LEARNING THEORIES

Cognitive Learning

Updated June 17, 2023

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Learning Theories

Cognitive Learning

This guide gives you a clear understanding of how cognitive learning can positively impact your life in a
corporate environment.

Training of cognitive learning to employees in organizations enhances and strengthens their expertise in
handling more complex tasks.

Discover:

What is Cognitive Learning?

Components of Cognitive Learning

Сognitive Learning Theories

Cognitive Learning Theory

Social Cognitive Theory

Cognitive Behavioral Theory

Benefits of Cognitive Learning

Cognitive Learning Strategies

Cognitive Learning Examples

What is Cognitive Learning?

Cognitive learning is an active style of learning that focuses on helping you learn how to maximize your
brain’s potential. It makes it easier for you to connect new information with existing ideas hence
deepening your memory and retention capacity.

The ability of the brain’s mental processes to absorb and retain information through experience, senses,
and thought is known as cognition.

Employers need to expose employees to training on cognitive learning—an organization whose

employees have strong cognitive skills is likely successful.

Well-trained and fully engaged employees are capable of learning quickly and being highly productive by
handling multiple complex tasks without the necessity of a supervisor.

There is a young branch of psychology known as cognitive psychology. It is the study of one’s internal
processes.

These are the things going on in your brain, such as thinking, attention, learning, problem-solving,
perception, among others.

Components of Cognitive Learning

Traditional learning mainly focuses on memorization instead of trying to achieve mastery in a particular
subject.

The following are fundamental aspects of cognitive learning:

1. Comprehension

For cognitive learning to be efficient and benefit you, understand the reason why you are learning a
specific subject in the first place.
2. Memory

Cognitive learning discourages cramming of information, which is very ineffective in education. Having a
deep understanding of a subject improves your ability to relate new knowledge with previous
experiences or information.

3. Application

Cognitive learning strategies help you apply new information or skills in life situations. They encourage
you as you continue to develop problem-solving skills.

Cognitive learning loop, fundamental aspects: Comprehension, Memory, Application.

Сognitive Learning Theories

Cognitive Learning Theory

Cognitive learning theory explains how internal and external factors influence an individual’s mental
processes to supplement learning.

Delays and difficulties in learning are seen when cognitive processes are not working regularly. These
processes are such as attention, observation, retrieval from long-term memory, and categorization.

Several researchers have made significant contributions to this theory. Jerome Bruner focused on how
mental processes are linked to teaching.

Another researcher by the name Jean Piaget recognized that the environment plays a huge role and also
focused on changes that take place in the internal cognitive structure. You can read more about Piaget’s
theory of cognitive development in our previous article.

Today, cognitive learning theory is dominant in psychology. It is broken down into two categories.

Social Cognitive Theory

This theory helps us understand how people are influenced and their influence on the environment.

One of the major components of social cognitive theory is observational learning. It is the process of
learning others’ desirable and undesirable behaviors through observation.

It is a quick way of acquiring information when you individually take action. A person who demonstrates
behavior for another person is known as a model.

These may be real people such as teachers, our peers, and supervisors, or symbolic models, also known
as fictional characters that influence an observer’s behavior.

Observational learning teaches people both positive and negative behaviors. For example, a manager
within a company can teach the employees how they are supposed to behave ethically and be socially
conscious when interacting and dealing with rude customers. Moreover, the manager can also train
his/her employees on the different procedures that they can take in case of fire or other low probability
hazardous scenarios.

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Cognitive Behavioral Theory

This theory mainly refers to our mental processes, such as our thoughts and interpretations of life
events.

It explains how the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of a person interact with each other. Thoughts lead
to particular emotions, which in turn lead to specific behavioral responses.

When we change our thoughts, we can change our emotions and then our behaviors. It also works in
reverse where changing how we behave leads to changes in our feelings and, ultimately, our thoughts.
Let’s take an example of a developer who encounters a problem in a particular sphere and automatically
believes that the task is difficult for him/her right away. The employee is automatically likely to have a
negative attitude towards this particular task, and his performance will likely be poor.

Benefits of Cognitive Learning

The following are the major positive effects of cognitive learning:

1. Enhances learning

Cognitive learning theory enhances lifelong learning. Workers can build upon previous ideas and apply
new concepts to already existing knowledge.

2. Boosts confidence

Employees become more confident in approaching tasks as they get a deeper understanding of new
topics and learn new skills.

3. Enhances Comprehension

Cognitive learning improves learners’ comprehension of acquiring new information. They can develop a
deeper understanding of new learning materials.

4. Improves problem-solving skills

Cognitive learning equips employees with the skills they need to learn effectively. They are thereby able
to develop problem-solving skills they can apply under challenging tasks.

