What is cognitive behavior. Who can benefit from cognitive therapy? graduates in the field of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, teachers of the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Professor A.B.

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Anxiety and depression, eating disorders and phobias, couple and communication problems - the list of questions that cognitive-behavioral therapy undertakes to answer continues to grow from year to year. Does this mean that psychology has found a universal "key to all doors", a cure for all diseases? Or are the advantages of this type of therapy somewhat exaggerated? Let's try to figure it out.

Bring back the mind

First there was behaviorism. This is the name of the science of behavior (hence the second name of cognitive-behavioral therapy - cognitive-behavioral, or CBT for short). The first banner of behaviorism was raised by the American psychologist John Watson at the beginning of the 20th century. His theory was a response to the European fascination with Freudian psychoanalysis. The birth of psychoanalysis coincided with a period of pessimism, decadent moods and expectations of the end of the world. What was reflected in the teachings of Freud, who argued that the source of our main problems is outside the mind - in the unconscious, and therefore it is extremely difficult to cope with them. The American approach, on the contrary, assumed some simplification, healthy practicality and optimism. John Watson believed that the focus should be on human behavior, on how we react to external stimuli. And - to work on improving these very reactions. However, this approach was successful not only in America. One of the fathers of behaviorism is the Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, who received the Nobel Prize for his research and studied reflexes until 1936.

Between the external stimulus and the reaction to it there is a very important instance - in fact, the person himself who reacts. More precisely, his consciousness

It soon became clear that, in its quest for simplicity, behaviorism had thrown the baby out with the water—in effect, reducing man to a set of reactions and bracketing the psyche as such. And scientific thought moved in the opposite direction. In the 1950s and 1960s, psychologists Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck “returned the psyche to its place,” rightly pointing out that between an external stimulus and a reaction to it there is a very important instance - in fact, the person himself who reacts. Or rather, his mind. If psychoanalysis places the origins of the main problems in the unconscious, inaccessible to us, then Beck and Ellis suggested that we are talking about incorrect "cognitions" - errors of consciousness. Finding which, although not easy, is much easier than penetrating into the dark depths of the unconscious. The work of Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis is today considered the foundation of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Errors of consciousness

Errors of consciousness can be different. One simple example is the tendency to view any event as having something to do with you personally. Let's say the boss was gloomy today and greeted you through his teeth. “He hates me and is about to fire me” is a fairly typical reaction in this case. But not necessarily true. We do not take into account circumstances that we simply do not know about. What if the boss's child is sick? If he quarreled with his wife? Or has he just been criticized at a meeting with shareholders? However, it is impossible, of course, to exclude the possibility that the boss really has something against you. But even in this case, repeating “What a horror, everything is gone” is also a mistake of consciousness. It’s much more productive to ask yourself if you can make a difference in the situation and what the benefits of leaving your current job might be.

One of the errors of consciousness is the tendency to perceive all events as having to do with us personally.

This example clearly illustrates the "scope" of CBT, which does not seek to understand the mystery that was going on behind the door of our parents' bedroom, but helps to understand a specific situation. And this approach turned out to be very effective: “No other type of psychotherapy has such a scientific evidence base,” emphasizes psychotherapist Yakov Kochetkov. He is referring to psychologist Stefan G. Hofmann's study confirming the effectiveness of CBT methods 1: a large-scale analysis of 269 articles, each of which, in turn, contains a review of hundreds of publications.

The Cost of Efficiency

“Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy and psychoanalysis are traditionally considered the two main areas of modern psychotherapy. So, in Germany, in order to obtain a state certificate of a psychotherapist with the right to pay through insurance cash desks, it is necessary to have basic training in one of them. Gestalt therapy, psychodrama, systemic family psychotherapy, despite their popularity, are still recognized only as additional specializations,” psychologists Alla Kholmogorova and Natalya Garanyan 2 note. In almost all developed countries, for insurers, psychotherapeutic assistance and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy are almost synonymous. For insurance companies, the main arguments are scientifically proven effectiveness, a wide range of applications and a relatively short duration of therapy.

An amusing story is connected with the last circumstance. Aaron Beck said that when he started practicing CBT, he almost went bankrupt. Traditionally, psychotherapy lasted for a long time, but after a few sessions, many clients told Aaron Beck that their problems were successfully solved, and therefore they see no point in further work. The salaries of a psychotherapist have drastically decreased.

Questions for David Clark, Cognitive Psychotherapist

You are considered one of the pioneers of cognitive behavioral therapy. What path did she take?

I think we have improved a lot. We have improved the system for measuring the effectiveness of therapy, we have managed to understand which components are important in the first place. It was possible to expand the scope of CBT - after all, it was initially considered only as a method of working with depression.

This therapy attracts the authorities and insurance companies economically - a relatively short course brings a tangible effect. What are the benefits for clients?

Exactly the same! It quickly gives a positive result, allowing you not to spend money on trips to a therapist for many years. Imagine, 5-6 sessions in many cases is enough for a tangible effect. Moreover, often the most significant changes occur at the beginning of therapeutic work. This applies, for example, to depression, and in some cases to anxiety disorders. This does not mean that the work has already been done, but the patient begins to experience relief in a very short time, and this is extremely important. In general, CBT is a very focused therapy. She does not set the task of improving the condition in general, she works with the specific problems of a particular client, whether it be stress, depression or something else.

