Unlike the behaviorist learning perspectives that are focused on stimulus-response outcomes and the constructivist perspectives that affirm the mind constructs its own reality, cognitivist learning perspectives indicate knowledge acquisition is not relevant unless the information is learned and understood in a meaningful way. The world and reality are interpreted, negotiated, and agreed upon through experience and reason.
Cognitivist principles feature the learner as a proactive participant in the learning process.
The interpretistic problems associated with behavioral perspectives and language shifted the focus away from stimulus-response learning and toward learner processing. The cognitivist perspective also derived momentum from the birth of computers after World War II, which provided a means to metaphorically conceptualize human cognition. Another factor in the cognitivist perspective revolution was the influence of Gestalt psychology. Gestalt psychologists were interested in constructive aspects of thinking and how these processes had direct relevance to perception, problem solving, and learning. Components of Human Information Processing Human information processing, propelled by the birth of computers after World War II, provided a framework for how the human mind processed information, generated cognitive structures to be stored in memory, or translated into behaviors such as understanding, speaking language, and solving problems.