Cognitive Learning

3 Pages 710 Words

They say that learning is a life-long process. True. But as this process gets developed after birth, what do we contribute our learning to more: a change in behavior or a change in the way we think and analyze information? The question can be debated and will be discussed in this paper.
The two theories in question are the Social Learning Theory and the Cognitive Theory. Social Learning is based upon the belief that “learning occurs when an observer’s behavior changes after viewing the behavior of a model” (Bandura, 1986). This learned behavior could be either positive or negative. Cognitive Learning is founded on the belief that “children must continually reconstruct their own understanding of phenomena through active reflection on objects and events till they eventually achieve an adult perspective” (Piaget, 1952). In other words, children must continually ‘update’ their minds and learn facts to construct concrete results or learned material.
While I disagree that behavior needs to change in order to have learning take place, I do think that those who change a negative behavior into a positive behavior as a result of observed learning is quite possible and absolutely beneficial. In fact, “behaviorism provided the dominating theoretical basis of curriculum development and educational technology during the 1960’s” (Gilliani, 2004). My parents were brought up and went to school during the 1960’s. One cannot refute the theory when it was the central argument on how to teach the youth of today during that time frame. I believe, however, that while it was the predominant theory then, it must take a back seat to the cognitive theory of learning.
An example of why behavioral theory may not be the ‘correct’ theory is because of the many students I have taught that don’t model themselves after their teachers. Teachers are often trying to modify behaviors in the classroom. It is quite possible ...