Cognitivism – School of Psychology

 Cognitivism – School of Psychology

Cognitivism is a major school or perspective in psychology that focuses on the internal mental processes involved in learning and behaviour. It emerged partly as a reaction to Behaviourism, which concentrated mainly on observable behaviour.

The central question of Cognitivism is:

“What happens inside the learner's mind during learning?”

In simple terms:

Behaviourism → What does the learner do?

Cognitivism → What does the learner think and understand?

Meaning of Cognitivism

Cognitivism is the psychological perspective that studies mental processes such as:

• Thinking
• Perception
• Attention
• Memory
• Understanding
• Reasoning
• Problem-solving
• Decision-making
• Language
• Information processing

Cognitivists consider the learner an active participant in the learning process.

Learning is not simply a change in observable behaviour. It involves a change in knowledge, understanding and mental organisation.

Simple example

A student learns that:

Water boils at 100°C under standard atmospheric pressure.

According to Behaviourism, we may focus on whether the student gives the correct answer.

According to Cognitivism, we are also interested in:

How did the student understand the concept?

How was the information stored in memory?

How is the student able to recall and apply it?

Historical Background

Cognitivism became particularly influential during the 1950s and 1960s. This period is sometimes described as the “Cognitive Revolution.”

Behaviourism had dominated psychology for several decades, but psychologists increasingly felt that observable behaviour alone could not explain complex human activities such as:

• Language
• Memory
• Thinking
• Problem-solving
• Reasoning
• Decision-making

Researchers therefore began studying internal mental processes scientifically.

Important contributors to cognitive psychology include:

• Jean Piaget
• Jerome Bruner
• David Ausubel
• Ulric Neisser
• George Miller

Different theorists developed different approaches, but they shared an interest in understanding mental processes.

Jean Piaget – Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget made a major contribution to understanding how children's thinking develops.

He proposed that children actively construct knowledge as they interact with their environment.

He identified four major stages:

1. Sensorimotor stage – Birth to about 2 years
2. Preoperational stage – About 2–7 years
3. Concrete operational stage – About 7–11 years
4. Formal operational stage – About 11 years onwards

Information Processing Approach

Cognitivism often compares the human mind to an information-processing system.

Hearing → Attention → Understanding → Encoding → Memory → Retrieval → Answer

If students do not pay attention, the information may not be properly processed and stored.

Memory and Learning

Cognitivism gives great importance to memory.

Learning involves:

Encoding

Converting information into a form that can be stored.

Storage

Keeping information in memory.

Retrieval

Bringing stored information back when needed.

Example

A student studies the causes of the French Revolution.

Reading → Understanding → Organising information → Storing → Remembering during examination

Jerome Bruner

Jerome Bruner emphasised discovery learning and the active role of learners.

According to Bruner, learners should be encouraged to discover relationships and principles rather than simply memorising information.

The teacher can provide an experiment in which students compare plants kept in light and darkness.

Students:

Observe → Compare → Think → Discover → Form conclusion

This promotes active cognitive learning.

David Ausubel

David Ausubel emphasised meaningful learning.

According to Ausubel, new knowledge is learned meaningfully when it is connected with the learner's existing knowledge.

The teacher connects familiar ideas with the new concept 

Previous knowledge + New knowledge → Meaningful learning

Educational Significance of Cognitivism

Cognitivism has enormous importance in education.

1. Learner as an active participant

The learner is not merely a passive receiver of information.

Teacher → Facilitator

Learner → Active thinker

2. Importance of prior knowledge

Teachers should identify what students already know before introducing new concepts.

Example:

Before teaching “Democracy,” ask:

“What decisions do you make together with your classmates?”

Then connect those experiences to democratic decision-making.

3. Promotes meaningful learning

Students should understand relationships rather than simply memorise facts.

Memorisation → Understanding → Application

4. Concept mapping

Teachers can organise knowledge visually through:

Concept maps → Mind maps → Flow charts → Diagrams

For example:

Pollution

→ Air pollution

→ Water pollution

→ Soil pollution

→ Noise pollution

This helps learners organise information in memory.

5. Problem-solving

Cognitivism encourages learners to think about problems and develop solutions.

Problem → Analyse → Generate alternatives → Select solution → Evaluate

6. Effective use of memory

Teachers can improve retention through:

• Repetition
• Organisation
• Association
• Mnemonics
• Concept maps
• Retrieval practice
• Meaningful examples

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7. Metacognition

Cognitive approaches also support thinking about one's own thinking.

A learner asks:

“Do I really understand this?”

“Which part do I find difficult?”

“What strategy should I use?”

This helps learners become self-regulated learners.

Aspect	Cognitivism
Main focus	Mental processes
Central question	How does the learner think and process information?
Learner	Active participant
Important processes	Attention, memory, thinking, reasoning, problem-solving
Piaget	Cognitive development
Bruner	Discovery learning
Ausubel	Meaningful learning
Major educational idea	Connect new knowledge with prior knowledge
Learning	Active processing and organisation of knowledge
Limitation	Mental processes are difficult to observe directly

Limitations of Cognitivism

1. Internal mental processes are difficult to observe directly

We cannot directly see a student's thoughts or memory.

We infer them from behaviour, responses and performance.

2. May underestimate emotional and social factors

Learning is influenced not only by cognition but also by:

Emotion + Motivation + Social interaction + Environment

3. Cognitive theories can be complex

Concepts such as working memory, information processing and schemas can sometimes be difficult for teachers and learners to apply directly.

4. Not all learning is conscious

Some skills and habits can develop through repeated practice without the learner consciously analysing every step.