Very influential in current AI, e.g. in the Russell and Norvig text. Of course, it could turn out that what I think is a cognitive wheel is really what the brain does. A cognitive leg is a biologically natural system that is hard to computerize. Skate to where the puck is going, not to where it's been. Why learning is important to cognitive modelling People learn new concepts, rules, and tasks.
People incrementally improve their ability to solve problems.
People aren't easily programmed - they have to learn to do things themselves. New concepts, e.g. forward chaining, inheritance. New rules, e.g. schemas are powerful but inflexible. New skills, e.g. how to write a LISP program. New patterns, e.g. LISP programming types.