How to choose a CBT therapist?

Find someone who has completed a certified, internationally recognized training program. And one where supervision is provided: the work of a therapist with an experienced colleague. You cannot become a psychotherapist by simply reading a book and deciding that you are ready. Our research shows that supervised therapists are much more successful. Russian colleagues who started practicing CBT had to regularly travel to the West, because they could not undergo supervision in Russia. But now the best of them are themselves ready to become supervisors and help spread our method.

Method of use

The duration of the CBT course may vary. “It is used both in the short term (15–20 sessions in the treatment of anxiety disorders) and in the long term (1–2 years in the case of personality disorders),” point out Alla Kholmogorova and Natalya Garanyan. But on average, this is much less than, for example, a course of classical psychoanalysis. That can be perceived not only as a plus, but also as a minus.

CBT is often accused of superficial work, likening a painkiller pill that relieves symptoms without affecting the causes of the disease. “Modern cognitive therapy starts with symptoms,” explains Yakov Kochetkov. – But work with deep convictions also plays a big role. We just don't think it takes many years to work with them. The usual course is 15–20 meetings, not two weeks. And about half of the course is working with symptoms, and half is working with causes. In addition, working with symptoms also affects deep-seated beliefs.

The exposure method consists in the controlled exposure of the client to the very factors that serve as a source of problems.

This work, by the way, includes not only conversations with the therapist, but also the exposure method. It lies in the controlled impact on the client of the very factors that serve as a source of problems. For example, if a person is afraid of heights, then during the course of therapy he will have to climb the balcony of a high-rise building more than once. First - together with a therapist, and then on their own, and each time to a higher floor.

Another myth seems to stem from the very name of therapy: as long as it works with consciousness, then the therapist is a rational coach who does not show empathy and is not able to understand what concerns personal relationships. This is not true. Cognitive therapy for couples, for example, in Germany is recognized as so effective that it has the status of a state program.

In the therapy of phobias, exposure to height is used: in reality or with the help of a computer simulation. PHOTO Getty Images

Many methods in one

“CBT is not universal, it does not displace or replace other methods of psychotherapy,” says Yakov Kochetkov. “Rather, she successfully uses the findings of other methods, each time verifying their effectiveness through scientific research.”

CBT is not one, but many therapies. And almost every disorder today has its own CBT methods. For example, schema therapy was invented for personality disorders. “Now CBT is successfully used in cases of psychoses and bipolar disorders,” continues Yakov Kochetkov. – There are ideas borrowed from psychodynamic therapy. And recently, The Lancet published an article on the use of CBT for patients with schizophrenia who have refused to take medication. And even in this case, this method gives good results.

All this does not mean that CBT has finally established itself as the No. 1 psychotherapy. She has many critics. However, if you need quick relief in a particular situation, then 9 out of 10 experts in Western countries will recommend contacting a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist.

1 S. Hofmann et al. "The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses". Online publication in the journal Cognitive Therapy and Research dated 07/31/2012.

2 A. Kholmogorova, N. Garanyan "Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy" (in the collection "The main directions of modern psychotherapy", Kogito-center, 2000).

Have you noticed that often people behave differently in the same situation. But in some cases, others may react in the same way to any irritating factors.

This suggests that their perception of the situation is the same. Behavior will depend on the perception of the situation, and views on life are formed during a person’s life.

Definition of Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy

Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy or cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy is one of the areas of science based on the assumption that the causes of mental disorders are dysfunctional attitudes and beliefs.

This can be said about the useful habit of preparing for tomorrow in order to get ready on time and not be late for school or work. It is worth not doing this once and there will be an unpleasant experience of untimely arrival, for example, to a meeting. As a result of acquiring negative experience in the subconscious of a person, it is memorized. When such a situation is repeated, the brain gives a signal or a guide to action in order to get away from trouble. Or vice versa, do nothing. That is why some people, having received the first time a refusal of an offer, the next time they try not to do it again. We are always guided by our thoughts, we are under the influence of our own images. What about a person who has had many negative contacts throughout his life, and under their influence a certain worldview has been formed. It prevents you from moving on, conquering new heights. There is an exit. It's called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

This method is one of the modern trends in the treatment of mental illness. The treatment is based on the study of the origin of human complexes and his psychological problems. The American psychiatrist Aaron Beck is considered the creator of this method of therapy. Currently, Beck's cognitive psychotherapy is one of the most effective ways to treat depression and suicidal tendencies. Psychotherapy uses the principle of changing the patient's behavior and discovering the thoughts that cause illness.

Purpose of therapy

The main goals of cognitive therapy are:

1. Elimination of the symptoms of the disease.
2. Reducing the frequency of relapses after treatment.
3. Increases the effectiveness of the use of drugs.
4. Solving many social problems of the patient.
5. Eliminate the causes that can cause this condition, change a person's behavior, adapt it to various life situations.

Basic principles of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy

This technique allows you to eliminate negative thoughts, create new ways of thinking and analyzing the real problem. Psychoanalysis includes:

• The emergence of new stereotypes of thinking.
• Exploring unwanted or desirable thoughts and what causes them.
• Visualizing that a new pattern of behavior can lead to emotional well-being.
• How to apply new conclusions in your life, new situations.

