Cognitive and Behavioral Theories

Behaviourists believe that learning is a change in behaviour, when the learner is born the mind is tabula rasa (a clean slate) and behaviour is shaped by positive or negative reinforcement, learning is controlled by the teacher who supplies stimulus and reinforcement, so from a behaviourist perspective behaviour can only be learned and each action has to be learned in isolation. Cognitive theorist believe that learning is the ability to process information so they can cope with their surrounding environment, they also believe that there is an internal need to make sense of conflicting observation and that learning is a change in thinking or stored knowledge. Behaviourist set up a situation where the behaviour is likely to occur naturally an only allow for there to be a limited number of responses and wait for the learner to pick the desired answer by choice or process of elimination and then they will be reinforced for choosing the correct answer, whereas the cognitive theorist believe in encouraging accommodation (learning information by placing it in a cognitive structure) and assimilation (forming or changing cognitive structures to hold

The last stage of Piaget’s cognitive development is known as the Formal Operational Stage, which occurs between the ages of eleven and sixteen. Adolescents have now gained the ability to think in an abstract matter, and can now understand things such as science and algebra. The most distinct difference between the

The teacher could place two cups that have the same amount of liquid in the cups but because one of the cups is taller than the other the child is going to think the taller glass has more liquid in it. The third stage is the concrete operational stage which occurs during ages seven to eleven. The term concrete operational means the child can reason only about tangible objects presents. So the child can conserve and think logically but only with practical aids. Thinking becomes less egocentric with increased awareness of external events. The fourth and final stage is the formal operational stage which occurs during ages eleven to fifteen. This stage focuses on hypothetical thinking and scientific reasoning. Piaget believed that only children can learn when they are ‘ready’ to learn. He also believed that development couldn 't be ‘sped up.’ Piaget believed that children learned through the resolution of disequilibrium (self discovery, active participation). He believed that teachers should ‘bend’ to children’s needs, provide an appropriate environment, promote self discovery, exploratory learning, self-motivated learning, and set challenges to existing schemes.

In life, humanity is on a journey much like walking through a forest full of trees that requires consistent observation while navigating the path traveled. Remaining on course is a very important part of arriving at the destination of achievement and success. There is no way to have complete certainty of always arriving on time, as all the variables come into the picture of that journey which psychology also does in relation to the mind. The psychodynamic theory in comparison to the cognitive behavior theory is somewhat well viewed in focus of examining the mental process of what one does based upon what one has thought of doing. To consider the contrast of

Cognitive Psychology draws the comparison between the human mind and a computer, suggesting that we like the computer process the information we acquire from around us and then react accordingly. Hearnshaw, (1987), claims that Cognitive Psychology is both one of the oldest and also one of the newest parts of Psychology, cited in ?T. Malim?, (1994). Information is collected through our senses i.e. vision, touch, smell etc and then processed through our

Piaget’s theory was introduced by Jean Piaget who established four periods of cognitive development. The four stages are; Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal operational. The sensorimotor is the first stage and begins when the child is born and proceeds until the age of two years. The second stage is the preoperational stage and begins with the child is two years old and continues until the child reaches six years of age. The concrete stage is the third stage and begins when the child is six years old and proceeds until the age of 11 years old. The formal operational stage is the fourth stage and

Children develop cognition through two main stages that Jean Piaget theorized. The stages run from birth and infancy to school age children. Sensorimotor is the first stage and goes from birth to about the age of two. This stage implies that the children learn about the environment they live in and they learn this through the reflexes and movements they produce. They also learn that they are separate people from their parents and they can say goodbye to them and know they will come back. The second stage is called the preoperational stage. During this stage of development, children will learn how to incorporate symbols to represent objects. This is also the beginning of learning the alphabet and speech. The child is still very much egocentric at this point in time, but with the help of understanding educators, the child will grow appropriately onto the next stages of development. Finally, the children need to develop emotionally/socially.

In this class we’ve learned that both Behavior Theory and Cognitive Behavior Theory both help explain human behavior through an A-B-C model or method. What are the A-B-Cs of Cognitive Behavior Theory?

Cognitive theorists are interested in development of mind as well as its functions. It is the study of mental processes that affects behavior.

Cognitive-behavioral theories theorize that human behavior is caused by internal or mental events, and in addition to external events proposed by behavioral theories. Research suggests that cognitive-behavioral theories have shifted their focus, as seen in the first, second, and third waves of the theories. For example, initially the focus of cognitive theories was on identifying and changing maladaptive thoughts. However, recent models of cognitive theories seek to help people evaluate, and change their thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions. In addition, these newer models of cognitive-behavioral theories seek to help clients understand the interactional nature of their thoughts and behaviors (Jones & Butman, 2012). Conversely, at the core of cognitive-behavioral theories is the assumption that human behavior is affected by cognitive activities. In addition, cognitive-behavioral therapists theorize that human behavior can be monitored and altered, and also human behavior can be changed through rational change (Hersen & Gross, 2008).

Jean Piaget is one of the pioneers to child development, he was an important factor in the growth, development and one of the most exciting research theorists in child development. A major force in child psychology, he studied both thought processes and how they change with age. He believed that children think in fundamentally different ways from adults.. Piaget’s belief is that all species inherit the basic tendency to organize their lives and adapt to the world that’s around them, no matter the age. Children develop schemas as a general way of thinking or interacting with ideas and objects in the environment. Children create and develop new schemas as they grow and experience new things. Piaget has identified four major stages of cognitive development which are: sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operations, and formal operations. According to the text here are brief descriptions of each of Piaget’s stages:

Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral theories are similar yet different based on the individual’s needs and what they may need. Behavioral Theory is a learned behavior that once something is learned it cannot be unlearned. Cognitive Behavioral theory looks at the feeling, thinking, and knowledge towards a situation. It sets goals and agendas to see the goals through. Here are some of the major principals for both Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (Okun, 2009). Behavioral Theory states that people have no free will. What they learned is not a choice it is caused by the environment in which they are in and forces or shapes which they feel and believe. Cognitive Behavioral Theory is considered free will. People have the option and are not forced into what they feel. Neurosis which is a mental

For this paper I will be exploring Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Swiss Psychologist Jean Piaget, theorized that children progress through four key stages of cognitive development that change their understanding of the world. By observing his own children, Piaget came up with four different stages of intellectual development that included: the sensorimotor stage, which starts from birth to age two; the preoperational stage, starts from age two to about age seven; the concrete operational stage, starts from age seven to eleven; and final stage, the formal operational stage, which begins in adolescence and continues into adulthood. In this paper I will only be focusing on the

In the sensorimotor stage the child discovers the environment through physical actions such as sucking, grabbing, shaking and pushing. During these first two years of life children realize objects still exist, even if it is out of view. This concept is known as object permanence. Children in the preoperational stage develop language skills, but may only grasp an idea with repeated exposure. As Piaget describes in the next stage, children draw on knowledge that is based on real life situations to provide more logical explanations and predictions. Lastly, in the formal operational stage children use higher levels of thinking and present abstract ideas.

Cognitive psychology began emerging in the 1950’s. As highlighted by Kraiger and Salas (1993), this was partially as a response to behaviorism. Critics noted that behaviorism failed to explain how some internal development processes impacted behavior. Cognitive psychology focuses on how individuals acquire process and in the long run store information. Currently, cognitive psychology concentrates on few key human characteristics which include: