What are you doing right now? You are probably sitting in a chair reading this essay, but why did you decide to do that? Assuming that no one is forcing you to read this at gunpoint you consciously made a decision to read this essay. This seemingly simple process of choice serves as the basis for many cognitive neuroscience principals and it is how we, as humans, distinguish ourselves as sentient life-forms. Learning about neuroscience may seem like a daunting task at first. It is an extremely large fields with little a no over-reaching framework. This means that despite an almost overwhelming amount of data, techniques and researchers, the scientific community does not yet have a focused idea how it all works together. But don’t despair! One need not understand how everything works in perfect detail to benefit. It’s the same analogy as a car, you do not need to be a mechanic in order to use a car, but understanding how a car works can make you better at operating it. Understanding how your brain operates follows the same principal. Although learning about cognition is difficult, learning about basic cognitive properties, such as choice, is definitely beneficial for anyone because learning about how we think allows us to better evaluate our past decisions, learn tools to interact better with other people and to plan better for the future.
All of our actions are governed by our brain. Since the time that each of us arrived on this earth our brains have been collecting, deciphering and storing information from the multitude of stimuli that dominate our conscious and subconscious landscape. In order to catalog and make sense of all of the random bits of data the brain does something remarkable, it creates memories. Even though one cannot always choose what one remembers the processes of learning is essentially forced remembering. Learning and memory are important processes that the scientific community it just starting to understand. This area of neuroscience is especially difficult to grasp because there isn't a model for how the brain works. The closest model to human memory is the computer. The computer is, while being the closest model actually a poor analogy to how the brain works on many levels, many of which will not be discussed. What can be obtained by comparing the human brain to a computer are several key distinctions. A computer, whether it be a super computer in a government building or a home PC operates in consistent logical manner; data comes in, is processed or saved and an output is given. Compared to a computer the human brain seems quite chaotic. This is because the brain is forced to deal with whatever stimulus is in the environment and decide whether it's crucial for survival, i.e. if it needs to be saved or is unimportant.
It is possible to apply this basic understanding in order to be more efficient learners. Recall that learning is just a forced memory. Memories are not like files in a computer as discussed above; memories are formed by a large collection of information about a place, time or idea, which is condensed into a uniform thought. Retrieving a memory is more than just clicking on a file. There are large amounts of data that constitute a memory. Remembering small bits and pieces of that memory, even those that may seem irrelevant at first, may help one to recall the complete memory. Techniques such as this can be used proactively instead of retroactively. When trying to forge a memory, possibly while studying taking in environmental and sensation based information can make details of the past event easier to recall. This has been shown effective in several studies using music as a stimulus. This is just one example of how understanding cognition can benefit us with just a small amount of knowledge.
One does not define one self within their own mind, instead, human interaction a key to survival. Understanding how cognition affects our communication greatly increases the frequency of positive interactions with other people. It may be easy to dismiss the importance of cognition when interpreting interpersonal relationships however; the truth is that all communication is governed by rules and expectations that are generated on the personal level. When communication occurs many assumptions are placed onto our conversation partner. It is assumed that both parties speak the same language, that they understand inflections in speech such as the natural rise of tone at the end of a question, or even something as simple as a shared vocabulary. These aspects of communication may seem trivial at first but they are key fundamentals of cognition. Learning how to breakdown visual and auditory clues to comprehend what someone’s intentions are key aspects of negotiation as well as conflict resolution. All of the perceived assumptions and expectations are a result of years of social cognitive development that is broadcast to us from the time we are able to talk. Differences in cultures and mannerisms are all based in neurodevelopment. It is possible to improve our interactions with others by consciously evaluating these assumptions when communicating or negotiating with others.
Understanding yourself means understanding your brain. This principal means that the better we can understand our own cognitive state the better decisions we can make and the better we can plan for the future. The human mind is programmed to make two different types of goals, short time and long term.
Short term goals affect the here and now. It’s as simple as deciding between red socks or green socks, or should I eat that last piece of pizza? These types of goals are easy for us to comply with as they often lead to a short term plausible reward. Long term goals generally compete with short term goals. Short term goals are often more attractive because long term goals require energy and effort that doesn’t immediately show any progress. A good example of this is learning a foreign language. Progress learning a language doesn’t manifest itself until the speaker is fairly skilled, yet every hour spent learning is important and necessary. It is typical human nature to defer long term goals for short term goals. The ability to control that part of the human mind which governs choice in order to make more beneficial long term plans is valuable as long term goals usually ensure more stability and potential.
What has been discussed so far merely serves as the tip of the iceberg for understanding how the brain really works. As a result it is impossible to predict how much more we stand to gain both by applying the principals behind cognition have yet to be realized. It is at this time possible to apply small nuggets of knowledge in our everyday lives as science races forward for broader applications for advancements in neuroscience. It has been shown that the human mind is responsible for what we know, in our memories and our learned knowledge, who we know and how we communicate with others and finally with the decisions that we make every day. By learning why, and how we all think the way we do can only benefit us in the future.
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