Chapter 6. Cognitive Factors in Learning

Cognitive psychologists see learning in a purposeful way, not in a mechanical way. They believe that people can learn by thinking and looking at other people. Remembering how to get to one place involves a cognitive map, for example you can think of any object in your house like your bed. When someone asks you where it is, you can easily answer by imagining your bedroom or your house. E.C. Tholman did an experiment with rats and concluded that rats had learned even if they were unrewarded. Latent learning is learning that remains hidden until it is needed and observational learning is learning by observing and imitating others behavior which are two kind of learning that involve cognitive factors. Victorious reinforcement is a psychological behavior, which most people do without realizing it. Like children, they learn to eat, drink, speak etc... by looking at their parents or someone else. Modern advertising uses elements of social learning. Kids usually watch murders and acts of violence, that change their way of thinking, in this case in a negative way.