mental process Mental processes can varying in the degree to which they involve consciousness. A 'mental process' is a subclass of 'bodily process', as mental processes occur within the body, specifically involving the brain. GO:0050890, cognition, defined as `The operation of the mind by which an organism becomes aware of objects of thought or perception; it includes the mental activities associated with thinking, learning, and memory.' A bodily process which brings into being, sustains or modifies a cognitive representation or a behavior inducing state. Examples include thinking, feeling pain, remembering and emotion as occurrent experiences. A bodily process that occurs in the brain, and that can of itself be conscious, or can give rise to a process that can of itself be conscious or can give rise to behaviour. bodily process