Glossary of Cognitive Science Terms

Quick definitions of key concepts and jargon.

The field of cognitive science spans many disciplines, and it comes with its own terminology. Use this glossary to look up basic definitions and refresh your memory on important concepts. The definitions are intentionally brief; follow the links in the text for more detailed explanations.

Cognition
Mental processes involved in acquiring, storing and using knowledge.
Perception
The interpretation of sensory information to form a coherent picture of the world.
Attention
The process of selectively focusing on certain stimuli while ignoring others.
Memory
The capacity to encode, store and retrieve information.
Working Memory
A limited capacity system for temporarily holding information available for processing.
Long‑Term Memory
Stores information over extended periods, including semantic, episodic and procedural memory.
Learning
The acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study or teaching.
Language Acquisition
The process by which humans learn to understand and produce language.
Artificial Intelligence
Computer systems designed to perform tasks requiring human‑like intelligence.
Neural Network
A computational model composed of interconnected units that process information in parallel.
Connectionism
An approach to modelling cognition using networks of simple units analogous to neurons.
Representation
A mental symbol or model that stands for information about the world.
Embodied Cognition
A view that cognition depends on the body’s interactions with the environment.
Cognitive Bias
A systematic deviation from rational judgement or decision making.
Heuristic
A simple rule or strategy used to make judgements or decisions quickly.
Cognitive Architecture
A unified theory or model describing the fixed structures and processes of cognition.
Phonology
The study of the sound systems of languages.
Syntactic Parsing
The process of analysing the grammatical structure of a sentence.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
A brain imaging technique that measures changes in blood flow to infer neural activity.
Electroencephalography (EEG)
A method that records electrical activity from the scalp to study brain function.
Psycholinguistics
The study of how humans comprehend, produce and acquire language.
Cognitive Neuroscience
The study of the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive processes.
Metacognition
Awareness and regulation of one’s own thinking and learning processes.

This list is not exhaustive, and the field is constantly evolving. For additional information, explore our articles on specific topics or refer to our blog.