What cognitive skill does the lexicon primarily represent?

The lexicon primarily represents vocabulary because it encompasses the mental store of words and their meanings that individuals have. This includes not only the words themselves but also their meanings, pronunciation, and the relationships between words. In cognitive psychology, the lexicon is essential for language processing, as it serves as the resource from which we retrieve the words needed for communication, reading, and language generation.

Having a rich and well-organized lexicon enhances an individual's ability to comprehend spoken and written language effectively. It supports comprehension by providing the necessary vocabulary to understand the meaning of sentences and the context in which words are used. While memory, comprehension, and writing are critical aspects of language use and processing, the specific focus of the lexicon is on vocabulary—the collection of words we know and can utilize, which is fundamental for both communication and understanding language.