5. Help learn new things faster

Through the experience of learning, the employee will be able to recycle and use the same learning
methods that worked previously. This will help them learn new things a lot faster as they already know
what works for them when it comes to obtaining new knowledge.

6. Teaches to form concept formation (think abstract)

Cognitive learning can also teach your employees to form a range of different concepts such as easily
perceiving and interpreting information that could boost creativity and lead to innovations at the
workplace.

Cognitive Learning Strategies

Several psychologists have shaped the concept of cognitive learning through research. They came up
with theories and learning strategies that can be implemented in a corporate learning environment.

Learner-centered strategy

Jean Piaget termed learning as relating information to already existing knowledge. And each learner
starts with their own knowledge and experience.

According to his theories, learning begins with the accumulation of some basic knowledge and
advancing deeper into the field with time.

Piaget suggested three vital components of learning:

Accommodation – taking new information into account by modifying what we already know.

Assimilation – the arrangement of new knowledge inside our heads beside what we know.

Equilibration – balancing what we already know with the new information that we are trying to acquire.

Each company should develop their training programs with a personalized learning approach to make it
engaging for their employees to achieve better results.

To achieve that L&D professionals should focus on the following points:

Develop and introduce their programs based on already existing knowledge.

Provide more analogies to connect new knowledge with already existing knowledge.

Divide learning materials into stages and maintain a logical flow of lessons taught.
Provide examples or practical tasks that show how new information or principles can connect with
previous knowledge, or enhance it.

Encourage questions and comments from trainees.

Meaningful Experiences strategy

David Ausubel made a clear distinction between meaningful learning and rote learning.

According to him, material that was closely related to what the learner knew was meaningful and always
turned out to be effective.

Learners with relevant background knowledge find it easier to add new information.

During the training of learners in an organization:

There should be an emphasis on the meaningfulness of each session to the task at hand.

Background information on new material is essential.

New information should be instilled in learners in a sequence to build on what is already understood.

Learning Through Discovery strategy

Jerome Bruner is a psychologist who built his theory on top of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
that was focusing on learning through discovery.

His theory identified three stages of cognitive representation which are enactive, iconic, and symbolic.
Enactive defining the representation of knowledge through actions, iconic being the visual
summarization of images, and symbolic which is the use of words and symbols to describe experiences.

Through his study of cognitive learning in children, he suggested that they should be allowed to discover
information for themselves. He believed that learners review previously learned material even as they
gain new knowledge.
His interpretation of Cognitive Learning Theory in a corporate environment can be put by:

Allow employees to learn new skills and get new knowledge through new tasks and challenges.

Challenge trainees to solve real-world problems your organization faces.

Personalized learning strategy

All of these strategies can be combined into one personalized learning approach. Each learner is unique
and has their own experience, knowledge, and perception. Which can greatly influence the way they
interpret and consume new information.

Creating learning experiences that fit each individual based on their own knowledge that is meaningful
for their role which encourages them to discover new solutions can drive great results and improve their
overall performance.

L&D professionals should try to organize a learning environment, to allow employees to learn at their
own pace, and with a variety of learning opportunities.

A common practice in recent years to create personalized learning is the use of modern technologies: AI
recommendations, learning paths, machine learning, natural language processing.

For example, a digital learning assistant has the capability to recognize what the skills of the employees
are, what they have learned so far, and automatically suggest to them what they should learn next. The
reason why such modern technology is essential in employee development, because it can offer
information they need without them even anticipating the need for it. Overall, it’s a fantastic tool that
can ensure better employee education and eventually drive greater performance.

Moreover, the company can save a significant amount of resources with a learning assistant as it can
make your organization’s learning environment flawless even if scalability is required.

Furthermore, having the ultimate access to a range of company resources, no two employees need to
learn or go through the same learning process as they can cherry-pick what they want to learn from.
Cognitive Learning Examples

Now you have a clear idea of what cognitive learning means. The following are various examples of
cognitive learning.

1. Explicit Learning

It happens when you intentionally seek knowledge to attempt and learn a new skill or process that may
be vital to your work. It requires you to be attentive and take action to acquire knowledge.

An example of explicit learning would be undertaking an in-depth video editing course to understand
the functionality of the software in order to be able to use it appropriately for the needs of your work.

2. Implicit Learning

Sometimes you passively gain new knowledge and learn some new skills. It is known as implicit learning,
where you are unaware of the entire process until you realize you have retained something new.

This type of learning may occur when you are working, talking, or going about your normal life.

Typing fast and without looking at your keyboard is one good example of implicit learning that comes
automatically over time.

3. Meaningful Learning

Meaningful learning is when you are capable of acquiring new information and relating it to past
experiences.

This is because this cognitive learning approach teaches employees to build transferable problem-
solving skills that can be applied in other areas.
An example of meaningful learning is when you work in procurement and decide to take an advanced
course in your department to deepen your understanding of the subject.

