Creative and Conventional Use of Knowledge Exemplified by a Cognitive Definition

The main goal of the present article is to show the place of cognitive definition in the description of the cognitive and linguistic abilities of older schoolchildren (aged 15–18) both intellectually normal and diagnosed with a mild intellectual disability. The article refers to the cognitive methodol-ogy because – the author believes – mutual relationships between cognitive processes and language are emphasized by cognitivists in a special way. The study highlights the important causes of problems in the conceptualization of conceptual structures in the group of intellectually disabled persons, such as: the disturbed development of cognitive processes, very limited amount of experiences and social interactions, lack of originality of associations and negligible influence of imagination. Similarities and differences in different ways of creating definitions were shown using the example of the word deszcz (rain).