{"id":1495,"date":"2025-12-15T09:28:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T08:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpbeyond.esade.edu\/?p=1495"},"modified":"2025-12-15T09:28:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T08:28:01","slug":"cognitive-processes-how-they-can-help-your-career-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpbeyond.azurewebsites.net\/en\/cognitive-processes-how-they-can-help-your-career-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Cognitive processes: How they can help your career success"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Professional environments are evolving. Today, it is no longer enough to master technical skills and knowledge. Companies are looking for employees with critical thinking, mental flexibility, effective decision-making, and a passion for constant learning. The key to developing these competencies? Understanding and enhancing your cognitive processes. <\/p>\n\n

As we’ll see, knowing how you think, assimilate knowledge, and make decisions can significantly impact your learning and future career. At Esade, these cognitive processes are developed in our Bachelor\u2019s degrees<\/g> and other programs, empowering you to gain the skills and abilities<\/g> that allow you to add value. But let’s start with the basics: What are cognitive processes, and how do they influence our educational and professional development? <\/p>\n\n

What are cognitive processes and how do they influence learning?<\/h2>\n\n
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\u201cThey are the processes by which sensory information is transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered, and used\u201d – Ulric Neisser<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Based on this definition by Ulric Neisser<\/a>, the father of cognitive psychology , they are the mechanisms through which we process and make sense of the stimuli we receive from our environment. In essence, they are the mental operations that allow us to acquire, organize, store, and utilize information. They form the foundation of thought, learning, and all intelligent action. <\/p>\n\n

Knowing what cognitive processes are and how they function is key to boosting your performance at university, at work, and in life. These processes are constantly at play, from remembering a formula to making a strategic decision. <\/p>\n\n

Types and classification of cognitive processes: Key examples<\/h2>\n\n

Cognitive psychology distinguishes between basic cognitive processes and higher cognitive processes. This classification isn’t the only one, but it’s very useful for understanding how the mind works. First, we receive and organize information<\/strong> (basic processes), and from there, we build more complex operations like planning, reasoning, or creating<\/strong> (higher processes). <\/p>\n\n

This distinction has roots in the work of Lev Vygotsky<\/a>, who discussed elementary<\/em> and higher psychological functions, largely anticipating the current classification.<\/p>\n\n

However, the basic vs. higher classification appears in various cognitive psychology texts and traditions, not just those of one author.The following classification is an updated overview of the most relevant contributions from leading experts in the field, including Ulric Neisser<\/strong>, Alexander Luri<\/strong>a<\/a>, and John R. Anderson<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

Basic cognitive processes<\/h3>\n\n

These are the first capacities to appear during development and function as the fundamental building blocks of thought<\/strong>. They enable us to perceive the world and organize the information we receive. Among the most notable are: <\/p>\n\n