PSY-318 Cognitive Theories of Learning Part one 2/28

What are the goals for this unit?

•Explore cognitive theories and implications for learning

•Understand how the mind processes and retains information

•Analyze the implications of cognitive theories for teaching and learning

oApplication of cognitive theories in (educational) contexts

What is learning?

The acquisition of knowledge or skills through Experience, Study, or by being taught

How do we acquire new knowledge or skills?

1.) Conditioning

-Classical Conditioning

-Operant Conditioning

2.) Interacting/manipulating the environment

-Cognitive Revolution

3.) Learning from others

-Observational learning

-Constructivism

When did the first psychology lab occur?

in 1879

When was Pavlov’s dogs introduced

1890s

John B Watson—> Behaviorism

1913

Little Albert

1920

BF Skinner, operant conditioning defined

1938

Cognitive Revolution Beginnings

1950s

According to the Cognitive Revoultion (1950s-1960s) what are the critiques of behaviorism?

Inability to explain complex human behaviors and cognitive phenomena

-Tolman

According to the Cognitive Revoultion (1950s-1960s) what are the advances in technology?

oComputers + Neuroscience innovations

-Enabled psychologists to study mental processes

According to the Cognitive Revoultion (1950s-1960s) what is the linguistic information theory?

oLanguage structure, communication, and coding systems influence how psychologists view the mind

Who was responsible for the cognitive revolution?

Edward Tolman

Jean Piaget

Noam Chomsky

Ulric Neisser

What are the key points for Edward Tolman?

•PhD from Harvard in 1915 (Psychology)

•Cognitive Maps (1948) - "Cognitive Maps in Rats and Men"

•Challenged Behaviorism:

•Latent Learning

•Purposeful, goal-directed behavior

What were the key points for jean piaget?

•PhD in 1918 (Natural Sciences)

•Challenged behaviorism

•Focus on internal processes (how individuals think)

•Stage theory of cognitive development (1954 - "The construction of reality in the Child")

•Active role in learning (not just passive conditioning)

•Humans can explore, manipulate and interact with their environment

What are the key points for Noam Chomsky that is still alive?

•PhD from UPenn in 1955 (Linguistics)

•Critical Analysis of Behaviorism (1959) "Verbal Behavior"

•Behaviorism cannot explain how human's learn language(s)

•Universal Grammar – there is a biological basis for language acquisition

•Transformational-Generative Grammar – innate, mental structures responsible for language production and comprehension

What are the key points for Ulric Neisser?

•PhD from Harvard (1956)

•Created the term "Cognitive Psychology" (1967)

•Consolidated and defined the principles of cognitive psychology

What is cognitive psychology?

•The study of mental processes, such as attention, language use, memory, perception, problem solving, creativity and thinking.

oThe study of thinking

What is cognitive psychology focused on?

how individuals acquire, process, and store information

What are the basic principles of all cognitive learning theories?

Focus on understanding HOW mental processes influence learning

What is mental processes?

things like memory, problem-solving skills, attention, language, metacognition, thinking

What are the basic principles of all cognitive learning theories?

-Active learning

-Schema/Schemata

-Information Processing

-Metacognition

-Scaffolding

-Transfer or learning

-Cognitive load

What is active learning?

how learners process new information, make connections, and construct knowledge

What is an EXAMPLE of active learning?

Imagine you're studying cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Instead of just reading about it, your professor might have students pair up—one acting as the therapist and the other as the client. The "therapist" practices identifying cognitive distortions and guiding the "client" through a thought-restructuring exercise.

What are the foundations of cognitive theories?

-Behavior vs cognitive psychology

-Contributions of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Chomsky

-Information processing model

What is the behavioral definition of learning?

is defined as a relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience. This definition is rooted in behaviorism, which focuses on observable behaviors rather than internal mental processes.

What are the cognitive theories?

mental processes can be studied scientifically