dialectical thought: the ability to reason from multiple perspectives and synthesize various viewpoints in order to come up with new ideas

dualism: absolute, black and white, right and wrong type of thinking

multiplicity: recognizing that some problems are solvable and some answers are not yet known

postformal thought: a more individualistic and realistic type of thinking that occurs after Piaget’s last stage of formal operations

relativism: understanding the importance of the specific context of knowledge—it’s all relative to other factors

control beliefs: the belief that an individual can influence life outcomes, encompassing estimations of relevant external constraints and our own capabilities

crystallized intelligence: knowledge, skills, and experience acquired over a lifetime, accessible via memory and expressible in word/number form

fluid intelligence: the ability to recognize patterns and solve problems, irrespective of any past experience of the context in which these patterns or problems arise

tacit knowledge: pragmatic or practical and learned through experience rather than explicitly taught

Alzheimer’s disease: an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks

delirium: an abrupt change in the brain that causes mental confusion and emotional disruption. It makes it difficult to think, remember, sleep, pay attention, and more

dementia: a cause of neurocognitive disorder, characterized by progressive and gradual cognitive deficits due to severe cerebral atrophy

long-term memory: the storage of information over an extended period[/glossary-definition]

working memory: a cognitive system with a limited capacity that is responsible for temporarily holding information available for processing