Mental Structure

A Mental Structure is a cognitive organization that provides framework for processing, storing, and organizing information within the mind.

• AKA: Cognitive Architecture, Knowledge Structure, Mental Framework, Cognitive Organization.
• Context:
  • It can typically provide Information Framework through cognitive organization.
  • It can typically support Knowledge Processing through mental representation.
  • It can typically enable Experience Integration through structural accommodation.
  • It can typically facilitate Memory Storage through organizational pattern.
  • It can typically guide Thought Process through structural constraint.
  • ...
  • It can often develop through Learning Experience via structural adaptation.
  • It can often stabilize through Repeated Activation via neural reinforcement.
  • It can often reorganize through Cognitive Dissonance via structural reconciliation.
  • It can often expand through Novel Experience via structural assimilation.
  • It can often influence Perceptual Filter via structural bias.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Simple Mental Structure to being a Complex Mental Structure, depending on its organizational complexity.
  • It can range from being a Concrete Mental Structure to being an Abstract Mental Structure, depending on its conceptual level.
  • It can range from being a Specific Mental Structure to being a General Mental Structure, depending on its application scope.
  • It can range from being a Rigid Mental Structure to being a Flexible Mental Structure, depending on its adaptability.
  • ...
  • It can support Cognitive Function through information architecture.
  • It can organize Mental Content through categorical system.
  • It can shape Behavioral Pattern through cognitive influence.
  • It can interact with Environmental Input through interpretive framework.
  • It can differ from Neural Network in being psychological construct rather than physiological system.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Knowledge Organization Mental Structures, such as:
    • Schema Mental Structures, such as:
      • Event Schema Mental Structure for situation understanding.
      • Person Schema Mental Structure for individual comprehension.
      • Role Schema Mental Structure for social position understanding.
    • Conceptual Network Mental Structures, such as:
      • Semantic Network Mental Structure for meaning relationship representation.
      • Propositional Network Mental Structure for knowledge relationship organization.
      • Associative Network Mental Structure for concept connection representation.
  • Memory Mental Structures, such as:
    • Declarative Memory Mental Structures, such as:
      • Episodic Memory Mental Structure for personal experience organization.
      • Semantic Memory Mental Structure for factual knowledge organization.
      • Autobiographical Memory Mental Structure for life history organization.
    • Procedural Memory Mental Structures, such as:
      • Motor Skill Mental Structure for physical action sequence.
      • Cognitive Skill Mental Structure for mental operation sequence.
      • Problem-Solving Mental Structure for solution generation process.
  • Belief Mental Structures, such as:
    • Self-Concept Mental Structures, such as:
      • Identity Mental Structure for self-definition organization.
      • Self-Efficacy Mental Structure for capability belief organization.
      • Self-Worth Mental Structure for personal value organization.
    • Worldview Mental Structures, such as:
      • Value System Mental Structure for moral principle organization.
      • Political Ideology Mental Structure for social policy organization.
      • Religious Belief Mental Structure for spiritual understanding organization.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Neural Circuit, which is a physical brain pathway rather than a conceptual organization.
  • Raw Sensory Input, which is unprocessed perception rather than organized cognition.
  • Biological Instinct, which is innate programming rather than constructed organization.
  • Emotional State, which is an affective response rather than an organizational framework.
  • Behavioral Pattern, which is an observable action sequence rather than an internal organization.
• See: Cognitive Structure, Schema Theory, Mental Representation, Knowledge Organization, Cognitive Architecture, Memory System, Neural Network, Information Processing.

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