cognitive theory of learning

Cognitive theory of learning occurs due to the discontent with the inadequacies of behaviourism school of thought. The behaviourist perspective could not easily explain why people attempt to organise and make sense of the information they learn. One example includes remembering general meanings rather than word for word information. There have been a growing realisation and awareness among learning psychologists that mental events or cognition could no longer be ignored. In particular, cognitive theorists incorporate mental structure and process into their learning theories.

In similar opinion with the behaviourism, cognitive psychologists believe that the study of learning should be objective and that learning theories should be developed from the results of empirical research. However, cognitivists disagree with the behaviourists in one critical aspect. By observing the responses that individuals make to different stimulus conditions, cognitivists believe that they can draw inferences about the nature of the internal cognitive processes that produce those responses. The learner is view as information processor (like a computer)

Among the keywords used in the cognitive theory of learning is schema, schemata, information processing, symbol manipulation, information mapping and mental models. For more information on the cognitive theory of learning perspectives, just click at the given website.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/x/wxh139/cognitive_1.htm

http://starfsfolk.khi.is/solrunb/cognitiv.htm

http://www.learning-theories.com/cognitivism.html

http://online.sfsu.edu/~foreman/itec800/finalprojects/danabayer/cognitivism.html

http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/cogsys.html