COGNITIVE AND OTHER LEARNING THEORIES (Summaries)

Theory Proponent Key Terms

Cognitive Jean Piaget Schema (building blocks of knowledge). Schemata are the cognitive structures by which the individuals
Theory/Cognitive intellectually adapt to and organize their environment. It is simple in children but complex in adults.
Constructivism
Equilibration- achieving balance between assimilation and accommodation
(Cognitive disequilibrium-state of cognitive conflict)
Assimilation integrating new perceptual, motor or conceptual material or experiences into an existing schemata

Accommodation- changing the schema to fit the new information, happens when assimilation is not possible
because there are no schemata in which to fit the new data or the characteristic of the incoming data does not
match the characteristic of an available schema.
Developmental rather than behavioristic.
Stages: Sensorimotor Stage, Preoperational Stage, Concrete Operations, Formal Operations

Discovery (Insight) Jerome Bruner Cognitive Growth

Learning
a. enactive (birth to age 3) Learning through movement or action

b. iconic (age 3 to 8) Learning through pictures

c. symbolic (from age 8) Learning through abstract symbols

Spiral learning: 1) Starts with learner’s experience. 2)Look for patterns. 3) Add new information and theory.
4)Practice skills and plan for action. 5)Apply in action.

Meaningful David Ausubel Organizing Strategies

Reception Learning
Advance Organizers- cognitive strategy made up of deliberately prepared, slightly abstract passages presented
(MRL)
orally or in writing in advance of the main material. Advance organizers provide mental scaffolding.

Mediators- cognitive structuring strategy of verbal phrases designed to link new and similar concepts. They are
 briefly written or verbal passages linking concepts to be learned with concepts learned already.

Mnemonic Devices- cognitive structuring memory devices which facilitate recall such as elaboration and chunking

(acronyms, pegwords, keyword, loci, face name, etc.)

Hierarchical Retrieval Systems-strategy utilizing a graphic structure which depicts information from the broadest
representation of the concept to the most detailed.

Concept maps-cognitive strategy utilizing a graphic and hierarchical structures and liking phrases added to expose
student understanding of interrelationships.

Structured Overviews and Outlines, pre-instructional, dual coding strategies featuring the hierarchical
arrangement of key terms

Information George Miller -compared the human brain to that of a computer; humans process the information they receive from the
Processing Theory environment, like that of a computer, rather than merely responding to stimuli

Stages: Attending, Encoding (Input), Storing, Retrieving (Access)

Information Three stages of receiving info: sensory memory, short-term memory, long-term memory
W. R. Garner
Processing Model
Memories: Semantic (concepts and general info); Procedural (processes); Image
(IPM) U. Neisser
Attention, making connections of past and previous materials, repetition and reviews clear presentations, focusing
on the meaning of info

Psychosocial Erik Erikson Developments described as crises (Trust vs. Mistrust, Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt, Initiative vs. Guilt, Industry
Theory vs. Inferiority, Identity vs. Role Confusion, Intimacy vs. Isolation, Generativity vs. Stagnation, Integrity vs. Despair)

Implications: Facilitate the development of identity through self-analysis; provide information on choices; help
students to substitute self-statements that are positive in place of negative self-statements, help students
evaluate their strengths and weakness; stress skill of of communication; communicate positive teacher
expectations; design learning activities that worthwhile; stress that there are many ways to succeed; offer
opportunities to participate in making classroom decisions
 Psychosexual Sigmund Freud Development stages: Oral Stage, Anal Stage, Phallic Stage, Latency Stage, Genital Stage
Theory

Identity Status James Marcia Stages

Theory
1. Identity diffusion- failure to commit oneself to choices that must be made as part of the development of identity

2. Identity foreclosure- selecting a convenient set of beliefs and goals without considering the alternatives

3. Identity moratorium- considering alternative choices, experiencing different roles but having no final decision
regarding one’s identity

4. Identity achievement-achieving strong sense of commitment to life choices after careful considerations of
options.

Brain-based Eric Jensen Based on scientific research on how the brain works (neuroscience) and is based on cognitive development theory
Learning

