COGNITIVISM
A LEARNING THEORY
DEFINITION
 Cognitivism is a theory in psychology that focuses on
how the mind receives, processes, organizes, stores
and retrieves information.
 Proposed by Jean Piaget
 Derived from Latin word, 'cognoscere' , meaning
knowing and information.
Schemas and process of information
storage
 Mental structures or cognitive frameworks that guide the encoding of
new information and facilitate its integration into existing knowledge
structures.
 The information storage can be of several stages:
 Initially processed in Short Term Memory where it is temporarily held
and actively worked on.
 Effective encoding happens when meaningful associations occur in
short term memory and it is transferred to Long Term Memory.
 The organized information in long term memory forms cognitive
structures called schema.
Cognitive map
 The cognitive map represents the sum of all the learning
that have been encountered so far. When the learner
learns new things , cognitive map are redrawn.
 It is a mental picture or representation that a person
creates in their mind to understand, organize and
remember information about places, relationships or
concepts.
Example
 Cognitive map-Knowing the route from your home to school without
needing directions.
 Schema -Consider how a young child develop a schema for a horse. They
know that a horse is large and has hair, four legs, and a tail. When the child
encounters a cow, they might initially call it a horse. Once the child is told
that it is a cow, they will modify their existing schema and create a
schema for a cow.
Experiment with Apes
Explanation
 Conducted by Wolfgang Köhler, a Gestalt psychologist.
 Setup: A chimpanzee (Sultan) placed in a cage with a banana out of reach and sticks/boxes inside.
 Initial attempts: Jumping and reaching failed.
 Sudden solution: Chimp joined sticks or stacked boxes to reach the banana.
 Significance: Proved that learning is not just trial-and-error (behaviorism) but also involves thinking, problem-solving, and cognition.
 Contribution: Strong evidence supporting cognitivism in learning theory.
Role of teachers and learners
 Teachers – facilitators of learning , design activities to
stimulate cognitive processes , provide guidance.
 Learners – critical thinking , reflection, metacognition.
Another example
Major Contributors of Cognitivism
 Jean Piaget – Known for cognitive development theory
 Lev Vygotsky - Zone of Proximal Development
 Jerome Bruner - Discovery learning, Scaffolding.
 David Ausubel - Meaningful verbal learning.
 Noam Chomsky- Language Acquisition Device, innate
ability for language learning
Important works
 Jean Piaget -'The Language and Thought of the child'(1923),The Child's
conception of the world(1929)
 Lev Vygotsky – Thought and Language (1934),Mind in Society(1978)
 Jerome Bruner- The Process of Education (1960), Toward a Theory of
Instruction(1966)
 David Ausubel – Educational Psychology(1968),The Psychology of
Meaningful Verbal Learning(1963)
 Noam Chomsky-Syntactic Structures(1957 )Aspects of the Theory of
Syntax(1965)
Advantages
 Promotes Metacognition
 Supporting long term retention
 Encourages active learning
 Improves problem solving skills
 Focus on understanding
 Applicable across subjects
Limitations
 Ignores emotions and motivation in learning.
 Overemphasis on the mind.
 Difficult to apply directly in real classroom situations.
 Neglects cultural and individual differences in thinking.
 Gives less importance to practice and observable behavior.
THANK YOU

Cognitivism :A Social learning theory by Jean Piaget

  • 1.
  • 2.
    DEFINITION  Cognitivism isa theory in psychology that focuses on how the mind receives, processes, organizes, stores and retrieves information.  Proposed by Jean Piaget  Derived from Latin word, 'cognoscere' , meaning knowing and information.
  • 3.
    Schemas and processof information storage  Mental structures or cognitive frameworks that guide the encoding of new information and facilitate its integration into existing knowledge structures.  The information storage can be of several stages:  Initially processed in Short Term Memory where it is temporarily held and actively worked on.  Effective encoding happens when meaningful associations occur in short term memory and it is transferred to Long Term Memory.  The organized information in long term memory forms cognitive structures called schema.
  • 4.
    Cognitive map  Thecognitive map represents the sum of all the learning that have been encountered so far. When the learner learns new things , cognitive map are redrawn.  It is a mental picture or representation that a person creates in their mind to understand, organize and remember information about places, relationships or concepts.
  • 5.
    Example  Cognitive map-Knowingthe route from your home to school without needing directions.  Schema -Consider how a young child develop a schema for a horse. They know that a horse is large and has hair, four legs, and a tail. When the child encounters a cow, they might initially call it a horse. Once the child is told that it is a cow, they will modify their existing schema and create a schema for a cow.
  • 6.
  • 7.
    Explanation  Conducted byWolfgang Köhler, a Gestalt psychologist.  Setup: A chimpanzee (Sultan) placed in a cage with a banana out of reach and sticks/boxes inside.  Initial attempts: Jumping and reaching failed.  Sudden solution: Chimp joined sticks or stacked boxes to reach the banana.  Significance: Proved that learning is not just trial-and-error (behaviorism) but also involves thinking, problem-solving, and cognition.  Contribution: Strong evidence supporting cognitivism in learning theory.
  • 8.
    Role of teachersand learners  Teachers – facilitators of learning , design activities to stimulate cognitive processes , provide guidance.  Learners – critical thinking , reflection, metacognition.
  • 9.
  • 10.
    Major Contributors ofCognitivism  Jean Piaget – Known for cognitive development theory  Lev Vygotsky - Zone of Proximal Development  Jerome Bruner - Discovery learning, Scaffolding.  David Ausubel - Meaningful verbal learning.  Noam Chomsky- Language Acquisition Device, innate ability for language learning
  • 11.
    Important works  JeanPiaget -'The Language and Thought of the child'(1923),The Child's conception of the world(1929)  Lev Vygotsky – Thought and Language (1934),Mind in Society(1978)  Jerome Bruner- The Process of Education (1960), Toward a Theory of Instruction(1966)  David Ausubel – Educational Psychology(1968),The Psychology of Meaningful Verbal Learning(1963)  Noam Chomsky-Syntactic Structures(1957 )Aspects of the Theory of Syntax(1965)
  • 12.
    Advantages  Promotes Metacognition Supporting long term retention  Encourages active learning  Improves problem solving skills  Focus on understanding  Applicable across subjects
  • 13.
    Limitations  Ignores emotionsand motivation in learning.  Overemphasis on the mind.  Difficult to apply directly in real classroom situations.  Neglects cultural and individual differences in thinking.  Gives less importance to practice and observable behavior.
  • 14.