It is largely dependent upon language behavior and logical processes. It can be thought of as applied intelligence. It is an interaction of maturation and learning and can be thought of as cognitive potential. The mind is an active meaning maker and information processor, not merely a passive respondent to external stimuli. Facts depend upon experience and the ability to see similarities and differences.
Concepts depend upon facts and the ability to analyze.
Processesdepend upon facts and concepts and the ability to problem solve. Meanings are fundamentally a matter of our abilities to classify things according to their qualities, to see structures as made up of parts, and to see things, qualities, and structures changing their relationships to one another over time. New meanings can be both created and discovered through our ability to use symbols and to perform mental operations. We have the ability to recognize patterns and realities, and to analyze our meaning making processes. Since cognition is de facto an internal and symbolic act, learning to use symbols effectively is clearly a cognitive necessity.