Atkinson-Shiffrin Richard Atkinson and Storage Systems: Sensory Memory, Short Term(Working) Memory (STM), Long Term Memory(LTM)
Memory Model Richard Shiffrin

Seasons of Life Daniel Levinson -Influenced by Erikson’s Theory

Theory
Focused on adult development: Preadulthood (Conception-Age 22) Early Adulthood; Early Adulthood (ages 22-45);
Middle Adulthood (ages 40-65); Late Adulthood (Age 65+)

Early Adulthood Transition (ages 17-22

Midlife Transition (ages 40-45)

Late Adult Transition (ages 60-65)

Levels/Conditions Robert Gagne Hierarchy of Learning: 1. Stimulus Recognition, 2) Response Generation, 3) Procedure Following, 4) Use of
of Learning Terminology, 5) Discriminations, 6) Concept Formation, 7) Rule Application and 8) Problem Solving

*Prerequisites must be identified through task analysis

 9 Instructional Events and Corresponding Cognitive Processes:

1. Gaining attention (reception)

2. Informing learners of the objective (expectancy)

3. Stimulating recall of prior learning (retrieval)

4. Presenting the stimulus (selective perception)

5. Providing learning guidance (semantic encoding)

6. Eliciting performance (responding)

7. Providing feedback (reinforcement)

8. Assessing performance (retrieval)

9. Enhancing retention and transfer (generalization)

Insight Learning Wolfgang Kohler “ape or chimpanzee experiment”

Theory (Gestalt)
Insight: occurs when people recognize relationships that can help them solve new problems

(self-effort in solving problems; problem solving as approach to learning)

Change Theory Kurt Lewin -the process of change involves 3 steps: UNFREEZING, CHANGING and REFREEZING

-the process of change entails creating the perception that a change is needed, then moving toward the new,
desired level of behavior and finally solidifying that new behavior.

Field or life space is a psychological representation of the individual’s environment.

Force/Field Theory
Life space consists of everything that affects the behavior of the individual at a particular time.

Theory of Multiple Howard Gardner There are modalities of human intelligence:

Intelligences

Natural (nature smart)

Logical/Mathematical (number/reasoning smart)

Musical (sound smart)

Existential (life smart)

Interpersonal (people smart)

Bodily-kinesthetic (body smart)

Linguistic (word smart)

Intrapersonal (self smart)

Spatial (picture smart

Ecological Systems Urie Bronfenbrenner Development is affected by the person’s environment

Theory
Five different levels: the MICROSYSTEM family, peers or caregivers) the MESOSYSTEM (interactions between the
different part of a person’s microsytem), the EXOSYSTEM (a setting that does not involve the person as active
participant but is still affecting him), the MACROSYSTEM (cultural values, health and public policy/laws) and the
CHRONOSYSTEM (made up of environmental events and transitions that occur throughout a child’s life, including
sociohistorical events).

Social Lev Vygotsky “Learning precedes development.”

Constructivism
-occurs within the Zone of Proximal Development

Learning processes: Scaffolding, modeling, apprenticeship, group

Social constructivist approaches: reciprocal teaching, peer collaboration, cognitive apprenticeship, problem-based
instruction, webquests, anchored instruction or any other method that involves learning with others

Structural Reuven Feuerstein Theory patterned after Piaget and Vygotsky

Cognitive
Mediated Learning Experience (MLE)
Modifiability (SCM)
and Mediated 1. Direct exposure to experiences S-O-R (Piagetian)
Learning
2. Interaction of the organism with the environment via the human mediator S-H-O-H-R

Mediators can be parent, facilitator, teacher or some significant others

12 Parameters

1. Intentionality and reciprocity

2. Mediation of meaning

3. Transcendence

4. Mediation of feeling of competence

5. Mediation of regulation and control of behavior

6. Mediation of sharing behavior

7. Mediation of of individuation and psychological differentiation

8. Mediation of goal seeking, goal setting, and goal achieving behavior

9. Mediation of challenge: the search for novelty and complexity

10. Mediation of an awareness of the human being as a changing entity

11. Mediation of the search for an optimistic alternative

12. Mediation of feeling of belonging

Prepared by:

Prof. MARITES A. BALOT

Faculty, FTD