Cognitive Domain

Example and Key Words

Knowledge:

Recall data or information.

Examples: Recite a policy. Quote prices from memory to a customer. Know the safety rules.

Key Words: Describe, define, know, identify, list, label, name, match, recall, outline, recognize, select, reproduce, state.

 

Comprehension:

Understand the interpolation, meaning, and interpretation of instructions and problems. State a problem in one’s own words.

Examples: Explain in one’s own words the steps for performing a complex task. Rewrite the principles of test writing. Translate an equation into a computer spreadsheet.

Key Words: Comprehend, defend, convert, estimate, distinguish, explain, generalize, give examples, extend, infer, paraphrase, interpret, predict, summarize, rewrite, translate.

 

Application:

Use a concept in a new situation or unprompted use of an abstraction. Applies what was learned in the classroom into novel situations in the work place.

Examples: Apply laws of statistics to evaluate the reliability of a written test. Use a manual to calculate an employee’s vacation time.

Key Words: Change, apply, construct, compute, discover, demonstrate, modify, manipulate, predict, operate, produce, prepare, show, relate, use, solve.

 

Analysis:

Separates material or concepts into component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood. Distinguish between facts and inferences.

Examples: Troubleshoot a piece of equipment by using logical deduction. Gathers information from a department and selects the required tasks for training. Recognize logical fallacies in reasoning.

Key Words: Break down, analyze, contrast, compare, deconstruct, diagram, discriminate, differentiate, identify, distinguish, infer, illustrate, relate, outline, separate, select.

 

Synthesis:

Builds a structure or pattern from diverse elements. Put parts together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure.

Examples: Write a company operations or process manual. Integrates training from several sources to solve a problem. Design a machine to perform a specific task. Revises and process to improve the outcome.

Key Words: combine, categorize, compose, compile, devise, create, explain, design, modify, plan, organize, reconstruct, rearrange, reorganize, relate, rewrite, revise, tell, summarize, write.

 

Evaluation:

Make judgments about the value of ideas or materials.

Examples: Select the most effective solution. Explain and justify a new budget. Hire the most qualified candidate.

Key Words: compare, appraise, contrast, conclude, critique, criticize, describe, defend, evaluate, explain, discriminate, justify, interpret, summarize, relate, support.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

The Three Types of Learning

 

There is more than one type of learning. A committee of colleges, led by Benjamin Bloom, identified three domains of educational activities:

 

·         Cognitive: mental skills (Knowledge)

·         Affective: growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude)

·         Psychomotor: manual or physical skills (Skills)

 

Cognitive Domain

The cognitive domain comprises knowledge and the development of intellectual skills. This includes the recall or recognition of specific facts, procedural patterns, and concepts that serve in the development of intellectual abilities and skills. There are six major categories, which are listed in order below, starting from the simplest behavior to the most complex. The categories can be thought of as degrees of difficulties. That is, the first one must be mastered before the next one can take place.

 

Affective Domain

This domain includes the manner in which we deal with things emotionally, such as feelings, values, appreciation, enthusiasms, motivations, and attitudes. The five major categories listed the simplest behavior to the most complex.

 

Psychomotor Domain

The psychomotor domain includes physical movement, coordination, and use of the motor-skill areas. Development of these skills requires practice and is measured in terms of speed, precision, distance, procedures, or techniques in execution. The seven major categories listed the simplest behavior to the most complex.