The cognitive approach, which sees the mind as a dynamic, active system that processes information to navigate the social and physical world, is introduced in this chapter. This perspective contends that all behavior, including perception and social interaction, may be viewed as an information-gathering, information-analysis, and information-use process. Emphasizing that the mind is an active constructor of reality rather than a passive recorder, the chapter transitions from a general introduction to particular cognitive processes. Here, we present the three fundamental cognitive functions: perception, memory, and attention. Attention is the system that directs our cognitive resources in a purposeful way. It is not a single faculty but an “organ system” with several components. Memory is not a single tape recorder but a set of active, constructive, and dynamic systems. There are different kinds of memories, based on time (short- vs long-term) and contents (procedural, semantic, and episodic). Perception ca be seen as an act of knowledge construction, not a passive photograph of reality. The perceptual system uses clues from the environment and matches them with templates from memory to create a coherent perception (e.g., recognizing an ambiguous figure). The chapter establishes that the cognitive perspective provides a powerful framework for understanding human behavior by focusing on dynamic information processing. It shows that our experience of the world is not a direct reflection of reality but is actively constructed by our minds through the intertwined processes of attention, memory, priming, and perception, all shaped by our goals, experiences, and context.