Cognitive structure

Basicconcepts

Cognitivestructurereferstopeople’sinternalcodingsystemabouttherealworld.Itisaseriesofinterrelatedandnon-specificcategories,whichareusedbypeopletoperceive,Processingexternalinformationandframeofreferenceforreasoningactivities.Cognitivestructureissimplytheknowledgestructureinstudents'minds.Inabroadsense,thecognitivestructureistheentirecontentandorganizationofstudents'existingideas;inanarrowsense,itistheentirecontentandorganizationofstudents'ideasinaparticularknowledgefieldofasubject.

Inthelearningprocess,theindividual’scognitivestructureisformedthroughassimilation,psychologicallyexpandingandimprovingtheaccumulatedknowledge.Oncethelearner’scognitivestructureisestablished,itwillbecomeanewwayforhimtolearn.Theextremelyimportantenergyorfactorofknowledge.K.Lewin,aGermantopologicalpsychologistoftheGestaltschool,pointedoutinthe1930s:Learningisachangeincognitivestructure,whichismanifestedinthreeways:differentiation,generalizationandreorganization.

Theimportanceofcognitivestructure

PsychologistsJ.PiagetofSwitzerland,JSBrunerandDPAusubeloftheUnitedStatesallemphasizetheimportanceofcognitivestructure,Theyagreedthatlearningcontainsaninternalknowledgeorganizationthatintegratesnewmaterialsornewexperiences,thatis,cognitivestructure.Piagetpointedoutthatthisstructureisexpressedintheformofschema,assimilation,adaptationandbalance.UnderPiaget'sinfluence,BrunerappliedthecognitivestructuretheorytotheAmericanschoolcurriculumreform.Ausubelsystematicallyexplainedthecognitivestructureanditsrelationshipwithclassroomlearning.

Osubelclearlypointedout(1963)thatinthepast,manypsychologiststendedtoprioritizenon-cognitive,mechanicalandmotorlearning,focusingonthecurrentsituationandindividualfactors,suchasworktasks.,Practice,internaldrive,incentivesandreinforcement,etc.,onlearning,buttheimportanceofcognitivestructureisunderestimated.Theinfluenceofpastexperienceoncurrentlearningisgenerallyplacedundertheheadingsofpositiveandnegativetransfer;andthistransferisusuallyexplainedbythedirectinteractionofthestimulusandresponseattributesinthetwolearningtasks.Infact,asfarasclassroomlearningisconcerned,learnersneedtoincorporatenewconceptsandnewinformationintotheexistingcognitivestructure.

Cognitivestructurevariables

Theclarity,stability,generality,inclusiveness,coherenceanddistinguishabilityoftheoriginalcognitivestructurealwaysaffectthenewAcquisitionandmaintenanceoflearning.Ausubelproposedthreemaincognitivestructuralvariablesthataffectmeaningfullearningandtransfer:availability,discernibility,andstability.

1.Theavailabilityofcognitivestructurereferstowhetherthereareappropriatefixedconceptsintheoriginalcognitivestructurethatcanbeusedwhenlearningnewknowledge,thatis,thestudent'soriginalcognitivestructureDoesithaveappropriateconceptsforinteractingwithnewknowledge.Whetherthereareappropriatefixedconceptsinthecognitivestructurecanbeused,thisisthefirstimportantcognitivestructurevariablethataffectsmigration.Conceptsthatplayafixedroleatahigherlevelofabstractioninthecognitivestructurecanprovidethebestrelationshipandfixedpointfornewlearning.Innewlearning,iftherearenoproperandfixedconceptsintheoriginalcognitivestructurethatcanbeusedtoassimilatenewknowledge,thenindividualsoftencanonlyperformmechanicallearning.Inthiscase,newknowledgecannotbeeffectivelyfixedinthecognitivestructure,resultinginunstableandambiguousmeanings,andthereforecannotshowpositivemigration.

AccordingtoAusubel’stheoryofmeaningfullearning,ifstudentshaveavailableknowledgeandexperienceintheiroriginalcognitivestructure,itwillbehelpfulforlearningtransfer.Forexample,ifstudentshavemasteredtheconceptof"bird",iftheywanttolearntheconceptof"parrot",theinteractionbetweentheupperconcept"bird"intheoriginalcognitivestructureandthenewlylearnedlowerconcept"parrot"willdeepenthestudentsUnderstanding.

2.Thedegreetowhichthenewlearningtaskcanbedistinguishedfromtheoriginalconceptsystemisanotherimportantcognitivestructuralvariablethataffectsmeaningfullearningandtransfer.Ifthenewlearningtaskcannotbeclearlydistinguishedfromtheoriginalideasinthestudent'scognitivestructure,thenewmeaningcaneasilybereplacedbytheoriginalmeaning,thusshowingtheforgettingofthenewknowledge.

3.Thestabilityoftheoriginalfixed-functionconceptisthethirdimportantcognitivestructuralvariablethataffectsmeaningfullearningandlong-termretention.Thestabilityofthecognitivestructurereferstothedegreeofconsolidationoftheconceptsthatplayafixedroleinthestudents'originalcognitivestructurewhenlearningnewknowledge.Thestrongerthedegreeofconsolidation,themoreconducivetolearningtransfer.

Inshort,thetheoryofcognitivestructuretransferbelievesthatwhenstudentslearnnewknowledge,thehighertheusability,thegreaterthediscernibility,andthestrongerthestabilityofthecognitivestructure,themoreitwillpromotethelearningofnewknowledge.Migration.Intheactualteachingprocess,theoriginalcognitivestructureofstudentscanbeimprovedbyreformingthecontentofthetextbookandthepresentationofthetextbook,soastoachievethepurposeofpromotinglearningtransfer.Ausubel’scognitivestructuretransfertheoryrepresentsamainstreamtendencytoexplaintransferfromacognitiveperspective.