Cognitive Approaches to Learning

 Cognition refers to mental activities like thinking, remembering, memory,

learning, comprehension, perception, motivation, and language
acquisition. The cognitive approach to psychology focuses on these
internal mental processes and how they interact to produce intelligent
behavior. The cognitive approach to learning then takes those insights
and applies them to education.
 Jean Piaget developed cognitive psychology theory in the 1930s based
on his research with infants and young children. He proposed that
people develop basic mental abilities throughout their lives, each stage
characterized by a different cognitive ability.
Jean Piaget:

 Piaget's (1936) theory of cognitive development explains

how a child constructs a mental model of the world.
 He disagreed with the idea that intelligence was a fixed
trait, and regarded cognitive development as a process
which occurs due to biological maturation and
interaction with the environment.
 He eventually developed a four-stage model of how the
mind processes new information encountered. He
posited that children progress through 4 stages and that
they all do so in the same order.
 These four stages are:
Stages of Learning/Cognitive
development:
1. Sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2):
 This stage involves the use of motor activity without the use of
symbols.
 Knowledge is limited in this stage, because it is based on physical
interactions and experiences. Infants cannot predict reaction, and
therefore must constantly experiment and learn through trial and
error. Such exploration might include shaking a rattle or putting
objects in the mouth.
 The main achievement during this stage is object permanence -
knowing that an object still exists, even if it is hidden.
 It requires the ability to form a mental representation (i.e., a
schema) of the object.
2. Pre-operational stage (from age
2 to age 7):
 The child is not yet able to conceptualize abstractly and
needs concrete physical situations. Objects are classified
in simple ways, especially by important features.
 During this stage children begin to use language;
memory and imagination also develop. In the
preoperational stage, children engage in make believe
and can understand and express relationships between
the past and the future.
 Thinking is still egocentric, and the infant has difficulty
taking the viewpoint of others.
3. Concrete operational stage
(from age 7 to age 11):
 Thechild begins to think abstractly and
conceptualize, creating logical structures
that explain his or her physical
experiences.
 Thinking
becomes less egocentric with
increased awareness of external events,
and involves concrete references.
4. Formal operational stage (age 11+ -
adolescence and adulthood):
 Cognition reaches its final form. By this stage, the person
no longer requires concrete objects to make rational
judgements. He or she is capable of deductive and
hypothetical reasoning. His or her ability for abstract
thinking is very similar to an adult.
 The formal operational stage begins at approximately
age eleven and lasts into adulthood. During this time,
people develop the ability to think about abstract
concepts, and logically test hypotheses.
 Origin of cognitive psychology

 Cognitive psychology emerged in the late 1950s and 1960s as a reaction

to behaviorists focusing only on observable behaviors. Psychologist Ulric
Neisser published the textbook "Cognitive Psychology" in 1967,
emphasizing an information-processing approach. By the late 1970s,
cognitive psychology had cemented itself as the dominant psychology
perspective.
 Mental Processes
Cognitive psychologists have identified many different mental processes:
 Perception is how we interpret sensory information from the real world around us. It includes
how we see things visually and hear, smell, taste, and feel them.
 Attention is how we focus our cognitive resources on particular stimuli while ignoring others. It
allows us to selectively process the most critical information at any moment.
 Memory is how we encode, store, and retrieve information. Our short-term memory allows us
to hold information for a limited time. In contrast, our long-term memory can store it for
much longer. Working memory helps us remember things like where we put our keys while
we're looking for them.
 Language is how we use symbols, such as words and numbers, to communicate with others.
It includes understanding spoken and written language as well as being able to produce it.
 Problem-solving occurs when we use our cognitive processing to find solutions to problems.
This includes everything from simple tasks like making a phone call to complex tasks
like critical thinking.
 Decision-making is how we choose between different options. It can be as simple as
dressing in the morning or as complex as accepting a job offer.
 Metacognition
 The term "metacognition" is a crucial concept in cognitive learning theory.
Metacognition describes your awareness of your brain's thoughts and
thought processes. Understanding how thought processes work during
learning allows us to direct our thoughts. By manipulating the internal and
external factors that affect our thinking, we can improve our
understanding of ourselves and others.
 In addition to Piaget, several researchers have contributed to cognitive
research and the development of cognitive learning theory.
Psychologist Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, which focuses on the role
of culture and society in cognitive development, was influential in
cognitive learning. So was Jerome Bruner's cognitive developmental
theory, which emphasizes modes of representation like image, language,
and action.
Sociocultural Theory
of Development

 Psychologist Lev
Vygotsky believed that
parents, caregivers,
peers, and the culture
at large are responsible
for developing the
brain's higher-order
functions. According to
Vygotsky, human
development relies on
social interaction and,
therefore, can differ
among cultures.
Fundamental aspects of the cognitive theory of learning:
 Comprehension. Cognitive models focus on comprehension. You must
understand why you are learning a particular subject.
 Memory. The cognitive approach isn't about memorization — it's about
developing understanding. Connecting new knowledge to past
experience improves as you learn more about a subject.
 Application. Cognitive models help you develop problem-solving
abilities by transforming what you learn into real-world expertise.
Strategies Of Cognitive Learning

1. Learner-Centered Strategy

2. Learning Through Discovery
Strategy
3. Meaningful Learning Strategy
4. Personalized Learning Strategy
 Types & Examples Of Cognitive
Learning Strategies
 1. Explicit Learning
Explicit learning is the voluntary attempt to learn something that an individual desires; when
they actively seek knowledge or try to learn a new skill or process.
 An example of explicit learning is when students enrol themselves in a photography course
to learn the specific technique to capture a high-resolution picture.
 2. Implicit Learning
Implicit learning happens when the individual passively gains new knowledge or skills while
unaware of the entire process. This kind of learning occurs when they work, talk, or do any
normal day-to-day work.
 For instance, typing fast without looking at the keyboard is an ideal example of implicit
learning.
 4. Collaborative Learning
The strategy also encourages instructors to include activities and
tasks in the classroom that require students to do collaborative
learning. Furthermore, when students work in groups or teams, it
helps to build social skills and develop their ideas and knowledge.

 3. Meaningful Learning
Meaningful learning occurs when individuals are able to relate the
newly acquired information with their past experiences. This is
possible because the cognitive learning approach enables
individuals to apply problem-solving skills in different areas of life.
5. Experiential Learning
Experiential learning happens throughout
one’s academic life and career. When
individuals take valuable lessons from their
experiences(both positive and negative), for
instance, while participating in an
assignment, a student might not score the
highest marks. Still, it would help him to
understand why he lagged