The main idea of ​​cognitive psychotherapy is that all the problems of the patient come from his thinking. A person himself forms his attitude to everything that happens. Thus, he has the corresponding feelings - fear, joy, anger, excitement. That person who inadequately assesses the things, people and events around him can endow them with qualities that are not inherent in them.

Help doctor

First of all, the psychiatrist in the treatment of such patients tries to identify how they think, which leads to neurosis and suffering. And how to try to replace these categories of feelings with positive ones. People are again learning new methods of thinking that will lead to a more adequate assessment of any life situation. But the main condition of treatment is the desire of the patient to be cured. If a person is not aware of his disease, experiences some resistance, then the treatment may be ineffective. An attempt to change negative thoughts and stimulation to change is quite difficult, because a person does not want to change his behavior, thinking. Many do not understand why they should change something in their lives, if they are already doing so well. Conducting cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy alone will be ineffective. Treatment, diagnosis and assessment of the degree of violations should be handled by a specialist.

Varieties of therapy

Like other treatments, cognitive psychotherapy has a variety of techniques. Here are some of the most popular ones:

• Treatment by modeling. A person represents the possible development of the situation as a consequence of his behavior. An analysis is being made of his actions and how to deal with it. Various relaxation techniques are used, which will allow you to get rid of anxiety and remove possible provoking factors leading to stress. The method has proven itself in the treatment of self-doubt and various fears.
• Cognitive therapy. It is based on the acceptance that when the patient is emotionally disturbed, he certainly has thoughts of failure. A person immediately thinks that he will not succeed, while self-esteem is low, the slightest hint of failure is perceived as the end of the world. In treatment, the cause of such thoughts is studied. Various situations are set to get a positive life experience. The more successful events in life, the more confident the patient is, the faster he creates a positive opinion about himself. Over time, a person from a loser turns into a successful and self-confident person.
• Anxiety control training. The doctor teaches the patient to use the feeling of anxiety as a relaxant. During the session, the psychiatrist works through possible situations to prepare the patient for common events. This technique is used for those people who, in stressful situations, cannot control themselves and cannot make a decision quickly.
• Fight stress. As a result of applying this technique against stress, the patient learns relaxation with the help of a psychotherapist. The person gets stressed on purpose. This helps to gain experience in applying the relaxation technique, which may be useful in the future.
• Rational-emotive therapy. There are people who consider themselves the best. These thoughts often lead to a discrepancy between real life and dreams. Which can lead to constant stress, the divergence of dreams and reality is perceived as a terrible event. Treatment consists in motivating a person to a real, not fictional life. Over time, the ability to make the right decisions will protect from unnecessary stress, the patient will no longer be dependent on his dreams.

What the patient will receive as a result of treatment:

• The ability to identify negative thoughts.
• Realistically evaluate thoughts, change them to more constructive ones that do not cause anxiety and depression.
• Normalize and maintain a lifestyle, eliminate provoking factors for stress.
• Use the skills you have learned to deal with anxiety.
• Overcome anxiety, do not hide problems from loved ones, consult with them and use their support.

What is the peculiarity of the method of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy?

Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy is based on the principles of learning theory, which suggests that different types of behavior and the signs that accompany them develop due to a person’s habitual reaction to a situation.

A person reacts to external stress in a certain way and at the same time a certain model of behavior is developed that is unique to this person and a reaction that is familiar only to him, which is far from always correct. " Wrong» pattern of behavior or "wrong" response and cause the symptoms of the disorder. However, you need to clearly understand that this model can be changed, and you can unlearn from the developed habitual reaction, and most importantly, learn " correct”, useful and constructive, which will help to cope with difficulties without incurring new stresses and fears.

Cognitiveness in psychology is a person's ability to mentally perceive and process external information based on their deepest beliefs, attitudes and automatic (unconscious) thoughts. Such thought processes are commonly referred to as the "mental state of a person."

Cognitions are stereotyped, "automatic", sometimes instantaneous thoughts that arise in a person and are a reaction to a certain situation. Cognitions psychologically injure a person and lead him to panic attacks, fears, depression and other nervous disorders. Such catastrophic assessments and negative attitudes cause a person to react to what is happening with resentment, fear, guilt, anger, or even hopelessness. This is what the psychologist does.

Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy can be expressed as a cognitive formula:

Negative experiences of a person are not the result of this situation, but the ability of a person, having got into a certain situation, to develop his own opinion on it and after that decide how he relates to this situation, who he sees himself in it and what emotions it causes in him .

In other words, for a person it is not so important what happens to him, as much as what he thinks about it, what thoughts underlie his experiences and how he will act further. It is precisely these thoughts that lead to negative experiences (panic fears, phobias and other nervous disorders) that are unconscious “for granted” and therefore are poorly understood by a person.

The main task of a CBT psychologist is to work with thoughts, with an attitude to a given situation, with the correction of distortions and errors of thinking, which will ultimately lead to the formation of more adaptive, positive, constructive and life-affirming stereotypes of further behavior.

