Cognitive Learning Theory

A theory that emphasizes the brain and its functioning in learning, through processing, memory, thinking, and mental executive functions such as planning, organizing, and categorizing. The cognitive-learning process begins with attention and recognition. As we process information, we categorize it and organize it based on prior experience, memory, and logic. Then when we want to retrieve the information, we use the same memory, categories, and plan of organization to “find” it and use it later.

Piaget (1928) presented four stages of cognitive development, asserting that we think differently in each stage, based on the schemas we develop. A schema is the mental process we use to understand and remember an object, idea, or event. In each of Piaget's stages, our understanding becomes more mature because we gain more information, more experiences, and more efficient ways to perceive or organize the experiences we have. Piaget further believed that errors are vital in this process, so that in each stage we improve our cognition by correcting errors or misinformation in previous stages.

Piaget, Bruner (1961), and others also suggest that an important part of cognitive learning is constructivism, or individual schema development, resulting in the unique way each individual perceives (and, therefore, processes and remembers) an event or experience. Each person's perception is based on experience, both with the content at hand and with the process of learning and remembering.

Many cognitive researchers study and emphasize the role of language in cognition. A common language is the means by which any experience or construct can be translated to large numbers of people so that they understand the event similarly. Cognitive learning theory is devoted to exploring the different ways that people develop constructs. Studying both similarities and differences in the processing of individuals assists researchers and educators in understanding the complexity and depth of the learning process. This continued study leads to improved instruction because cognitive processing can also be taught along with the content or events to which it is attached. For more information, see Bruner (1961) and Piaget (1928).