What is the cognitivism learning theory?

This article was updated on April 8, 2024.

At the center of cognitivism sits the concept of cognition, which Britannica.com defines as “all conscious and unconscious processes by which knowledge is accumulated, such as perceiving, recognizing, conceiving and reasoning.”

“Knowledge,” as understood by cognitive theorists, is the cognitive processing of what something is and what something is not, from concepts as simple as a young student identifying animals from a picture book to something more complex such as weighing the pros and cons of eating meat.

Psychologist Jean Piaget developed the first cognitive psychology theories in the 1930s from his work with infants and young children. Behaviorism, which was the prevailing psychological theory at the time, focused solely on behaviors that could be observed externally. Behaviorists argued that this was a result of a subject’s interaction with external events and actions.

Piaget’s work is also associated with the constructivist learning theory, which shares many concepts with cognitive learning. They both focus on the internal processes associated with learning and how individuals acquire knowledge, as opposed to outwardly observable behavior.

While constructivists emphasize learners actively participating in building knowledge, for cognitivists, active participation is not necessarily important. Much of the knowledge-building process happens passively in the cognitivism theory, emphasizing processes like memory and perception. For constructivists, learners build their sense of understanding the world around them through social interactions and experiences. In practice, cognitivists are not as eager as constructivists to discard lectures and textbooks in favor of more participatory teaching methods. Both theories changed the way educators thought about learning environments and assessment strategies. 

Accommodation is the act of taking existing ideas and concepts and crafting them into new and different ones. Assimilation is taking new ideas and concepts and using them alongside older ideas.

Piaget saw human development as a multistage process of building knowledge. From their first breath, infants learn basic motor functions, like learning to grasp objects. By adulthood, these functions are essentially second nature and people can grapple with concepts that are very complex, like philosophy or mathematics.

To make a consistent psychological theory, Piaget sought to break knowledge (no matter how simple or complex) into a single, basic unit. From there, he could develop a theory of cognitive learning that could apply just as much to a baby’s first step to deep philosophical concepts they might develop later in life. Piaget called this basic unit schema.

What are schemata?

Now that we know about cognitivism as a theory, we can look at cognitivism in education and how it applies to working with students. Cognitivism is applied in the classroom in many ways. From understanding how a particular student processes information, to helping students memorize key concepts, or even working on their problem-solving skills, there are several implications for educators. When educators take their students’ existing knowledge into account, they can better support each student’s individual learning journey. In each application, the main principle is incorporating student experiences, perspectives and knowledge.

For example, a teacher might:

1. Ask students about their experience with the lesson
2. Emphasize the connection between past ideas and new ones
3. Incorporate group discussions and Q&A sessions into the curriculum
4. Invite a variety of opinions about a given subject

We spoke with Pamela Roggeman, EdD, dean of the College of Education at UOPX, to explain further what cognitivism in education might look like.

“An example of this with the early elementary grades is how teachers approach literature,” Dr. Roggeman says. “If a class is reading a selection, teachers will employ something called ‘think-alouds.’ A think-aloud is where the teacher models the process of asking herself questions and then directs students to do the same.

“So, for example, if the students are reading a story that involves an airplane, the teacher would stop and say, ‘Hmm, I was on an airplane once, and it was loud, and it made my tummy feel funny.’ Then, she will ask students to share their experiences. While reading the piece, she will stop and ask herself and then her students more questions about what they are learning from the piece. And finally, afterward, she might ask students to turn to their partners and talk about what they learned that they didn’t know before.”

This approach can not only help students learn, but it can also help them feel respected, seen and heard. That can make class more exciting and encourage a passion for learning that continues throughout students’ lives. Ultimately, cognitivism helps educators incorporate strategies that align with how young people learn by being aware of the mental processes that need to take place for those “aha” moments to occur.