognitive abilities refers to a broad range of mental processes that enable individuals to acquire, process, store, and retrieve information. These abilities encompass various aspects of thinking, problem-solving, learning, memory, attention, perception, language comprehension, decision-making, and reasoning.
Cognitive abilities are fundamental to how individuals understand, interpret, and interact with the world around them.
In academic contexts, cognitive abilities are often studied within the fields of psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, and education. Researchers investigate different facets of cognitive abilities to understand how they develop, function, and can be influenced.
Cognitive assessments and tests are used to measure specific cognitive abilities and their impact on behavior and performance.
Overall, cognitive abilities represent the complex processes underlying human thought and behavior, contributing to individual differences in intellectual functioning and adaptive skills.
Things we overlook about cognitive abilities:
We often don’t realize the power that cognitive abilities have in our lives. Our cognitive process shapes our identity, how others perceive us, and how we express ourselves in the world.
Our cognitive abilities drive our actions and underlie everything we do
How does being human relate to cognitive abilities?
The term “human” refers to the fact that our ability to think and create thoughts occurs within a biological body that can feel sensations.
Every thought process is accompanied by energy, which we experience as feelings. Our thoughts can evoke different feelings—both negative and positive—that impact our actions. Negative feelings can deter us from certain actions, while positive emotions like love, excitement, and happiness are linked to various thoughts and influence how we behave and present ourselves in the world.
Being human signifies that our thinking processes are not solely analytical but also involve energy that generates subjective experiences and shapes our unique identities.
My Thoughts:
Understanding what cognitive abilities mean and how being human makes them different is key to how we perceive and cooperate with AI.
Knowledge is power, even when it’s about things we didn’t realize we needed to know.
For instance, understanding cognitive abilities and their connection to being human highlights the uniqueness of human cognition due to our biological body.
The reason we might struggle to recognize AI as a thinking entity is that we lack sufficient information to understand thinking and thought beyond their basic definitions.
With this information, we can better understand AI by recognizing the differences between our thinking process and what a human thinking mind is capable of, which helps create a balanced environment where AI complements human abilities without diminishing them or overstating AI’s capabilities.
This balanced perspective is crucial for successfully integrating AI into our business, and it should be the starting point for our AI strategy plan.
