Include memory, problem-solving, reason, learning and paying attention.
Cognitive skills can be impaired as a result of mental and/or behavioral disorders (and neurological and physiological ailments). Likewise, they may be improved or refined through certain therapeutics.
Some signs of cognitive decline include forgetting appointments, recent conversations and activities; feeling overwhelmed by everyday decision-making and planning; losing capacity to understand directors and instructions; losing sense of a director and place; becoming disorganized; and becoming more impulsive.
Aging is the biggest cause of cognitive decline, sometimes prompting such neurological disorders as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. While those are incurable, cognitive skills can be sharpened through activities like reading and doing puzzles, for example.