Cognitive objective interpretation skills – UGC NET Question

Cognitive objectives target mental processes such as remembering, understanding and applying information. Interpreting graphs involves comprehension of data, recognising patterns and drawing conclusions, all of which are cognitive activities. The verb “interpret” clearly implies mental processing rather than physical or emotional change. Therefore, the objective in the stem belongs to the cognitive domain.

Option A:
Affective objectives focus on attitudes, values and feelings, such as developing appreciation for art or positive attitudes toward science. Interpreting graphs is not primarily about changing attitudes, so affective is not appropriate here.

Option B:
Psychomotor objectives deal with physical skills and coordination, for example handling instruments or performing lab techniques. Graph interpretation does not require specialised motor skills beyond basic reading, so it does not fit this domain.

Option C:
Cognitive objectives include tasks like explaining, interpreting and analysing, which match the wording of the stem. Hence, classifying the statement as a cognitive objective is correct.

Option D:
Social is not one of the three classic domains used here and usually refers to interpersonal skills, not specific mental operations on information.