Cognitive Theory

Cognitive refers to an individual’s thoughts, knowledge, interpretations,

understanding, or views, about oneself and his surrounding environment.
Cognitive theory assumes that learning is purely an outcome of the
thinking process. Such process involve perceiving, imaging, thinking,
reasoning, and decision making. This theory assumes that learning is
purely an outcome of the thinking process. It is the act of knowing an
item of information that provides indication how to response to the
expected goals.
This theory is developed by pioneer cognitive theorists Edward Tolman,
who did experiment on rats and found relation between cognitive
environmental indications and goals. Wolgan kohler also contributed for a
recognition of cognitive theory of learning. He did experiment on
chimpanzee where he found that learning is the process of thinking and
analyzing.
Let's say you have a fear of public speaking. According to cognitive theory, your thoughts,
beliefs, and attitudes about public speaking are influencing your emotions and behavior. For
example, you might have thoughts like "I'm going to mess up my speech and embarrass myself
in front of everyone" or "People will judge me if I make a mistake". These negative thoughts can
lead to feelings of anxiety and fear, which can then cause you to avoid public speaking
opportunities.
Cognitive theory suggests that by changing your thinking patterns, you can change your
emotions and behavior. For instance, you might challenge those negative thoughts with more
positive and realistic ones, such as "I've prepared for this speech and I know my topic well" or
"Everyone makes mistakes and it's okay if I do too". By doing so, you can reduce your anxiety
and feel more confident about public speaking, which can then lead to a change in behavior
(e.g., accepting more public speaking opportunities).
Overall, this example illustrates how cognitive theory can be applied to real-life situations to
understand and address mental processes that influence behavior and emotions.
 Edward TOlman’s Experiment
In the Tolman maze study, Tolman used rats to investigate their cognitive processes and how
they navigate through a maze. He believed that rats do not simply learn through trial and error
but also have an internal cognitive map of the maze.
Tolman designed a maze with different paths and rewards, where rats had to learn to navigate
to a goal location to receive a food reward. He then tested the rats' ability to navigate the
maze under different conditions, such as removing the reward or blocking certain paths.
Through his experiments, Tolman found that rats were able to form a cognitive map of the
maze and could navigate to the goal location even when the reward was removed or the path
was blocked. This showed that rats used cognitive processes and not just trial and error to
navigate through the maze.
Tolman's research was groundbreaking in the field of psychology as it challenged the
traditional behaviorist view of learning and emphasized the importance of cognitive processes
in learning and behavior.
 Wolfgang Kohler
Experiment
One of Kohler's most famous experiments involved placing a banana outside of a caged area
where a chimpanzee named Sultan was located. Inside Sultan's cage, Kohler placed several
sticks of different lengths. At first, Sultan tried to reach the banana by using the longest stick,
but it was not long enough to reach the fruit. After a period of trial and error, Sultan suddenly
stopped and appeared to think for a moment. Then he took two of the shorter sticks, put
them together, and used this improvised tool to reach the banana outside of the cage.
Kohler's interpretation of this experiment was that the chimpanzee had used insight or
sudden realization to solve the problem. He argued that the chimpanzee had not learned
through trial and error, but instead had suddenly understood the relationship between the
sticks and the banana.
Kohler's experiments on insight learning challenged the behaviorist view that all learning
occurs through trial and error, and suggested that higher cognitive processes such as
problem-solving and insight were involved in learning. These findings contributed to the
development of cognitive psychology as a field of study.
.

Social Learning Theory

Social learning theory is a psychological perspective that emphasizes the importance of
observing and modeling the behavior, attitudes, and values of others as a way of learning.
This theory was developed by Albert Bandura in the mid-20th century and has been widely
influential in the field of psychology.
According to social learning theory, people learn through a process of observation,
imitation, and reinforcement. Bandura argued that individuals learn not only from their
own experiences but also by observing the behavior of others and the consequences that
result from those behaviors.
Social learning theory suggests that the modeling process involves four key components:
attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. Attention refers to the individual's
ability to focus on the observed behavior; retention involves storing the observed behavior
in memory; reproduction involves the individual's ability to perform the behavior; and
motivation involves the desire to perform the behavior based on the perceived rewards or
punishments associated with it.
Example of Social learning Theory
Example of social learning theory is a child learning how to tie their
shoes by watching their parent or teacher demonstrate the process.
The child pays attention to the behavior being modeled, retains the
information in memory, reproduces the behavior by trying to tie their
own shoes, and is motivated to continue practicing based on the
perceived rewards, such as being able to wear their favorite shoes
without assistance. This process of learning through observation,
imitation, and reinforcement is a basic example of social learning
theory in action.
 Albert Bandura
Experiment
In the Bobo doll experiment, Bandura and his colleagues observed the behavior of
young children who had watched a video of an adult model aggressively attacking a
Bobo doll, a large inflatable doll designed to bounce back when punched. The
children were then placed in a room with the same Bobo doll and other toys.
The study found that the children who had watched the aggressive video were
much more likely to imitate the aggressive behavior towards the Bobo doll than
those who had not watched the video. Bandura concluded that children learn
through observation and modeling, and that exposure to aggressive behavior in the
media could lead to aggressive behavior in children.
Bandura's Bobo doll experiment was significant because it provided evidence for
the social learning theory and demonstrated the influence of media violence on
children's behavior. The findings of the study had important implications for the
regulation of media content and the importance of positive role models in shaping
behavior.
Process of Social Learning
• Attention
• Retention
• Reproduction
• Reinforcement