Which situation most clearly illustrates a person who is having a cognitive problem?

• A. A person avoids social situations due to fear of embarrassment.
• B. A person experiences sudden mood swings and intense feelings of sadness.
• C. A person has recurring physical pain with no identifiable medical cause.
• D. A person is unable to remember recent events and frequently forgets important information.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the definition of a cognitive problem. Cognitive problems involve difficulties with mental processes such as memory, attention, perception, reasoning, and problem-solving.
2. Step 2: Analyze each situation to identify which one reflects an issue with cognitive functions. For example, avoiding social situations due to fear relates more to emotional or social anxiety rather than cognition.
3. Step 3: Recognize that mood swings and intense sadness are related to emotional or mood disorders, not directly to cognitive impairments.
4. Step 4: Note that recurring physical pain without a medical cause is typically a somatic or psychosomatic issue, not a cognitive problem.
5. Step 5: Identify that being unable to remember recent events and frequently forgetting important information directly involves memory, a key cognitive function, thus illustrating a cognitive problem.