Cognitive Theory

Cognitive theory is a psychological approach to understanding how the brain works. Cognitive
theory is grounded in the idea that individuals must first understand a concept before they can
use language to express it. It argues that, in order to understand new concepts, children (or
adults) must develop their cognitive abilities and build their own mental image of the world.

Cognitive Learning Theory :The cognitive theory of language acquisition was first proposed
by the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget in the 1930s. Piaget believed that language learning is
closely linked to the maturation and development of the human brain. He stated that exposure
to the world allows a child's mind to develop, in turn, allowing language to develop.

Characteristics of cognitive learning theory

The main principle of cognitive theory is the idea that children are born with a limited cognitive
ability that must develop over time. As the baby grows into a toddler, then a child, then a
teenager, their cognitive ability also increases due to their life experiences. Cognitive theorists
believe that with the development of cognitive ability comes the development of language.

Cognitive ability = the core skills your brain uses to think, read, learn, remember, reason, and
pay attention.

In 1936, Piaget introduced his cognitive development theory and broke the developmental
process down into four stages:
●​ The Sensorimotor Stage
●​ The Preoperational Stage
●​ The Concrete Operational Stage
●​ The Formal Operational Stage

As children develop from one stage to the next, they expand their knowledge. It is helpful to
think of this process in terms of building blocks. Children develop, or build, a mental image of
their world block by block. Piaget referred to these 'blocks of knowledge' as schemas.
Schemas

Piaget believed that knowledge could not simply emerge from an experience; instead, an
existing structure is necessary to help make sense of the world. He believed that children are
born with a primary mental structure upon which all new knowledge can be built. He suggested
that cognitive mental growth is achieved by integrating simpler concepts of knowledge into
higher-level concepts at each stage of development. Piaget named these concepts of
knowledge schemas.

Ex: A child can build a schema for cats. At first, they will see a singular cat, hear the word 'cat',
and associate the two. However, the term 'cat' will eventually become associated with all cats
over time. While the schema for cats is still in the developmental stages, the child may
accidentally associate all small four-legged furry friends, such as dogs and rabbits, with the
word 'cat'.

Concerning language acquisition, Piaget suggested that children can only use specific linguistic
structures once they have already understood the concepts involved.

example: Piaget argued that a child cannot use the past tense until they have understood the
concept of the past.
The four stages of cognitive development

Sensorimotor stage

At this stage, children will learn predominantly through sensory experiences and manipulating
objects. Piaget suggested that children are born with basic 'action schemas', such as suckling
and gripping, and they use their action schemas to comprehend new information about the
world. In his book The Language and Thought of the Child (1923), he also stated that a child's
language functions in two different ways:

Egocentric - At this stage, children are able to use language but don't necessarily understand
its social function. Language is based on children's own experiences and they
struggle to understand the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of others.
Socialised - Children begin to use language as a tool to communicate with others.

During the sensorimotor stage, children's language is very egocentric and they communicate for
themselves.

Preoperational stage

Children begin to develop symbolic thought and can create an internal representation of the
world via language and mental imagery. This means they are able to talk about things beyond
the 'here and now', such as the past, the future, and others' feelings.

Concrete operational stage

Children begin to think more logically about concrete events and solve problems; however,
thinking is still very literal. According to Piaget, children's language development at this stage
highlights a change in thinking from illogical to logical and egocentric to socialized.
Formal operational stage

The final stage of cognitive development involves increased logical thought and the beginning of
the ability to understand more abstract and theoretical concepts. Teenagers begin to think more
about philosophical, ethical, and political ideas that require a deeper theoretical understanding.

Piaget stated that no stage can be missed out during cognitive development. However, the rate
at which children develop may vary, and some individuals never reach the final stage.

Vygotsky's sociocultural theory

Vygotsky's (1896-1934) sociocultural theory views learning as a social process. He stated that
children develop their cultural values, beliefs and language based on their interactions with
more knowledgeable people (known as the 'more knowledgeable other') such as caregivers. For
Vygotsky, the environment in which children grow up will greatly influence how they think, and
the adults in their lives play a significant role.

Whereas Piaget believed that cognitive development happened in universal stages, Vygotsky
believed that cognitive development varied across cultures and that language plays an
important role in shaping thought.

Information process theory

Information process theory is a cognitive approach to SLA proposed by Barry McLaughlin in

1983. The theory recognizes that learning a new language is an active process that involves
building upon schemas and utilizing specific learning strategies to enhance comprehension and
retain information. The information process approach is often contrasted with the behaviourist
approach, which sees language learning as an unconscious process.

One thing that many learners struggle with when learning a second language is remembering
new vocabulary. Many of us can learn new words, understand them, and successfully use them
in a sentence, but we can never seem to remember them the next day.

McLaughlin (1983) proposes that learning a new language involves moving from a conscious
process to an automatic process via practice.
When first learning a second language, even simple sentences like 'Hello, my name is Bob'
require a lot of conscious effort. After much practice, this sentence should come automatically to
the learner.

Students cannot handle too many new structures (or schemas) that require conscious thought;
their short-term memory cannot handle it. So, it's essential to wait for them to automatize a
structure before giving them new ones.

The inductive approach to teaching grammar is a good example of the cognitive approach in
action. The inductive approach is a learner-led method of teaching grammar that involves
learners detecting, or noticing, patterns and figuring out grammar rules for themselves, rather
than being given the rule.

References
●​ Jean Piaget, The Origins of Intelligence in Children, 1953.
https://www.bxscience.edu/ourpages/auto/2014/11/16/50007779/Piaget%20When%20Th
inking%20Begins10272012_0000.pdf
●​ P Dasen. 'Culture and cognitive development from a Piagetian perspective.' Psychology
and culture. 1994
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334946536_Dasen_P_R_1993_Culture_and_c
ognitive_development_from_a_Piagetian_perspective_In_W_J_Lonner_R_S_Malpass_
Eds_Readings_in_psychology_and_culture_pp_141-150_Boston_Allyn_Bacon
●​ McLaughlin, B., Rossman, T., & McLeod, B. (1983). SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING:
AN INFORMATION‐PROCESSING PERSPECTIVE1. Language Learning, 33(2),
135–158. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1983.tb00532.x