Cognitive Theory
So far cognitive Theory is by far my favorite approach to learning. Behaviorism and Social Learning Theories have their perks, but both are far too simplistic to really explain how a human being learns.
One of the main attributes of Cognitive Theory is that it gives detailed description of memory. The theory breaks memory down into two basic parts. 1. Memory Storage 2. Memory Retrieval. Both are important for learning. In order for memory storage to occur several things must happen. The subject must be aware of a stimulus, perceive the information and interact with it in some way. This theory explains why so few of our experiences make it into our long-term memory. We simply do not give enough attention to them. It also explains why people learn in different ways. The key point is that you must interact with the information in some way. Interaction does not simply mean picking up the information and playing with it. It means that the information has to have an affect on you. What affects different people, and to what degree, is highly individualized. This is why different people are classified as audio or visual or kinestetic learners. A sound may have a lasting impact on one person and be completely innocuous to another.
The are many interesting facets to long-term memory retrival but I will highlight the most interesting, namely, interference. Interference is believed to be the most common reason for forgetting and there are two main types. 1. Proactive interference occurs when old information blocks the retrieval of new information. For example, your address may have recently changed and you keep putting your old address on forms. 2. Retroactive interference occurs when new information blocks the retrieval of old information.
As you can see, Cognitive Theory, at least in my opinion, gives a much more robust explanation of the phenomenon of human learning.
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