COGNITIVE LEARNING

THEORY
General Psychology Notes
 COGNITIVE LEARNING THEORY
 Cognitive Learning Theory explains how we process information
when we learn. This theory looks at how we, as learners, respond
to an external stimulus in order to produce learning. This theory
was propagated by Jean Piaget, an education psychologist who
believed that knowledge is something that is actively constructed
by learners based on their existing cognitive structures.
 Cognitive Learning Theory, suggests that the learner is an active
participant in the process. They come with their own skills,
knowledge, memories and relevant information they’ve learned in
the past. When learning something new, individuals process and
construct their own understanding of a topic based on their past
experiences and knowledge.
 COGNITIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES
Learner-centered approach
 Learning is cumulative and relative to each individual. When we’re
learning, we start with a baseline of knowledge and go from there. 
 Jean Piaget suggested that accommodation, assimilation, and
equilibration are all crucial to learning:
 Accommodation – how we modify what we already know to take new
information into account; 
 Assimilation – how the new knowledge is arranged in our heads alongside
what we already know; 
 Equilibration – the balance between what we already know and what we’re
currently mastering. 
For Piaget, learning is the process of relating new information to what
we already know. To support this, the trainer or teacher should create
a safe environment for learning.
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
 Bloom’s taxonomy, named after educational psychologist
Benjamin Bloom, describes six different levels of cognitive
learning in the form of a hierarchy.
 Remembering: Knowing the facts, being able to recall information, the
ability to describe what has been learned
 Understanding: The ability to interpret the information that has been
learned in order to present, summarize or paraphrase it
 Applying: Taking what has been learned and using it to solve a related
problem or complete a task
 Analyzing: A deeper level of understanding; organizing, comparing, and
deconstructing the relationship between different aspects of the material
 Evaluating: The ability to judge the information and critique it so as to
choose a specific course of action
 Creating: Generating new ideas or ways of looking at things, inventing,
constructing, producing, or designing new things
LEARNING THROUGH DISCOVERY

 Jerome Bruner, a psychologist who studied cognitive learning in

children, suggested that instead of simply feeding students
information, we should allow them to discover it for themselves.
According to him, active learner involvement is a core feature of
cognitive learning.

 Bruner built on Piaget’s work. He believed that ensuring learners

had a conceptual understanding of the topic was more important
than the acquisition of information. Interaction is a core
component here.
CREATING MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES FOR
YOUR LEARNERS
 David Ausubel, an American psychologist and advocate of
cognitive learning, believed that learning had to be meaningful. 
 He made a clear distinction between meaningful learning and rote
learning, where the material is learned as a series of facts in
isolation. Or simply learned off by heart and no deliberate attempt
is made to demonstrate its value or relevance to the learner.
 He believed that relatable material, which fitted in closely with
what the learner already knew, was meaningful and therefore
effective.
Thank You