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Cognitive theory is the theory which states that a viewer actively arrives at a conclusion through a series of many mental processes.
The series of mental processes involved in cognitive theory are memory, projection, expectation, selectivity, habituation, and salience.
Memory is when images are interpreted by the viewer's recall of all images ever seen.
EXAMPLE
There are numerous types of parrots. Throughout your life, you have likely seen many macaws in zoos, botanical gardens, and pet stores, as well as on television and in movies. When you read the word parrot or macaw, or hear those words mentioned in a conversation, your mind will recall an image from the assortment of memories gathered by all your visual impressions over the span of your life. While you may envision a rainbow-colored bird, your memory may also represent macaws as green, gold and blue, or another variant of the species. The image recalled first is the one representative of your collective memories.Memory is also used by the brain for fast recognition. Imagine that you are walking in a forest. You are surrounded by hundreds of trees, with millions of leaves. You casually look around as you walk down a path. Your brain cannot process all of the colors and textures from every tree around you without overstimulation. Instead, your brain concentrates on the images you directly observe, while filling in the gaps of the trees’ colors and textures from your recent memory. The brain recognizes that there are various combinations of textures and patterns and largely tunes them out unless focus is placed directly on a specific element. This is why camouflage is effectively used in nature and by soldiers and hunters alike. The brain passively engages with the environment, expecting a repetition of patterns, and when a person or animal replicates those patterns, they are easily overlooked.
Projection is when the viewer projects meaning based on mental state and personal interpretation.
EXAMPLE
Every day a boy is bullied by a teenager with blonde hair wearing a blue jacket. The teenager teases the boy, steals his lunch money, and finds ways to humiliate the younger child. This goes on for several months, leaving the boy with negative memories from the experience. Many years later, the boy has grown up and is now an executive at a large company. One day, he interviews a young man for a job. The job applicant is smart and qualified, but he has blonde hair, wears a blue suit to the interview, and looks like the teenage bully from the man’s childhood. The man instantly decides that he doesn’t like the candidate and passes him over for the job. This is a case of projection because the man projected his anger and negative feelings from an unrelated event onto a person with no connection to the experiences in his youth, simply because his clothes and appearance reminded him of a childhood trauma.Projection does not have to be negative. Positive experiences associated with visual stimuli also trigger reactions.
EXAMPLE
Imagine a couple on their first date. The man is wearing a black jacket, and the woman has on a red coat. They have coffee at a diner and spend the whole night talking, sparking a deep connection. The couple gets married and builds a family. Many years later, the man has grown old and is eating breakfast alone in the same diner. A young couple walks in. The woman is wearing a red coat, and the young man has on a black jacket. The old man remembers the night he met his wife and decides to pick up the tab for the young couple’s meal. In this case, his memories bring up a positive emotional response that is projected onto the couple.Expectation is when the viewer has preconceived notions sometimes leading to false perceptions.
EXAMPLE
Say you recently started dating someone, and you've been enjoying spending time with that person. Valentine's Day comes around, and you are excited to make a big production out of the day. But when you actually go through with this, the other person doesn't respond as positively as you expected. This becomes an awkward situation because you've set up certain expectations that weren't met.Expectation through visual impressions happens when a decision is made based on an appearance or design. Imagine going to a theme park. Inside the park there is a ride called “The Silly Fun Farm.” People dressed up in fluffy bunny costumes greet visitors in front of the attraction, taking pictures with park guests and hugging children. Happy music is played as visitors enter the ride. The expectation is that “The Silly Fun Farm” is a family-friendly ride that is safe for small children. If the ride meets the expectation established by its design, then park visitors will feel like they’ve been given the experience that they anticipated, and therefore are satisfied. What if “The Silly Fun Farm” turns out to be a high-speed roller coaster or a dark ride full of scares? Parents with small children will be angry because the expectation of safe family fun is not fulfilled.
Selectivity is when the viewer filters out irrelevant details and only focuses on what is relevant at the time.
EXAMPLE
You’re running late to class, and all you can think about is time. You're going to filter out everything and start looking at your watch or pull out your cell phone. Eventually, you decide that you don't even want to look at the time anymore because you're so nervous. Then, you start noticing clocks. There are clocks on the sides of buildings, there are clocks on top of buildings, and when you make it to where you need to be, there are even clocks in the rooms.Habituation is when the viewer ignores the familiar to protect from overstimulation.
EXAMPLE
You live in a large city and commute to work through heavy traffic. Each morning you barely get to the office on time because of the driving conditions. You spend an hour in gridlock on your way home, listening to the honking of car horns, the sound of sirens in the distance, and people randomly yelling at each other from their car windows. You drive the same route every day for 3 years. One evening you come home, kick of your shoes, and realize that you don’t remember driving home. This is because your brain has tuned out the stressful drive, ignoring the familiar annoyances to prevent overstimulation.Salience is when the viewer notices that which has meaning to them.
EXAMPLE
You’re out to dinner at a restaurant, and very hungry. You notice that everyone has food but you. You want to have a steak, and you see the waitstaff delivering prime ribs and T-bones to the tables around you. You hear the waitstaff taking orders for medium rare and well-done cuts of meat. You smell the steaks grilling in the kitchen. You hear the cooks ringing bells and calling out orders.Salience is not always caused by a desire for something. Salience may be inspired by a need for sameness or by missing something that is no longer there. Perhaps you purchased a new car. When you drive into the parking lot of a grocery store, you notice other cars like yours. First, you see cars of the same make and model, then you notice cars produced in the same year or the same color. What if you sold your old car to buy a new one? Missing something, especially if there is some sentimental or emotional attachment, will spark salience, causing you to see things that are familiar to what was lost. In this case, you recognize vehicles similar to the one you no longer have.
Source: THIS TUTORIAL WAS AUTHORED BY MARIO E. HERNANDEZ FOR SOPHIA LEARNING. PLEASE SEE OUR TERMS OF USE.
