Cognitive processes are the core mental functions that enable us to interact with the world, including attention, memory, learning, reasoning, language, and problem-solving.
They operate together rather than in isolation. For instance, reading this text involves attention (focusing), memory (recognising words), and reasoning (understanding meaning).
Studying cognitive processes helps psychologists and neuroscientists understand how we think, why errors occur, and how to improve learning and decision-making. They are the building blocks of human intelligence.