Cognitive behavioral therapy consists of several stages. At consultations with a psychologist, the client gradually “step by step” learns to change his thinking, which leads him to panic attacks, he gradually breaks the vicious circle consisting of fear that causes this panic, and also learns techniques aimed at reducing the level of anxiety. As a result, the client overcomes frightening situations and qualitatively changes his life.

The main advantage of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy is that the result obtained from consultations with a psychologist is persistent and lasts for quite a long time. This is due to the fact that after CBT, the client becomes his own psychologist, as during consultations he masters the methodology and techniques of self-control, self-diagnosis and self-treatment.

The main provisions of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy:

1. Your negative experiences are not the result of a past situation, but your personal assessment of this situation, your thoughts about it, and also how you see yourself and the people who surround you in this situation.
2. It is possible to radically change your assessment of a particular situation and change the flow of thoughts about it from negative to positive.
3. Your negative beliefs, in your opinion, although they look plausible, but this does not mean that they are true. It is from such false "plausible" thoughts that you get worse and worse.
4. Your negative experiences are directly related to the patterns of thought you are used to, as well as to the erroneous processing of information that you have received. You can change the way you think and check for errors.

• identify negative thoughts that cause PA, fears, depression and other nervous disorders;
• review the lifestyle and normalize it (for example, avoid chronic overload, review the poor organization of work and leisure, eliminate all provoking factors, etc.);
• to keep the results obtained for a long time and not to lose the acquired skills in the future (not to avoid, but to resist future negative situations, to be able to cope with depression and anxiety, etc.);
• overcome shame for anxiety, stop hiding your existing problems from loved ones, use support and gratefully accept help.

Cognitive techniques (methods) of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy:

During consultations, the CBT psychologist, depending on the problem, uses various cognitive techniques (techniques) that help analyze and recognize the negative perception of the situation in order to eventually change it to a positive one.

Very often a person is afraid of what he prophesied for himself, and in anticipation of this moment, he begins to panic. On a subconscious level, he is already ready for danger, long before it happens. As a result, a person is mortally frightened in advance and tries in every possible way to avoid this situation.

Cognitive techniques will help control negative emotions and allow you to change negative thinking, thereby reducing premature fear that develops into panic attacks. With the help of these techniques, a person changes his fatal perception of panic (which is characteristic of his negative thinking) and thereby shortens the duration of the attack itself, and also significantly reduces its impact on the general emotional state.

During consultations, the psychologist creates an individual system of tasks for his client. (It depends on the active participation of the client and the completion of homework how positive the result of the course of therapy will be). This technique is better called "learning". The psychologist teaches the client to control their negative thoughts and resist them in the future.

Such homework includes entering a special diary, following step-by-step instructions, practicing an optimistic internal dialogue, using relaxation (relaxing) exercises, doing certain breathing exercises, and much more. In each case, different cognitive techniques are selected.

COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR

Cognitive behavior and learning associated with it combines the highest forms of mental activity, which are more characteristic of adult animals with a highly developed nervous system and based on its ability to form a holistic image of the environment. With cognitive forms of learning, an assessment of the situation occurs, in which higher mental processes are involved; in this case, both past experience and an analysis of available opportunities are used, and as a result an optimal solution is formed.

The cognitive capabilities of animals are determined by their intellect, which means "the highest form of mental activity of animals (monkeys and a number of other higher vertebrates), characterized by the display of not only the subject components of the environment, but also their relationships and connections (situations), as well as a non-stereotypical solution of complex tasks in various ways with the transfer and use of various operations learned as a result of previous individual experience. I. Zh. manifests itself in the processes of thinking, which in animals always has a specific sensory-motor character, is subject-related and is expressed in practical analysis and synthesis of established relationships between phenomena (and objects) that are directly perceived in a visually observed situation "(" A Brief Psychological Dictionary " Edited by A. V. Petrovsky and M. G. Yaroshevsky Rostov-on-Don, Phoenix, 1998).

The intellectual behavior of animals is usually studied using the following approaches: 1) techniques associated with pulling up a bait tied to one of many adjacent ribbons, strings, to establish the ability of animals to capture connections and relationships between various objects; 2) the use of animals as primitive tools of various objects, the construction of pyramids to realize their needs, which cannot be directly satisfied; 3) bypass tasks with rigid and variable labyrinths, on the way to the goal, which is not always within the range of constant visibility for the animal, for this there are obstacles along the way; 4) delayed reactions of active choice, requiring the retention in memory of traces from the stimulus in the form of an image or representation as elements of complex mental processes; 5) selection for a sample (method of paired presentations) to study the identity, generality, discrimination of signals, their shape, shape, size, etc.; 6) problematic situations in various labyrinths, cages, etc. - insight analysis; 7) reflexes to the transfer of experience to new conditions as a technique for reflecting elementary forms of generalization; 8) extrapolation of the direction of movement of the stimulus, the ability to operate with the empirical dimension of figures; 9) teaching the rudiments of the language (sign language, signs, folding phrases from multi-colored plastic chips of various shapes and expressing new sentences, etc., sound communications; 10) studying group behavior, social cooperation; 11) EEG studies of complex forms of behavior and mathematical modeling.

