ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the key principles of studying thinking in cognitive psychology and in activity theory and systemic-structural activity theory (SSAT). The cognitive approach is combined with functional analysis developed in SSAT, where attention is described as a goal-directed, self-regulative system. The chapter describes all cognitive processes as self-regulative systems, where major units of analysis are function blocks. According to SSAT, the model of perceptual process has to include a goal of perceptual process, significance of information, and motivation. The chapter discusses the self-regulative model of memory created in SSAT and analyses the memory studies in general and applied activity theory. Memory is closely related to other mental processes and is used in perception, thinking, language, decision-making, and so on, which creates some difficulties when studying memory as an independent cognitive process. Cognitive processes often play a critical role in human performance.
