Exploring the nature of cognitive flexibility

Cognitive flexibility is an important characteristic that helps humans pursue complex tasks, such as multitasking and finding novel, adaptable solutions to changing demands. Yet it is still a poorly understood construct. After briefly reviewing several investigations of this construct in cognitive s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNew ideas in psychology Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 190 - 200
Main Author Ionescu, Thea
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2012
Subjects
Cognitive flexibility
Cognitive property
Cognitive science
Cognitive systems
Complex tasks
Creativity
Flexibility
Flexible behaviors
Problem solving
Flexible behaviors
Cognitive flexibility
Cognitive property
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Summary:Cognitive flexibility is an important characteristic that helps humans pursue complex tasks, such as multitasking and finding novel, adaptable solutions to changing demands. Yet it is still a poorly understood construct. After briefly reviewing several investigations of this construct in cognitive science, I propose a unified account that considers cognitive flexibility a property of the cognitive system, rather than a cognitive skill. The emergence of cognitive flexibility is dependent on two kinds of interactions: the interaction of several cognitive mechanisms, and the interaction of sensorimotor mechanisms, cognition, and context in developmental time. The quest for a comprehensive and unified account of cognitive flexibility is highly justified given its potential usefulness in fostering efficient problem solving and creativity.
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ISSN:0732-118X
1873-3522
DOI:10.1016/j.newideapsych.2011.11.001