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Cognitive Theories of Learning

-Gestalt Theory
-Kohlers Theory (Insight) -Field Theory -Discovery Learning -Meaningful Theory -Tolmans Theory

A. Gestalt Theory
-oneness and integrated wholeness

Started by Max Wertheimer in 1902 Regards the human being as a unitary whole. Gestalt theory emerged as a reaction to the behaviorist theories of Pavlov and Watson which focused on mechanical stimulus-response behavior.

Gestalt Principles/Laws of Perceptual Organization


1. Good Continuation (Continuity) states that learners "tend to continue shapes beyond their ending points".

2. Similarity states that things which share visual characteristics such as shape, size, color, texture, value or orientation will be seen as belonging together.

3. Closure incomplete figures tend to be seen as complete. 4. Proximity states that "objects or shapes that are close to one another appear to form groups".

5. Law of Pragnanz developed by Koffka states that of all the possible organizations that could be perceived from a visual stimulus, the one that will most likely to occur is the one that possesses the best, simplest and most stable

B. Kohlers Insight Theory

Kohler proposed the view that insight follows from the characteristics of objects under consideration. His theory suggested that learning could occur by "sudden comprehension" as opposed to gradual understanding. This could occur without reinforcement, and once it occurs, no review, training, or investigation are necessary. Significantly, insight is not necessarily observable by another person.

Process of Insight Learning


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Surveying relevant conditions of the presented stimulus.


Determining the instrumental value of a tool as a means of achieving a goal. Eureka experience,

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3.

Dependent Factors of aha or Insightful Learning


1.

Experience
Intelligence Learning situation Initial efforts Repetition & generalization

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5.

C. Field Theory

Developed by Kurt Lewin a theory that emphasized the importance of individual personalities, interpersonal conflict, and situational variables. Focuses on the psychological field/ life space of an individual. Behavior of an individual at a given moment is the result of existing forces operating simultaneously in his life space

Hall and Lindzey (1978: 386)

Behaviour is a function of the field that exists at the time the behaviour occurs. Analysis begins with the situation as a whole from which are differentiated the component parts The concrete person in a concrete situation can be represented mathematically.

Lewins view on motivation

A person is motivated by psychological tensions produced by the interaction of a psychological self with a psychological environment.
the life space of an individual consists of everything one needs to know about the person in order to understand his behavior in a specific psychological environment at a specified time.

D. Discovery Learning

Developed by Bruner States that learning involves the rearrangement and transformation of material that lead to insight. Involves 3 processes: acquisition, transformation, evaluation.

a. Acquisition -the process of obtaining new information and understanding them better than the previously known. b. Transformation -manipulation of information to remove difficulty or to fit new ones. c. Evaluation -the process of finding out whether the information acquired is appropriately utilized.

Bruners Theory as Applied to Learning


1.

Understanding
Readiness Independence Motivation

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Potential Advantages & Disadvantages


Potential Advantages: -active engagement of the student in the learning process - Fosters curiosity - Enables the development of lifelong learning skills - Personalizes the learning experience - Provides high motivation because students have the opportunity to experiment - Builds on the student's prior knowledge and understanding

Potential Disadvantages: - Confuses the student if no initial framework is available - Inefficient and time consuming - Leads to student frustration

E. Meaningful theory

Developed by David Ausubel,is a psychologist, who advanced a theory which contrasted meaningful learning from rote learning. concerned with how individuals learn large amounts of meaningful material from verbal/textual presentations in a school setting (in contrast to theories developed in the context of laboratory experiments).

What is meaningful learning?

It is the acquisition of new meaning


2 important ideas implies that the materials to be learned are potentially meaningful the acquisition of new meanings refers to the process by which students turn potentially meaningful material into meaningfulness .

A major instructional mechanism proposed by Ausubel is the use of advance organizers:


abstract, general overview of new information before actual learning is expected.

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