Today the idea that knowing or learning something consists of a process in which we receive information from the outside, process it and finally interpret it in such a way that we end up having knowledge of the element in question may seem logical and common.
This idea indicates that the individual who knows participates in the process of knowing, molding and interpreting reality in a direct way. However, this consideration has not always existed, there being multiple theories and ways of conceptualizing reality that linked the fact of knowing with the exact transfer of objective reality to our consciousness, with the person being a passive element between reality and cognition. or that although there is an intermediate step, this is an indecipherable element.
Theories that affirm that the fact of knowing and learning are mediated by a series of internal cognitive processes, manipulating the symbolic elements that we perceive in order to provide meaning to reality are the so-called cognitivist theories, one of the first being Jerome Bruner’s cognitive theory
Bruner’s cognitive theory: active subject and categorization theory
For Jerome Bruner and for the rest of the cognitivist theories, one of the main elements when it comes to knowing is the active participation of the learning subject. That is to say, It is not about the individual simply taking information from the outside, but for it to be transformed into knowledge it must be processed worked on and given meaning by the subject.
According to Bruner’s cognitive theory, in the process of knowing and learning, human beings try to categorize events and elements of reality into sets of equivalent items. Thus, we experience experiences and perceived reality by creating concepts from the discrimination of different stimuli.
In this process, called categorization, the information received from outside is actively worked on, being coded and classified with a series of labels or categories in order to enable the understanding of reality. This categorization allows the formation of concepts and the ability to make predictions and make decisions. It is an explanatory model greatly influenced by computer science which was based on the operation of computers of the time.
From Bruner’s cognitive perspectivefrom categorization we are able to generate knowledge These categorizations will not always remain stable and closed, but will vary based on life experience, modifying and expanding. When faced with a reality to categorize, the individual can establish two types of processes, Concept Formation or what is known as Concept Attainment.
Concept Training
This process is typical of initial stages of development. The subject proceeds to learn a concept or category, generating by itself the information to classify in the category created by him/her. Common patterns are recognized in various units of information and are unified in certain concepts.
Concept Attainment
The second type of process that can be carried out is the identification of properties that allow the stimulus to be registered in an already existing category, created by others. The subject infers the main attributes of the category that has been formed, comparing and contrasting examples that contain the main attributes of the category with other elements that do not have them. In other words, this process allows the creation of inclusion and exclusion criteria within a category.
Modes of representation of reality according to Bruner’s cognitive theory
Based on what has been said so far, It can be deduced that for Bruner, learning is active the individual having a cognitive structure based on the association with prior knowledge that allows him to build knowledge and make inferences.
The representation of reality that is carried out through cognition can be acquired in three ways or modes, used at different evolutionary moments of development due to the need for sufficient cognitive resources as they become more complicated. These modes of representation are not mutually exclusive, and several can be applied at the same time to facilitate learning.
In this mode, Knowledge is acquired through action and direct interaction with the element to be known This modality for representing reality is typical of initial stages of development, that is, in the first years of life. It is the type of representation that is obtained with procedural learning, such as learning to ride a car or a bicycle, or to use cutlery to eat.
iconic representation
It is known through the iconic mode when recognizable and not very symbolic visual elements are used, like a photograph or drawing. It is from the age of three that most boys and girls are able to use this type of representation, due to their higher level of development.
symbolic representation
Knowing from a symbolic way implies that information is obtained through symbols, such as words, concepts, abstractions and written language. The level of intellectual development necessary for this type of representation is much higher than the previous ones, since it requires having the capacity for abstraction and recognition of symbols and their meaning. It is considered that this type of representation has emerged around six years of age in the majority of boys and girls.
Applications of cognitive theory in education
Learning is the means through which human beings and other organisms acquire information and knowledge about the environment. For this reasonBruner’s cognitive theory has served and in fact has largely focused on promoting learning processes and development from childhood, although its perspective becomes constructivist.
For Bruner, education consists of the inculcation of skills and knowledge through the representation of what is already known and what is intended to be known, seeking to enable the individual to generalize knowledge, taking into account the particularities of each knowledge.
The concept of scaffolding
Another of the fundamental concepts in Bruner’s theory, in this case from a constructivist conception, is the concept of scaffolding. For Bruner, The learning or process through which we obtain knowledge must be facilitated through the provision of external aid The individual is not the only source of learning, but facilities can be created from outside so that they “fit” into the learning level of the other person and, thus, improve the quality and speed of education.
These aids must be granted in a graduated manner, providing a high level of help at the beginning or in the presence of great difficulties so that over time and with progressive mastery on the part of the apprentice, these are withdrawn, giving each time greater autonomy to the individual.
The metaphor of a scaffold used to construct a building is evident, referring to this process of adaptation and transitory aids as scaffolding.
Importance of values, needs and expectations
Knowledge and even perception of phenomena have been shown to be largely dependent on needs, beliefs and expectations. Seeing how results do not fit with expectations that are too high can cause frustration to stop learning, while expectations that are too low can hinder learning and prevent potential progress.
An example of the importance of expectations is visible in some experiments, in which, for example, subjects with a low economic level are able to perceive coins as larger due to the greater value they give them.
Giving meaning: working with what is already known
It is also essential to know that new knowledge is based on old knowledge, on what the person already knows, in order to be able to build and modify new information based on it.
This allows the subject to give meaning to the new information being able to know not only decontextualized information but also other cognitions that you can use in your daily life.
In search of discovery learning
As stipulated in his cognitive theory, For Bruner, the subject is an active entity in learning and the process of knowing, which is not limited to recording information from outside but has to operate with it in order to convert it into knowledge. In this sense, he considers that traditional school learning has been based too much on a process of acquiring decontextualized information.
In opposition to this, it proposes learning by discovery, in which the subject learns and is stimulated to know through curiosity, motivation and self-learning, with the teacher being a guide for this.
