Knowledge acquisition process: how do we learn?

We will learn how we acquire knowledge and the psychological mechanisms that make it possible.

The process of knowledge acquisition is the model by which human beings learn and develop their intelligence.

A process of knowledge construction necessary to develop ourselves as people and acquire tools that allow us to face the challenges we face. that allow us to face the challenges of our society.

What is the purpose of acquiring knowledge?

Every time we receive pieces of information structured in theoretical sets, organized in some way, we are acquiring knowledge.

Information is power, as long as we are able to organize and structure it correctly so that it is useful to us when relating to ourselves and our environment.

According to psychologist Robert Gagné, the main functions of knowledge acquisition are the following:

They serve as a prerequisite for the acquisition of other knowledge. The learning of a certain subject requires that we have some previous knowledge that serves to consolidate and strengthen the new learning.

They are useful for us to manage our daily life in a practical way. Normally, the more educated people and with a higher level of knowledge, usually have a greater facility to solve conflicts and to come out successful in the day to day.

They serve as a vehicle for our thoughts to flow.. Individuals with more knowledge are also usually more capable of reasoning and interpreting reality in a more flexible and pragmatic way.

Phases in the acquisition of knowledge

The acquisition of knowledge is not an easy task and that is why several stages have been identified before knowledge can be considered as consolidated.

Up to 5 necessary phases have been described. They are the following.

1. Identification

In this phase of knowledge acquisition first of all, it must be determined if the problem presented can be solved or not by means of knowledge-based systems; i.e., if the problem can be solved by means of knowledge-based systems. by means of knowledge-based systems; that is, it must not be a problem that can be solved by applying algorithms.

In addition, there must be access to sufficient sources of knowledge to complete the task (experts, specialized bibliography, etc.). And the problem must have an adequate size, which is not impossible to tackle due to its complexity.

2. Conceptualization

In this phase, the basic elements of the problem must be detailed and the relationships between them must be discovered.. It is also a matter of decomposing the problem into subproblems to facilitate its understanding and resolution.

Another necessary element in this phase is to discover the flow of reasoning in solving the problem and to specify when and how the knowledge elements are needed. The final objective is to understand the problem and classify its elements.

3. Formalization

In this phase of knowledge acquisition, the objective is to consider different reasoning schemes that can be used to model the different problem solving needs identified. of identified problems.

The nature of the search space and the type of search to be performed must be understood, through comparisons with different prototypical problem solving mechanisms (classification, data abstraction, temporal reasoning, etc.).

The certainty and completeness of the available information must be analyzed, as well as its reliability or the consistency of the information. The objective is to develop a formal model of the problem with which the expert system can reason.

4. Implementation

In the implementation phase, it is necessary to select or define the most suitable algorithms for problem solving and the data structures for the representation of the problem. and the data structures for knowledge representation. It is a matter of discovering problems and incompleteness that will force to revise some of the previous phases.

5. Test

In this last testing phase, a set of representative solved cases must be chosen and the system operation must be checked. In this phase, errors are uncovered that will allow correcting previous analyses.

Generally, problems will appear due to lack of rules, incompleteness, lack of correctness, and possible errors in the analysis of the pre-established rules.

Piaget's theory of learning

According to Piaget, the organism constructs knowledge from its interaction with the environment. The popular psychologist denied the existence of innate knowledge and defended in his learning theory that people try to know reality through the selection, interpretation and organization of the information we receive.

The acquisition of knowledge, according to Piaget, is achieved through mechanisms of assimilation and accommodation.. The information received would be integrated into the knowledge schemas already constructed in the individual and, in turn, these would be mobilized, modified and undergo a process of accommodation or readjustment.

Assimilation and accommodation

Assimilation and accommodation are two complementary processes of adaptation, postulated by Piagetthrough which the individual internalizes the knowledge of the outside world.

The process of assimilation refers to the way in which an organism deals with a stimulus from the environment in terms of current organization. Mental assimilation is the process by which new information is molded into pre-existing cognitive schemas.

The process of accommodation involves a modification of the current organization in response to the demands of the environment. It is a process by which the individual adjusts to external conditions, that is, internal schemas are modified to accommodate the new information.

Ausubel's meaningful learning

David P. Ausubel was an American psychologist and one of the main promoters of constructivism. Ausubel rejected the Piagetian assumption that we only understand what we discover, since, according to him, we can learn anything.According to him, we can learn anything as long as such learning is meaningful.

Meaningful learning is the process of knowledge acquisition according to which new knowledge or information is related to the cognitive structure of the learner in a non-arbitrary and substantive or non-literal way.

This interaction with the cognitive structure is not produced considering it as a whole, but with relevant aspects present in it, which are called subsumers or anchor ideas.

The presence of inclusive, clear and available ideas, concepts or propositions in the learner's mind is what gives meaning to the new content in interaction with it.

But it is not simply a union of concepts; rather, in this process the new contents acquire meaning for the learner and a transformation of the subsumers of his cognitive structure takes place, which thus become progressively more differentiated, elaborated and stable.

Vygotsky's sociocultural theory

The sociocultural theory of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, one of the foremost theorists of developmental psychology and a precursor of Soviet neuropsychology, focuses on the contributions that society makes to individual development and the acquisition of knowledge.

This theory focuses not only on how adults and peers influence individual learning, but also on how beliefs and beliefs of the individual and his or her peers influence individual learning.but also on how cultural beliefs and attitudes impact the way in which knowledge is instructed and constructed.

According to Vygotski, each culture provides what he called tools of intellectual adaptation, which enable children to use their basic cognitive skills in ways that are sensitive to the cultural environment in which they grow and develop.

One of the most important concepts of his theory is the zone of proximal development.. This concept alludes to the distance between the actual developmental level determined by independent problem solving and the potential developmental level determined by problem solving under the guidance and supervision of an adult or more competent peers.

How does our brain learn?

Cognitive neuroscience warns us, over and over again, that learning by pure repetition and memorization is not the best way for our brain to acquire and consolidate knowledge..

It seems that we do not learn by memorizing, but by experimenting, getting involved and participating with our hands. Several scientific studies have shown that factors such as surprise, novelty, motivation or teamwork are essential factors to promote and encourage learning and the acquisition of knowledge.

Another essential factor when acquiring new knowledge is the emotion and significance of the material to be learned. Learning under the influence of positive emotions and feelings involving passion, lucidity or curiosity increases the chances of the person assimilating the knowledge.

In short, it is a matter of making the person a participant in his or her own learning process, so that learning and acquiring new knowledge can be a part of the learning process.so that learning and acquiring new knowledge is a challenge and not an obligation.

Bibliographical references:

• Pozo, Juan Ignacio. 2006). "Teorías cognitivas del aprendizaje" Morata. Madrid.

• Triglia, Adrián; Regader, Bertrand; García-Allen, Jonathan (2016). Psicológicamente hablando. Paidós.