In connection with the methods used, it is customary to distinguish the following forms of cognitive behavior: elementary rational activity (according to L.V. Krushinsky), latent learning, the development of psychomotor skills (psycho-nervous learning according to I.S. Beritashvili), insight and probabilistic forecasting.

According to L.V. Krushinsky (Krushinsky L.V. Biological foundations of rational activity. Moscow State University, 1986), rational (intellectual) activity differs from any form of behavior and learning. This form of adaptive behavior can be carried out at the first encounter of an animal with an unusual situation. The fact that an animal, immediately without special training, can make the right decision is a unique feature of rational activity.

Thinking as something psycho-physiological whole is not reduced to simple associations. The function of generalization in animals is formed on the basis of experience, processes of comparison, identification of essential features in a number of objects, their combination, which contributes to the formation of associations in them and the ability to capture the correctness of the course of events, predicting future consequences. Simple use of previous experience, mechanical reproduction of conditioned reflex connections cannot ensure rapid adaptation in constantly changing environmental conditions, respond flexibly to non-standard situations, or program behavior.

The real relations of objects and phenomena at the stage of intellect can be grasped from the first presentation of the situation. However, rational cognitive activity not only does not exclude previous experience, but also uses it, although it is not reduced to practice, in which it differs significantly from a conditioned reflex. Normally, quick solutions to problems that are increasing in complexity are possible only with their gradual complication. This is natural, because in order to empirically capture any regularity, a series of phenomena is needed.

The psychophysiological interpretation of intelligence should probably be based on the fact that in the brain there is a constant comparison, selection, distraction and generalization of information delivered by sensory systems.

cognitive behavior

General psychology: a glossary. R. Comer.

See what "Cognitive Behavior" is in other dictionaries:

Cognitive bias - Cognitive biases are systematic errors in thinking or patterned deviations in judgment that occur in certain situations. The existence of most of these cognitive distortions has been proven in psychological experiments ... Wikipedia

COGNITIVE LEARNING - Includes: self-control, consisting of successive stages of self-observation, self-reinforcement and regulating self-esteem; drawing up contracts; work in the system of rules of the patient. Behavioral rules allow ... ... Psychotherapeutic Encyclopedia

Social skills training - Taking care of social. competence has long remained in the margins of other social. and ped. prospects. It was tacitly recognized that adequate interpersonal behavior skills are acquired "naturally", thanks to traditional socializing social ... ... Psychological Encyclopedia

Singh Sheo Dan / Singh, Sheo Dan - (). Singh set up India's first primate laboratory. His main interests lay in areas such as the impact of urban conditions on social, emotional and cognitive behavior, and the brain chemistry of rhesus monkeys ... Psychological Encyclopedia

COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOTHERAPY - The first experience of applying behavioral therapy was based on the theoretical provisions of IP Pavlov (classical conditioning) and Skinner (BF Skinner), (operant conditioning). As new generations of doctors ... ... Psychotherapeutic Encyclopedia

Cross-cultural training programs (cross-cultural training programs) - K. to. at. are considered formal attempts aimed at preparing people for life and work in a culture different from their own. Ideally, such programs are organized and conducted by professional workers with appropriate ... ... Psychological Encyclopedia

INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY - Created by Alfred Adler (Adler A.), IP was a major step forward in understanding a person, the uniqueness of his unique life path. It was I. p. who anticipated many provisions of humanistic psychology, existentialism, ... ... Psychotherapeutic Encyclopedia

PSYCHOLOGY is the science of psychic reality, of how an individual senses, perceives, feels, thinks and acts. For a deeper understanding of the human psyche, psychologists are exploring the mental regulation of animal behavior and the functioning of such ... ... Collier's Encyclopedia

Stepsons and stepdaughters (stepchildren) - Research. show that the stepfather's entry into a fatherless family has a positive impact on the cognitive and personal development of boys; the impact on the cognitive and personal development of girls remains practically unexplored. In ... ... Psychological Encyclopedia

AI - Artificial intelligence (AI) is the science and development of intelligent machines and systems, especially intelligent computer programs, aimed at understanding human intelligence. At the same time ... ... Wikipedia

Cognitivism is a modern trend in psychology

In psychology, there is often such a thing as "cognitivism".

What is it? What does this term imply?

In simple words about the theory of cognitive dissonance here.

Definition of the term

Cognitivism is a direction in psychology, according to which individuals do not just mechanically react to events from outside or internal factors, but use the power of the mind for this.

His theoretical approach is to understand how thinking works, how incoming information is deciphered, and how it is organized to make decisions or perform everyday tasks.

Research is related to human cognitive activity, and cognitivism is based on mental activity, not behavioral reactions.

Cognitiveness - what is it in simple words? Cognitiveness is a term denoting a person's ability to mentally perceive and process external information.

The concept of cognition

The main concept in cognitivism is cognition, which is the cognitive process itself or a set of mental processes, which includes perception, thinking, attention, memory, speech, awareness, etc.

That is, such processes that are associated with the processing of information in the structures of the brain and its subsequent processing.

What does cognitive mean?

When they characterize something as "cognitive" - ​​what do they mean? Which one?

Cognitive means related in one way or another to cognition, thinking, consciousness and brain functions that provide input knowledge and information, the formation of concepts and their operation.

