What is the process of gathering information and using it to adapt to the world called?

The process of gathering information and using it to adapt to the world is best described by cognitive experience. This concept encompasses how individuals collect sensory input, process it, and form understanding or knowledge about their environment. It involves the mental processes that allow a person to learn from experiences, solve problems, and make decisions based on the information gathered from interactions with the world.

Cognitive experience plays a crucial role in how infants and toddlers interpret their surroundings and adjust their behaviors accordingly. For example, as children explore their environment, they assimilate new experiences and accommodate them into their existing mental frameworks, leading to cognitive development.

The other options represent different concepts that do not fully encompass the overall process of information gathering and adaptation. Behavioral conditioning refers to a learning process through which behaviors are influenced by rewards or consequences. Emotional learning relates to recognizing and managing emotions, which is more about interpersonal skills than the cognitive process of adaptation. Sensory development focuses specifically on the sensory systems and their maturation, rather than the broader cognitive processes that involve interpretation and adaptability.