Introduction
Cognitive learning is the form of education, which fosters a learner’s ability to use his/her visual, auditory, and touch receptors, helping a brain to process the information faster. Scholars differentiate the concept of cognition from that of conditioning by the number of aspects. The former accentuates attention on the obtainment and use of knowledge, while the latter gives priority to stimulus and response (Morgan, 2016). Many experts view cognition as merely the mental process of perceiving and storing the acquired information, which, in contrast to conditioning, is not emphasized by emotional coloring. In general, the principles of cognitive learning are tracked throughout human activities playing the principal part in discovering and learning new information.
The Role Cognition and Thought Play in Learning
Cognitive learning encompasses a range of abilities, including attention, categorization, self-recognition, behavioral inhibition, and more. This process usually occurs when one receives sensory perception of material through the interaction with images, sounds, or surface characteristics of an object (Rosenthal & Zimmerman, (2014). Each time a person sees, hears, or touches the source of new knowledge, he/she engages in learning. The way individuals classify events and objects that they encounter in everyday life often determines how successful their consumption of new material will be. Cognition serves as the primary factor assisting learners with a given classification.
Another role that the concept plays in learning is helping people to comprehend things that are not materially conceivable. By referring to thoughts and experience, learners can create a pass from an abstract-looking notion to material knowledge (Griffin, Guillette, & Healy, 2015). As an example, one may bring a song or music, which is new to a person listening to it. For him/her to understand the title of a composition, an individual needs to, first of all, process the information perceived by his or her ears.
Differences Between Cognition and Conditioning
According to the opinion of Inhelder, Sinclair, and Bovet (2014), cognition, as the form of learning, is profoundly different from conditioning since one cannot learn by exposing himself/herself to a conditioned stimulus repeatedly. There are frequent occasions when a person needs to process the information before remembering it and storing it as an acquired experience. This activity excludes any conditional factors interfering with the mentioned thinking process. As Paris, Olson, and Stevenson (2017) admit, cognitive theorists, focus more on the content of learning, while stimulus-response practitioners concentrate on the conditions under which this learning occurs. The former are convinced that education should involve associations acquired through the reorganization of sensory-perceptual processes, whereas the latter insist on giving priority to stimulus-response interconnections. In addition, cognitive and conditioning learning approaches consider different variables, with the first paying attention to permanent factors and the second accentuating temporal constituents.
Conclusion
Cognition plays a significant part in learning since it involves individuals in the process of thinking, helps them to classify new information according to knowledge relevance, and assists learners in closing their experience gaps. The concept is different compared to that of conditioning, which refers to temporary variables and brings forward the idea of stimulus-response interdependency and its importance in education. Cognitive learning occurs when an individual receives information through sensory perception employing visual, auditory, or tactile receptors. With regard to this fact, one may conclude that cognition accompanies the vast majority of human activities.
References
Griffin, A. S., Guillette, L. M., & Healy, S. D. (2015). Cognition and personality: An analysis of an emerging field. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 30(4), 207-214.
Inhelder, B., Sinclair, H., & Bovet, M. (2014). Learning and the development of cognition (psychology revivals). London, UK: Psychology Press.
Morgan, D. L. (2016). Essentials of learning and cognition. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
Paris, S. G., Olson, G. M., & Stevenson, H. W. (2017).Learning and motivation in the classroom. London, UK: Routledge.
Rosenthal, T. L., & Zimmerman, B. J. (2014). Social learning and cognition. New York, NY: Academic Press.