For a better understanding, consider a few more definitions directly related to cognitivism.

Some example definitions

What does the word "cognitive" mean?

Cognitive style is understood as relatively stable individual characteristics of how different people go through the process of thinking and understanding, how they perceive, process information and remember it, as well as the way the individual chooses to solve problems or problems.

This video covers cognitive styles:

What is cognitive behavior?

The cognitive behavior of a person is represented by thoughts and representations that are inherent to a greater extent to this particular individual.

These are behavioral responses that arise to a certain situation after processing and organizing information.

The cognitive component is a set of different attitudes towards oneself. It includes the following elements:

• self-image;
• self-assessment, that is, an assessment of this idea, which can have a different emotional coloring;
• potential behavioral response, that is, possible behavior based on self-image and self-esteem.

A cognitive model is understood as a theoretical model that describes the structure of knowledge, the relationship between concepts, indicators, factors, observations, and also reflects how information is received, stored and used.

In other words, it is an abstraction of the psychological process, reproducing the key points, in the opinion of this researcher, for his research.

The video clearly demonstrates the classical cognitive model:

Cognitive perception is the mediator between the event and your perception of it.

This perception is called one of the most effective ways to deal with psychological stress. That is, this is your assessment of the event, the reaction of the brain to it and the formation of a meaningful behavioral response.

The phenomenon in which the ability of an individual to assimilate and comprehend what is happening from the external environment is limited is called cognitive deprivation. It includes the lack of information, its variability or randomness, lack of order.

Because of it, there are obstacles to productive behavioral reactions in the outside world.

So, in professional activities, cognitive deprivation can lead to errors and interfere with making effective decisions. And in everyday life, it can be the result of false conclusions about surrounding individuals or events.

Empathy is the ability to empathize with a person, to understand the feelings, thoughts, goals and aspirations of another individual.

It is divided into emotional and cognitive.

And if the first is based on emotions, then the second is based on intellectual processes, reason.

Cognitive learning is one of the most difficult types of learning.

Thanks to it, the functional structure of the environment is formed, that is, the relationships between its components are extracted, after which the results obtained are transferred to reality.

Cognitive learning includes observation, rational and psycho-nervous activity.

The cognitive apparatus is understood as the internal resources of cognition, thanks to which intellectual structures and a system of thinking are formed.

Cognitive flexibility is the ability of the brain to move smoothly from one thought to another, as well as to think about several things at the same time.

It also includes the ability to adapt behavioral responses to new or unexpected situations. Cognitive flexibility is of great importance when learning and solving complex problems.

It allows you to receive information from the environment, monitor its variability and adjust behavior in accordance with the new requirements of the situation.

The cognitive component is usually closely related to the "I" concept.

This is an individual's idea of ​​himself and a set of certain characteristics that, in his opinion, he possesses.

These beliefs can have different meanings and change over time. The cognitive component can be based both on objective knowledge and on some subjective opinion.

Under the cognitive properties understand those properties that characterize the abilities available to the individual, as well as the activity of cognitive processes.

Cognitive factors have an important role to play in our mental state.

These include the ability to analyze one's own state and environmental factors, evaluate past experience and make forecasts for the future, determine the ratio of existing needs and their level of satisfaction, control the current state and situation.

Cognitive impairment - what is it? Learn about it from our article.

What is the "I-Concept"? The clinical psychologist explains in this video:

Cognitive evaluation is an element of the emotional process, which includes the interpretation of an ongoing event, as well as one's own and others' behavior based on the attitude to values, interests, needs.

In the cognitive theory of emotion, it is noted that cognitive evaluation determines the quality of experienced emotions and their strength.

Cognitive features are specific characteristics of a cognitive style associated with an individual's age, gender, place of residence, social status, and environment.

Cognitive experience is understood as mental structures that ensure the perception of information, its storage and ordering. They allow the psyche to further reproduce the stable aspects of the environment and, in accordance with this, quickly respond to them.

Cognitive rigidity is the inability of an individual to change his own perception of the environment and ideas about it when receiving additional, sometimes contradictory, information and the emergence of new situational requirements.

Cognitive cognition is engaged in the search for methods and ways to increase efficiency, improve human mental activity.

With its help, it becomes possible to form a multifaceted, successful, thinking personality. Thus, cognitive cognition is a tool for the formation of the cognitive abilities of an individual.

One of the traits of common sense is cognitive bias. Individuals often reason or make decisions that are good in some cases but misleading in others.

They represent the predilections of the individual, biased assessment, a tendency to unjustified conclusions as a result of insufficient information or unwillingness to take it into account.

Thus, cognitivism comprehensively considers human mental activity, explores thinking in various changing situations. This term is closely related to cognitive activity and its effectiveness.

You can learn how to deal with cognitive biases in this video:

cognitive behavior

3 stages of CBT development

As W. Neufeld notes, three phases can be distinguished in the history of the development of CBT: in the first phase, the focus of the study was behavior and the possibilities for its modification, in the second, thinking and the possibilities for its modification. In the third phase, which began to develop in the 90s of the XX century, the focus of research is more on emotions, relationships, interactions, themes of values ​​and meanings, and spirituality.

The main currents of the third wave are:

1. Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (Segal et al., 2002).

2. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (KabatZinn, 1990).

3. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Hayes, Strosahl, Wilson, 1999).

4. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) (Linehan, 1996).

5. Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) (Kohlenberg, Tsai, 1991).

6. Schema Therapy (Young, 1990).

7. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (Shapiro, 1989)

8. Metacognitive therapy - Metacognitive Therary (Clark, Wells, 1994).

Behavioral Psychology S (stimulus) - R (reaction)

Cognitive Psychology S (stimulus) - O (organism) - R (reaction)

Neuropsychology and Neurophysiology

Psycholinguistics and psychosemantics

Narrative approach and linguistic analysis of L. Wittgenstein

Philosophical basis of CBT:

New Effective Philosophy - New Effective Philosphy:

West - Antiquity - Stoicism: Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Zeno

Epicurus - Responsible Hedonism

Existentialism (J-P Sartre, P. Tillich, M. Heidegger)

General Semantics (A. Korzybski, W. Johnson)

Philosophy of Science (T. Kuhn)

Phenomenology (E. Husserl)

East - Buddha and Lao Tzu

Influence of other psychological schools:

Cognition - information processing, reasoning, thinking, recognition, knowledge, memory, understanding

Conation - purposeful action, motivation, will, instincts, desires

Affect - emotions, feelings, mood

Cognitive (cognitive) functions are called the most complex functions of the brain, with the help of which the process of rational knowledge of the world is carried out and purposeful interaction with it is ensured: perception of information; processing and analysis of information; memorization and storage; exchange of information and building and implementing a program of action

PERCEPTION (perception) - an active process of searching for the required information, highlighting essential features, comparing them with each other, creating adequate hypotheses and then comparing these hypotheses with the original data;

PRAXIS - the ability to acquire, maintain and use a variety of motor skills;

ATTENTION - selective focus on a particular object;

MEMORY - the ability to fix the fact of interaction with the environment (external or internal), store the result of this interaction in the form of mushrooms and use it in behavior;

SPEECH - the ability to exchange information through statements;

PERFORMANCE FUNCTIONS - a set of high-level cognitive processes that allows you to plan current actions in accordance with the goal, change the reaction depending on the context, selectively pay attention to the necessary processes and control the result of behavior.

THINKING is a complex form of mental activity that provides indirect and generalized knowledge of objective reality by comparing the information received, finding common and differences, and making judgments and conclusions.

is an active, directive, time-limited, structured approach. This approach is based on the theoretical premise, according to which a person's emotions and behavior are largely determined by how he describes and structures reality for himself. A person's ideas (verbal or figurative "events" present in his mind) are determined by his attitudes and mental constructions (schemes) formed as a result of past experience.

3 basic provisions:

Cognitions influence behavior and emotions;

A person can track his thoughts and has the opportunity to work on changing them;

The desired change in behavior and emotions can be achieved through a change in mindset.

3 most popular CBT schools:

Rational-emotive-behavioral psychotherapy (A. Ellis)

Cognitive therapy (A. Beck)

Reality Therapy and Choice Theory (W. Glasser)

There are three levels of thinking in Beck's work:

1) arbitrary thoughts; 2) automatic thoughts; 3) basic beliefs (attitudes) and cognitive schemes.

The third level is the deepest and therefore the least conscious, arbitrary thoughts, on the contrary, are the most superficial and easily conscious, automatic thoughts occupy an intermediate position. Automatic thoughts reflect the content of a deeper level - beliefs and schemas.

Basic beliefs cannot be called normal or pathological, they can only be divided into adaptive or maladaptive. Moreover, the same basic belief, depending on situational features, can be both adaptive and maladaptive at different times. Maladaptive beliefs lead to the emergence of cognitive errors detected in the analysis of automatic thoughts.

The relationship between thinking, emotions and behavior was known even to the ancient Greek Stoic philosophers. They knew that the way a person interprets their experience determines how they feel and act. A. Beck used this fact as a foundation for building a highly structured and short-term method of cognitive psychotherapy.

Since the emotions and behavior of a person are largely determined by his thinking (cognitions), by changing his thinking, you can change the emotional state and influence the behavioral activity of a person. Therefore, the main importance in cognitive psychotherapy is given to changing the process of processing information by a person, transforming the client's thinking.

Beck believed that there was no significant difference between normal and pathological emotions and behavior, and that the dysfunctional emotions and behavior observed in mental disorders are not a fundamentally new phenomenon, but only excessively enhanced normal adaptive processes.

Cognitive errors are distortions of thinking that occur during the processing of information by the client, interfere with logical thinking and contribute to the emergence and maintenance of psychopathological disorders. The most common cognitive errors include:

Arbitrary inference - the tendency to formulate conclusions in the absence of factual evidence that would confirm their truth, or even in the presence of evidence to the contrary (i.e., when reality is completely inconsistent with the conclusions).

Selective abstraction (selective attention) is a selective manifestation of attention to a separate, taken out of context, detail while ignoring other, more significant information.

Overgeneralization (overgeneralization) - - polarizing thinking operating with extreme positions and rigid assessments of "all or nothing", "everything is fine" or "terrible", very good or very bad. Synonymous terms: black-and-white thinking, either-or thinking, polarized thinking, all-or-nothing thinking.

