cognitive science: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Academic, Technical
Quick answer
What does “cognitive science” mean?
The interdisciplinary scientific study of the mind and its processes, including perception, thinking, learning, memory, and language.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The interdisciplinary scientific study of the mind and its processes, including perception, thinking, learning, memory, and language.
A field that integrates psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy, anthropology, and computer science to understand how the mind works, often using computational models and empirical research.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Spelling of related terms may follow regional conventions (e.g., behaviour/behavior).
Connotations
Neutral and technical in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally common in academic contexts in both regions.
Grammar
How to Use “cognitive science” in a Sentence
[study/teach/research] + cognitive sciencecognitive science + [suggests/shows/explores][advances/developments] + in cognitive scienceVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cognitive science” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- Researchers aim to cognitive-science the problem. (Note: This is non-standard and illustrative of a forced conversion; the term is not used as a verb.)
American English
- You can't simply 'cognitive science' your way out of this philosophical puzzle. (Note: This is a highly informal, creative usage.)
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverbial form. 'Cognitively scientifically' is not used.]
American English
- [No standard adverbial form.]
adjective
British English
- She took a cognitive science perspective on language acquisition.
- The cognitive science approach is fundamentally interdisciplinary.
American English
- He's pursuing a cognitive science degree at MIT.
- The team used cognitive science principles to design the interface.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, except in contexts like UX design or AI development informed by cognitive principles.
Academic
Primary context. Used in course titles, research papers, department names.
Everyday
Very rare. Might appear in popular science discussions.
Technical
Common in psychology, neuroscience, AI, and philosophy publications.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “cognitive science”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “cognitive science”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cognitive science”
- Using it as a countable noun (e.g., 'a cognitive science'). It is generally uncountable.
- Confusing it with 'neuroscience' (which is more biologically focused).
- Misspelling as 'cognative science'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, cognitive science is broader. It includes psychology (specifically cognitive psychology) but also integrates neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy, anthropology, and computer science.
Graduates often work in user experience (UX) research, artificial intelligence, data science, human-computer interaction, education technology, clinical neuropsychology, and academic research.
It emerged as a distinct interdisciplinary field in the 1950s and 1960s, with the term gaining prominence following the 1970s.
It is a foundational theory that proposes the mind is an information-processing system, similar to a computer, where mental processes are computations on symbolic representations.
The interdisciplinary scientific study of the mind and its processes, including perception, thinking, learning, memory, and language.
Cognitive science is usually academic, technical in register.
Cognitive science: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkɒɡ.nə.tɪv ˈsaɪ.əns/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkɑːɡ.nə.t̬ɪv ˈsaɪ.əns/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[not an idiom; technical term]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
COGnitive Science = COGnitively Understanding the Gears of the mind. (Cog as in gear, suggesting mechanics of thought).
Conceptual Metaphor
THE MIND IS A COMPUTER (a dominant metaphor in the field).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is NOT a core discipline typically associated with cognitive science?