Cognitivism theory sees the mind as a computer that processes and stores information, focusing on internal processes rather than external behaviors. It replaced behaviorism and is used in psychotherapy and education to put information into useful contexts for better retention.
Cognitivism theory is a model of how the mind learns new things. Many people describe cognitivism as the idea that the mind is basically a computer with the ability to process and store things. They believe that the brain absorbs, analyses, stores, and uses information. When people discuss the theory, they often use computer-based metaphors. Cognitivism became popular in the 1950s and competes with rival learning theories known as behaviorism and constructivism.
Those who agree with the theory of cognitivism are less interested in external behaviors and more interested in internal processes. The person generally believes that experience is less important in learning than how people process their experiences. According to this idea, five people could be given the same experience, and each could learn from it in very different ways. Eventually, everyone would develop totally different behaviors because each person can have a very different way of thinking about things.
Cognitivism was designed as a replacement for a rival theory called behaviorism. This theory was much more focused on external elements. Behaviorists were generally interested in experiences and how people responded to them. Every external behavior was thought to be directly related to an external cause. These followers often believed that people were fundamentally similar at birth, and most of the things that made them different were based on different life experiences.
Learning theories such as cognitivism and behaviorism can be seen as more than just learning theories. They are basically models for the whole way the mind is built. This is because the models see most of the mental factors in relation to learning. So as people get older, they learn to live. They might learn negative things that cause mental problems or learn positive things that lead them to success. For this reason, cognitivism and other learning theories are often directly related to concepts in psychotherapy.
When teachers try to use cognitivism in the classroom, they often focus on putting things into context that is useful for students. This is important because the mind can store information differently if people learn it in a different context. For example, if someone learns to add abstractly, the mind may see it as a simple mental trick. On the other hand, if a person learns to add about valuable something in everyday life, such as a transaction scenario, he may be able to access that knowledge more easily when he needs it.
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