Exaggeration and understatement - an incorrect assessment of any events, regarding them as much more or less important than they really are.

Personalization (personification) - the tendency to ascribe to oneself the meaning of events, to associate external events with oneself in the absence of any evidence.

Dichotomous thinking is maximalist thinking (that is, thinking that is characterized by maximalism), thinking in polarities is everything is fine or terrible, very good or very bad. Synonymous terms: black-and-white thinking, either-or thinking, polarized thinking, all-or-nothing thinking.

Catastrophization is a tendency to choose the worst forecast and scenario for the future, characterized by thoughts, statements and assessments of “nightmare”, “horror”, “catastrophe”, “end” and the like.

Cognitive therapy, as a rule, is carried out in a short time. The standard duration of one session is 45 minutes. The course of treatment for depression requires 15 to 20 sessions, which are carried out over 12 or more weeks of treatment. The course of treatment for anxiety disorders consists of 5 to 20 sessions. The treatment is completed gradually: after the main course of treatment, clients have the opportunity to attend additional classes for one or two months, if necessary.

Cognitive behavior, or how we search the Internet?

When a marketer, during the development of a new strategy, uses word associations to establish a connection between content, information architecture, offer and search query, then most of the words are selected from an array of thematic "keywords". This is logical.

However, few people pay attention to such a psychological phenomenon: each chosen word is associated with a certain style of cognitive ("cognitive") behavior of a potential visitor to your landing page/site.

Did you know that every Internet user has their own search behavior pattern? In another way, this whole complex of stable characteristics of how individuals think, search, perceive and remember information, prefer to solve problems, is called a cognitive style.

Do you know how these ingrained patterns of behavior affect how your potential customers search for marketing information and make an offer choice?

"Keywords" have not only quantitative, measurable characteristics - the number of specific search queries for a word, the weight of keywords, etc. Any words - and contextual advertising keywords are no exception here - draw a mental image for some people, but for others they do not mean nothing at all.

So far, there is little hard evidence about how cognitive effects affect our patterns of information retrieval on the Internet. In January 2104, the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology published the results of a study conducted by scientists from the Queensland University of Technology (Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia).

The article "Modeling users" web search behavior and their cognitive styles argues that people behave differently when it comes to categorizing, organizing, and presenting information found in the Global networks.

The researchers recruited 50 participants from the Queensland University of Technology, who were 52% male and 48% female, both students and staff, aged 20 to 56, to their experiment.

To begin with, they took a special test (Riding's cognitive style analysis test) to determine their personal cognitive behavioral model. Then the participants were asked to complete 3 separate tasks: practical, research and abstract.

It was assumed that the practical task would be the simplest, the abstract - the most difficult.

According to the results of the Riding's CSA Test, all people are classified according to 2 main cognitive aspects that affect how they acquire knowledge and systematize information.

Holistic-Analytical Aspect (Wholist-Analytic, WA)

Holists (eng. Wholists from the Greek holos - whole, whole) see a picture of the situation as a whole, have the ability to balance and analyze information, forming and structuring it for further study and problem solving.

Analysts approach a situation as a collection of different parts (parts), focusing on no more than two aspects of these parts in a single cognitive act. Analysts are good at finding similarities, identifying differences, and transforming information into the form most appropriate for a wide audience to understand.

There is also an intermediate type that combines the characteristics of both holists and analysts.

Verbal-Visual Aspect (Verbal-Imagery, VI)

Verbalists (Verbalizers) think and perceive read, seen or heard information in words or verbal associations. They, as a rule, have a good verbal (verbal, linguistic) memory, are fluent in the art of precise formulation of thoughts and concepts.

Visualists (Imagers) think in visual images. These people write texts well and work wonderfully with visual, spatial and graphic information. When they read or write, they create and retain in their minds a visual image of the information they receive and all the associations associated with it.

The Bimodal type has the characteristics of both verbalists and visualists.

Before proceeding to consider the main theses of the article on the cognitive behavior of Internet users, we remind you, dear friends, of this: the study of Australian scientists is interesting not only from the point of view of studying the cognitive styles of user search, but also has practical benefits when viewed from another perspective - what kind of content do marketers place on their web resources in order to attract the attention of the target audience?

In view of the foregoing, it turns out that, for example, by posting additional visual content - product images, infographics, videos - you appeal mainly to an audience segment that has one specific type of cognitive behavior (visualists).

The trend towards minimalism and the reduction of textual content in favor of luxurious illustrations or even parallax scrolling will not impress those of your target users who need words to create a mental image of the offer for themselves (verbalists).

Holists, Analysts, Verbalists and Visualists: How Do They Search the Web?

Let's proceed to the presentation of the main provisions of the article "Modeling User Behavior when Searching the Internet and Cognitive Styles".

The expected conclusion is that holists, people who consider ideas as a complete whole and are better than others at structuring and analyzing information, like to read textual content. And - surprise! - Visualists prefer to do the same. They carefully read the search results pages, as well as carefully study the detailed descriptions of the offers, before making the final decision to close the deal. This can mean that ruthlessly shortening texts can hurt your conversions.

If you are determined to be concise on your landing page/website, then pay more attention to filling in the tag