\u2018The cognitive approach ... holds that if we are to understand learning we cannot confine ourselves to observable behaviour, but must also concern ourselves with the learner\u2019s ability mentally to re-organize his psychological field (i.e. his inner world of concepts, memories, etc.) in response to experience. This latter approach therefore lays stress not only on the environment, but upon the way in which the individual interprets and tries to make sense of the environment. It sees the individual not as the somewhat mechanical product of his environment, but as an active agent in the learning process, deliberately trying to process and categorize the stream of information fed into him by the external world.<\/em>\u2019 (p. 148)<\/p>\nThus the search for rules, principles or relationships in processing new information, and the search for meaning and consistency in reconciling new information with previous knowledge, are key concepts in cognitive psychology. Cognitive psychology is concerned with identifying and describing mental processes that affect learning, thinking and behaviour, and the conditions that influence those mental processes.\n <\/p>\n An obvious criticism of behaviourism is that it treats humans as a black box, where inputs into the black box, and outputs from the black box, are known and measurable, but what goes on inside the black box is ignored or not considered of interest. However, humans have the ability for conscious thought, decision-making, emotions, and the ability to express ideas through social discourse, all of which are\u00a0highly significant for learning. Thus we will likely get a better understanding of learning if we try to find out what goes on inside the black box.<\/p>\n Cognitivists therefore have focused on identifying\u00a0mental processes – internal and conscious representations of the world – that they consider are essential for human learning. Fontana (1981<\/a>) summarises the cognitive approach to learning as follows:<\/p>\n \u2018The cognitive approach … holds that if we are to understand learning we cannot confine ourselves to observable behaviour, but must also concern ourselves with the learner\u2019s ability mentally to re-organize his psychological field (i.e. his inner world of concepts, memories, etc.) in response to experience. This latter approach therefore lays stress not only on the environment, but upon the way in which the individual interprets and tries to make sense of the environment. It sees the individual not as the somewhat mechanical product of his environment, but as an active agent in the learning process, deliberately trying to process and categorize the stream of information fed into him by the external world.<\/em>\u2019 (p. 148)<\/p>\n Thus the search for rules, principles or relationships in processing new information, and the search for meaning and consistency in reconciling new information with previous knowledge, are key concepts in cognitive psychology. Cognitive psychology is concerned with identifying and describing mental processes that affect learning, thinking and behaviour, and the conditions that influence those mental processes.<\/p>\n The most widely used theories of cognitivism in education are based on Bloom’s taxonomies of learning objectives (Bloom et al., 1956<\/a>), which are related to the development of different kinds of learning skills, or ways of learning. Bloom and his colleagues claimed that there are three important domains of learning:<\/p>\n Cognitivism focuses\u00a0on the ‘thinking’ domain. In more recent years, Anderson and Krathwohl (2000) have slightly modified\u00a0Bloom et al.’s original taxonomy, adding\u00a0‘creating’ new knowledge:<\/p>\n Bloom et al. also argued that there is a hierarchy of learning,\u00a0meaning that learners need to progress through each of the levels, from remembering\u00a0through to evaluating\/creating. As psychologists delve deeper into each of these cognitive activities to understand the underlying mental processes, it becomes an increasingly reductionist exercise (see Figure 2.4.3 below).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cognitive approaches to learning, with a\u00a0focus on comprehension, abstraction, analysis, synthesis, generalization, evaluation, decision-making, problem-solving and creative thinking,\u00a0seem to fit much better with\u00a0higher education than\u00a0behaviourism, but even in school\/k-12 education, a cognitivist approach would mean for instance focusing on teaching learners\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0to learn, on\u00a0developing stronger or new mental processes for future learning, and\u00a0on developing deeper and constantly changing understanding of concepts and ideas.<\/p>\n Cognitive approaches to learning cover a very wide range. At the objectivist end, cognitivists consider\u00a0basic mental processes to be\u00a0genetic or hard-wired, but can be programmed or modified by external factors, such as new experiences. Early cognitivists in particular were interested in the concept of mind as computer, and more recently\u00a0brain research has led to a search\u00a0for linking cognition\u00a0to the development and reinforcement of neural networks in the brain.