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CognitivismInformation processing theory which deals with how people perceive, learn, remember, and think about information. |
Definition | Learning |
Brief History |
Major Tenets |
Role of Learners
Role of Teacher |
Terms Defined
Cognitivism is known as an information processing theory which deals with how people perceive, learn, remember, and think about information.
Cognitive science is an umbrella for other theories of learning such as constructionism, neoconstructionism, Gestaltism, flexible cognition.
The mental processes studied in cognitivism have resulted in efforts which study information processing, metacognition, transfer theories, computer simulations, creativity, artificial intelligence, concept formation, language acquisition, schema theory, etc.
The earliest roots of the study of cognition can be traced back to philosophy and physiology. Aristotle led a school of philosophers, the empiricists, who believed that all knowledge is gained through experience. Plato, in contrast, led a group called the rationalists who believed that knowledge can only be found through the mind. Immanuel Kant synthesized the two points-of-view by stating that some knowledge, a posteriori knowledge, was gained by experience, but other knowledge, a priori knowledge, was innate. Kant' s work had impact on the discipline of cognitive psychology which some regarded as philosophy and others as physiology. The work of William James and John Dewey in pragmatism contributed to the field. Gestalt psychologists in the middle of the twentieth century proposed that the center of learning was the individual opposing the work of behaviorists.
An early inspiration was John Dewey and his work. See next section: Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, David Ausubel, Jerome Bruner, Kurt Lewin, Robert Gagne,
Incorrect assumptions about learning, based on cognitivism:
Act as coach, encourager.
Design effective learning environments which include the following:
Design content which focuses on:
Cognition: act or process of knowing
Cognitive Development: describes how thinking patterns change over time.
Metacognition: knowledge about our own thinking (Meta?) more comprehensive: transcending (metapsychology) used with the name of a discipline to designate a new but related discipline designed to deal critically with the original one.
Constructivism: learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge. This "cognitive structure" provides meaning and organization to experiences and allows the individual to `'go beyond the information given."
Gestalt: a German word meaning pattern or shape. Gestalt psychologists emphasized the importance of organizational processes in perception, learning and problem solving and believed that individuals were predisposed to organize information in particular ways.
Epistemology: a branch of philosophy that focuses on the origins of knowledge.