4. Discovery Learning

It happens when you actively seek new knowledge by researching new concepts, processes, and
subjects.

For example, if someone is set the task to proofread a particular report and they need to make use of a
specific tool such as Grammarly, by using this tool in hand with the manuals, this would cause them to
learn the features and abilities of the tool through discovery.

5. Receptive Learning

Lectures where you sit in groups and a speaker feeds the audience with information on a specific subject
is an example of receptive learning. It requires the learner to be active by asking questions and taking
down short notes.

During training in your workplace, this type of learning comes in handy where you get a deeper
understanding of new information by being active and responsive to the speaker.

6. Non-Associative Learning (Habituation and Sensitization)

It is a type of learning that enables humans to adapt to something by facing it frequently.

When you get a new job at a factory where there are many machines making noise, it irritates for the
first few days, but you later learn how to live with it. This is known as habituation.

Sensitization is the vice versa whereby your reaction towards something increases as you get frequent
exposure towards it.
This type of learning happens in your typical situations in life and work. Working in an office teaches you
to be more responsive to things like telephone calls.

7. Emotional Learning

Developing emotional intelligence is crucial to help us maintain friendly relationships with friends at
work and in life.

Emotional learning helps people learn how to take charge of their emotions and also understand
others’.

An employer requires to have control over their emotions so as to handle customers and also their
superiors in a courteous manner.

8. Experiential Learning

Our experiences in life are our best lessons.

Your interactions with other people always teach you some precious life lessons. What you learn
depends on how you interpret it.

For example, an intern learns by shadowing an experienced senior employer to gain experience. He
acquires new skills that are relevant to his line of work.

9. Observation Learning

One of the significant components of the social cognitive theory is observational learning.

It is handy among employees since it mainly involves imitation of skills from colleagues and superiors.

Observing your friends or work colleagues is an efficient way to learn a new skill.
Your successful manager at work can help you improve your leadership qualities as you embrace and
practice his habits.

10. Cooperative and Collaborative Learning

Working and learning in groups is encouraged in many institutions.

Cooperative learning helps bring out one’s best skills and deepens the collaboration between a group of
people (read more about collaborative learning).

However, for an individual to learn this way, he/she has to be an active and equal participant and
interact with fellow group members.

Some companies select individuals to train on new strategies that improve the success of an
organization. The trained employees are then encouraged to pass on this knowledge to their team
members.

The types of cognitive learning above are vital in using your brain’s features as much as possible. They
make it easier for you to acquire new skills and knowledge in life.

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Senior Associate

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What is cognitive learning theory?

An elementary teacher uses learning theory to provide quality teaching

By Michael Feder

July 12, 2022 • 9 minutes

At a glance

Cognitive learning theory focuses on the internal processes surrounding information and memory.

Jean Piaget founded cognitive psychology in the 1930s as a reaction to the prevalent behaviorist school
of psychology.

According to Piaget, a schema is the basic unit of knowledge, and schemata build up over a lifetime.

Understanding the cognitive orientation to learning is essential to providing a quality education. Equip
yourself with powerful classroom skills with an education degree from University of Phoenix.

Whether they are teaching basic arithmetic to a grade school class or guiding graduate students through
complex and advanced concepts, all educators have the same need:

They must understand how students learn.

To answer this question, educators often use concepts derived from educational learning theories.
Combining classroom experience with psychological concepts, educators can optimize the way they
teach.
Click here to learn more about our education degrees.

Cognitive learning theory, which focuses on the internal processes surrounding information and
memory, is one of the most adaptable of the five major learning theories. Cognitive learning has
applications for teaching students as young as infants, all the way up to adult learners picking up new
skills on the job.

For educators, understanding cognitive learning can help them develop effective lesson plans. For
everyone else, the theory’s principles are helpful for understanding how the mind works and how to
learn more effectively.

Basics of cognitive learning theory

At the center of the cognitive learning theory 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 these behaviors
were a result of a subject’s interaction with external events and actions.

Piaget argued for something different. His research and writing focused instead on mental processes
that occurred internally. He viewed human subjects as beings that not only react to the things around
them but also process and store information related to those things.
What's the difference between cognitivism and constructivism?

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, as opposed to
outwardly observable behavior.

To make the distinction clear, constructivists emphasize learners actively participating in building
knowledge. For cognitivists, active participation is not necessarily important. Much of the knowledge-
building process happens passively, according to cognitivists. In practice, cognitivists are not as eager as
constructivists to discard lectures and textbooks in favor of more participatory teaching methods.

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Accommodation and assimilation in cognitive psychology

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?

Here is how Piaget defines a schema: “a cohesive, repeatable action sequence possessing component
actions that are tightly interconnected and governed by a core meaning.”

Let’s break this down with a simple example: A child recognizes a cow on a farm.

The “cohesive, repeatable action” is the child’s recognition of the cow. It is repeatable in that that the
child will continue to recognize it (and animals identical to it) as a cow.

This action of recognition can be broken down into its components: The child doesn’t just see a cow.
They see a thing that is alive, has four legs, is eating grass and makes a mooing sound. These acts of
recognition, of course, can be broken down further. The child must have some concept of what a live
thing is, how to count to four and so on.

For the child, all these various components form the “core meaning” of a cow. Even when the child
leaves the farm, they will still have an understanding and concept of what a cow is and isn’t.

Of course, that is a basic example, but Piaget argues that schemata essentially form the basis of every
human cognitive process. Returning to the Britannica.com, they are:

1. Perceiving

2. Recognizing

3. Conceiving

4. Reasoning

In other words, you can’t say Piaget was not ambitious.

Over the course of human development, people form new and ever more complex schemata, which
build off of other schemata. This is how we get from ideas as simple as recognizing a cow all the way to
concepts as complex as, “Do cows recognize me?”
According to cognitivists, schemata form the basis of those and all other concepts.

How are schemata formed?

Piaget outlines a four-step process in the formation of schemata:

1. Assimilation

2. Disequilibrium

3. Accommodation

4. Equilibrium

Step 1: Assimilation

Assimilation is the cognitive process of associating new information to what is already known. This prior
knowledge can be innate, like knowing how to breathe, or something learned previously.

To return to our earlier example, let’s say the child has only seen a cow in picture books. Seeing a cow in
person gives them an additional sense of what a cow looks like and how it behaves. This will be
“assimilated” into the schema that is the child’s recognition of the cow.

Step 2: Disequilibrium

Let’s say the child goes to the farm and recognizes a cow. They point out that it has four legs, eats grass
and lives on a farm, all characteristics that this cow shares with the cow in the picture book.

Unexpectedly, however, instead of making the mooing sound that the child associates with a cow, the
animal makes a “baa” sound. Upon further inspection, this cow has a big puffy white coat of fleece, very
much unlike the cow in the picture book. The child’s cow-recognition schema did not include this sound
or this coat, causing a disruption or “disequilibrium.”

Of course, we know that the “cow” is a sheep. How will the child come to this conclusion, however, and
form their own sheep recognition schema?

Step 3: Accommodation

The child will attempt to resolve this disequilibrium through a process called “accommodation.” They
will compare and contrast their concept of a cow with the mystery animal currently in front of them.

They will notice that though both a cow and this animal share many aspects (four legs, eating grass) they
contrast in notable ways (different sounds, different coats.) Though they may not have a name for it,
they will conclude that, despite some similarities, this animal is not a cow.

This might prompt the child to turn to a parent or caregiver, who will tell them that it’s a sheep.
Subconsciously, the child will do two things at this point, both of which are components of
accommodation. First, they will adjust their existing cow-recognizing schema to be able to recognize
cows as not sheep. Then they will produce a new schema to recognize sheep by their specific attributes,
and not by the attributes of a cow.

Step 4: Equilibrium

By the end of this accommodation process, the child is equipped with a stable understanding of what a
cow is and is not, as well as what a sheep is and is not. Upon seeing either of these animals, they will not
need to readjust their schema.

That is, unless they encounter new information that causes disequilibrium and the whole process to
begin again. In this way, schema-building is a constant, cyclical and lifelong process. This same process
will allow the child to build and categorize their schemata to include more-complex concepts, such as
how a farm works or the ethics of eating meat, which will (in part) rely upon the recognition schema
they developed when they were young.
Cognitive learning theory in business

It’s easy to see how Piaget’s theories of cognitive development and psychology apply to children, but
they have important applications in the adult world as well.

When creating learning and development programs for new employees, managers can utilize cognitive
learning concepts to produce better outcomes. Some cognitivist-informed strategies might include:

1. Surveying employees about their knowledge of a subject

2. Implementing self-paced programs

3. Providing opportunities for employees to ask questions and communicate with one another

4. Allowing employees to share their thoughts on how the program can be improved

Whether in the form of surveys or Q&A sessions, incorporating employee input can help personalize
training. This input emphasizes the importance of each employee’s individual knowledge, giving them a
pathway to connect what they know to what they have to learn.

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Cognitive learning theory in education

Some students advance very fast. Some need more time on certain subjects. When educators take their
students’ existing knowledge into account, they can better support each student’s individual learning
journey.
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As a learning theory, cognitivism has many applications in the classroom. 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

This approach can not only help students learn, but it can also help them feel respected and listened to.
That can make class exciting and encourage a passion for learning that continues throughout students’
lives.

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