Chapter 1 Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive Psychology Is:  About human perception…  Thought, and memory…  Learners who are “active processors of information”  Able to assign distinct roles

From Cognitive Psychology we get:  Theorists like John Dewey, John Bruner, and many many more  The idea of constructivism  Metacognition  etc. etc. etc.

Preceding Psychologically Dominant Theory  The Associationist Era 1920 – 1970  Associationist were also known as behaviorists.  J.B. Watson (Little Albert Experiments) determined that we come into the world as a blank slate.  What does this mean to educators and parents alike?  What impacts of behaviorism can you think of that impact how lived and currently live in the US and the rest of the world?

Behaviorism Continued…  Behaviorism is based on the linking or associating stimuli with responses.  Theory being that we learn to respond to stimuli based on the world view we have and trail and error learning.  Watson and Skinner believed that scientific psychology’s purpose was to predict and control behaviors (Bruning et.al. 2011, pg. 5)  See last two sentences of third paragraph.

The Slow Shift from Behaviorism to Constructivism  By the emergence of the cognitive movement, behaviorism was well entrenched in our educational system K-16.  Under Skinner’s leadership behaviorism applied high degrees of structure, standardized learning environments, and the expectation of the achievement of specific learning goals and objectives.  Such an effective campaign that behaviorism is still very evident in K-12 education.  Discuss the fifth paragraph (language acquisition)

Behaviorism to Cognition  As researchers were less and less satisfied with the answers gleaned from the exclusive use of behaviorism in 1967, the Cognitive Era began to take center stage in the discussion of human learning and memory.  In the absence of answers and with the help of people like Bruner, Miller, and Minsky to name a few, the Cognitive Era was born and went to work on dislodging Associationism as the dominant frame of reference in America.

8 Cognitive Themes for Education  Learning is a Constructive, not a Receptive process-  In other words;  What we already know  What we are learning  What we do as we learn  How do we construct meaning  AKA – Constructivism  “What motivates learning is the search for meaning” (pg. 6)

 Mental frameworks organize memory and guide thought –  Schemata are mental templates with which knowledge is organized.  We all have points of reference by which we compare old and new information.  We use old reference points to help tie new information through analogy and metaphor  This process creates new organizational pathways linking prior and new knowledge in a retrievable structure.

 Extended practice is needed to develop cognitive skills –  In some circles this is known as practice makes perfect; others refer to it as drill and kill.  The rest of us call it Automaticity  The ability to do something as second nature.  The means that ordinary tasks are automatic leaving more brain power to explore and digest deeper cognitive processes.  Researchers estimate that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to make a task automatic.

 Development of self-awareness and self- regulation is critical to cognitive growth –  This leads to the role of metacognition, or the ability to 1.) reflect on your own learning and thinking and 2.) use your understanding of your thinking and learning to regulate and develop your own cognitive process.  According to our authors, “one of the most important educational implications of metacognition is critical thinking or the ability to reflect on what was learned and to employee learning strategies to learn more efficiently.

 Motivation and beliefs are integral to cognition –  Cognition includes memory, thinking and problem solving applied to instruction.  It also includes motivation and beliefs, which encompass student confidence, how do they reflect on performance, establish goals, knowledge in general and their own abilities and intelligence.  How students judge their own performance will lay a determining role in how much effort they put into the achievement of a goal.  Successful learning involves not only comprehending content but also learning to become an active motivated, and self regulated learner.

 Social Interaction is Fundamental to Cognitive Development –  Rather than individual work, cooperative and group based work provide students with the opportunity to present their thoughts in various ways as they make their point and like wise their classmates get the same opportunity.  This fosters higher levels of cognitive activity.

 Knowledge, Strategies, and Expertise are Contextual –  Contextual perspective emphasizes history and situation  Memory was strongly effected by;  Experimental manipulation  Knowledge of relations and events

 A cognitive approach top teaching implies a new approach to assessment –  In the cognitive perspective of assessment we should assess using;  Critical Thinking Skills  Not just assessment of knowledge acquisition but of the ability to apply new knowledge at the right place and time and in the correct context.