<\/p>\n In terms of practice, this concept of mind as computer has led to several technology-based developments in teaching, including:<\/p>\n Cognitivists have\u00a0increased\u00a0our\u00a0understanding of how humans\u00a0process and make sense of new information, how we access, interpret, integrate, process, organize and manage knowledge, and have given us a better understanding of\u00a0the conditions that affect learners’\u00a0mental states.<\/p>\n Anderson, L. and\u00a0Krathwohl,\u00a0D. (eds.) (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives<\/i><\/a>\u00a0New York: Longman<\/p>\n Bloom, B. S.; Engelhart, M. D.; Furst, E. J.; Hill, W. H.;\u00a0Krathwohl, D. R.<\/a>\u00a0(1956).\u00a0Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals<\/em><\/a>. Handbook I: Cognitive domain.<\/em>\u00a0New York: David McKay Company<\/p>\n2.4.2 Cognitivist learning theory<\/h2>\nThe most widely used theories of cognitivism in education are based on Bloom's taxonomies of learning objectives (Bloom et al., 1956<\/a>), which are related to the development of different kinds of learning skills, or ways of learning. Bloom and his colleagues claimed that there are three important domains of learning:\n
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<\/a> Figure 2.4.2 Cognitive domain
Image: \u00a9 Atherton J S (2013) CC-NC-ND, retrieved 7 May 2019[\/caption]\n\nBloom et al. also argued that there is a hierarchy of learning,\u00a0meaning that learners need to progress through each of the levels, from remembering\u00a0through to evaluating\/creating. As psychologists delve deeper into each of these cognitive activities to understand the underlying mental processes, it becomes an increasingly reductionist exercise (see Figure 2.4.3 below).\n\n \n\n[caption id=\"attachment_74\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"755\"]![\"\u00a9](\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2025\/05\/Cognitive-elements-2.jpg\")
Figure 2.4.3 \u00a0\u00a9 Faizel Mohidin, UsingMindMaps<\/a>, 2011.[\/caption]\n2.4.3 Applications of cognitivist learning theory<\/h2>\nCognitive approaches to learning, with a\u00a0focus on comprehension, abstraction, analysis, synthesis, generalization, evaluation, decision-making, problem-solving and creative thinking,\u00a0seem to fit much better with\u00a0higher education than\u00a0behaviourism, but even in school\/k-12 education, a cognitivist approach would mean for instance focusing on teaching learners\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0to learn, on\u00a0developing stronger or new mental processes for future learning, and\u00a0on developing deeper and constantly changing understanding of concepts and ideas.\n\nCognitive approaches to learning cover a very wide range. At the objectivist end, cognitivists consider\u00a0basic mental processes to be\u00a0genetic or hard-wired, but can be programmed or modified by external factors, such as new experiences. Early cognitivists in particular were interested in the concept of mind as computer, and more recently\u00a0brain research has led to a search\u00a0for linking cognition\u00a0to the development and reinforcement of neural networks in the brain.\n\nIn terms of practice, this concept of mind as computer has led to several technology-based developments in teaching, including:\n
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References<\/h2>\nAnderson, L. and\u00a0Krathwohl,\u00a0D. (eds.) (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives<\/i><\/a>\u00a0New York: Longman\n\nBloom, B. S.; Engelhart, M. D.; Furst, E. J.; Hill, W. H.;\u00a0Krathwohl, D. R.<\/a>\u00a0(1956).\u00a0Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals<\/em><\/a>. Handbook I: Cognitive domain.<\/em>\u00a0New York: David McKay Company\n\nFontana, D. (1981)\u00a0Psychology for Teachers<\/em><\/a>\u00a0London: Macmillan\/British Psychological Society\n
Activity 2.4 Defining the limits of cognitivism<\/h3>\n1. What areas\u00a0of knowledge do you think would be best 'taught' or learned through a cognitivist approach?\n\n2. What areas of knowledge do you think would NOT be appropriately taught through a\u00a0cognitivist\u00a0approach?\n\n3. What are your reasons?\n\nClick on the podcast below for my feedback on this activity:\n\n[audio m4a=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/teachinginadigitalagev3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1475\/2014\/09\/Cognitivism-2022-01-04-2.22-PM.m4a\"][\/audio]\n\n<\/div>","rendered":"
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2.4.1 What is cognitivism?<\/span><\/h2>\n
2.4.2 Cognitivist learning theory<\/h2>\n
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Image: \u00a9 Atherton J S (2013) CC-NC-ND, retrieved 7 May 2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n2.4.3 Applications of cognitivist learning theory<\/h2>\n
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References<\/h2>\n