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Cognitive Strategies

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine

  • 78 Accesses

Synonyms

Cognitive techniques; Mental strategies

Definition

Cognitive strategies are mental techniques that are implemented to regulate thought processes in order to achieve goals or solve problems.

Description

Cognitive strategies include those directing attentional focus (e.g., attentional engagement or distraction), cognitive reframing or reinterpretation of distressing experiences, mental imagery techniques, framing an issue with a helpful metaphor (e.g., smoking cessation as a “journey”), mental rehearsal of positive statements, mental simulations (i.e., imagining real or hypothetical events), and counterfactual thinking (i.e., mental representations of alternatives to past or anticipated events). Cognitive strategies can be useful in situations in which specific interpretations of a situation (e.g., a problem or choice) promote goal-directed behaviors. Implementing cognitive strategies can transform the interpretation of situations, leading to varying responses to an event....

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References and Further Reading

  • Boswell, R. G., Sun, W., Suzuki, S., & Kober, H. (2018). Training in cognitive strategies reduces eating and improves food choice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115, E11238–E11247.

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  • Chan, C. K. Y., & Cameron, L. D. (2011). Promoting physical activity with goal-oriented mental imagery: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 35, 347–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haller, H., Winkler, M. M., Klose, P., Dobos, G., Kümmel, S., & Cramer, H. (2017). Mindfulness-based interventions for women with breast cancer: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Oncologica, 56, 1665–1676.

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  • Hart, S. I., & Hart, T. A. (2010). The future of cognitive behavioral interventions within behavioral medicine. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 24, 344–353.

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  • Markman, K. D., Klein, W. M., & Suhr, J. A. (Eds.). (2012). Handbook of imagination and mental simulation. New York: Psychology Press.

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  • McCracken, L. M. (Ed.). (2011). Mindfulness and acceptance in behavioral medicine: Current theory and practice. Oakland: Context Press/New Harbinger Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noordali, F., Cumming, J., & Thompson, J. L. (2017). Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on physiological and psychological complications in adults with diabetes: A systematic review. Journal of Health Psychology, 22, 965–983.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spina, M., Arndt, J., Landau, M. J., & Cameron, L. D. (2018). Enhancing health message framing with metaphor and cultural values: Impact on Latinas’ cervical cancer screening. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 52, 106–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USA

    Sara Fleszar & Linda D. Cameron

Authors
  1. Sara Fleszar
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  2. Linda D. Cameron
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Sara Fleszar or Linda D. Cameron .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Marc Gellman

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Applied Physiology, Concordia University & Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre, CIUSSS-NIM: Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Simon L. Bacon

  2. Department of Psychology, Behavioral Medicine Lab, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Tavis S. Campbell

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Fleszar, S., Cameron, L.D. (2020). Cognitive Strategies. In: Gellman, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_1120-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_1120-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6439-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6439-6

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