Cognitive Domain

	The cognitive domain has to do with thought processes, e.g. problem solving
	The affective domain has to do with emphasizing feeling and emotion
	The psychomotor domain is concerned with motor skills

Description of categories in the cognitive domain, with outcome-illustrating verbs:

Knowledge of terminology; specific facts; ways and means of dealing with specifics (conventions, trends and sequences, classifications and categories, criteria, methodology); universals and abstractions in a field (principles and generalizations, theories and structures): Knowledge is (here) defined as the remembering (recalling) of appropriate, previously learned information.

defines; describes; enumerates; identifies; labels; lists; matches; names; reads; records; reproduces; selects; states; views.

Comprehension: Grasping (understanding) the meaning of informational materials.

classifies; cites; converts; describes; discusses; estimates; explains; generalizes; gives examples; makes sense out of; paraphrases; restates (in own words); summarizes; traces; understands.

Application: The use of previously learned information in new and concrete situations to solve problems that have single or best answers.

acts; administers; articulates; assesses; charts; collects; computes; constructs; contributes; controls; determines; develops; discovers; establishes; extends; implements; includes; informs; instructs; operationalizes; participates; predicts; prepares; preserves; produces; projects; provides; relates; reports; shows; solves; teaches; transfers; uses; utilizes./li>

Analysis: The breaking down of informational materials into their component parts, examining (and trying to understand the organizational structure of) such information to develop divergent conclusions by identifying motives or causes, making inferences, and/or finding evidence to support generalizations./li>
- breaks down; correlates; diagrams; differentiates; discriminates; distinguishes; focuses; illustrates; infers; limits; outlines; points out; prioritizes; recognizes; separates; subdivides.
Synthesis: Creatively or divergently applying prior knowledge and skills to produce a new or original whole.

adapts; anticipates; categorizes; collaborates; combines; communicates; compares; compiles; composes; contrasts; creates; designs; devises; expresses; facilitates; formulates; generates; incorporates; individualizes; initiates; integrates; intervenes; models; modifies; negotiates; plans; progresses; rearranges; reconstructs; reinforces; reorganizes; revises; structures; substitutes; validates.

Evaluation: Judging the value of material based on personal values/opinions, resulting in an end product, with a given purpose, without real right or wrong answers.

appraises; compares & contrasts; concludes; criticizes; critiques; decides; defends; interprets; judges; justifies; reframes; supports.

Application of Bloom’s theory of developing higher levels of thought processes to everyday classroom reading:

For any assigned reading selection, develop questions that reflect the progression of thinking and responding from the literal level to the evaluative. Not all levels need to be developed for every selection. Consider a range that will lead the student to the greater purpose of reading.

Each level of Bloom’s original taxonomy has been restated for clarity and simplification. Examples of appropriate questions or directives are given to illustrate each level. The story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears was used for general understanding.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

09 April 2007

Knowledge	*the recall of specific information* Who was Goldilocks? Where did she live? With whom? What did her mother tell her not to do?
Comprehension	*an understanding of what was read* This story was about __________. (Topic) The story tells us ________. (Main Idea) Why didn't her mother want her to go to the forest? What did Goldilocks look like? What kind of girl was she?
Application	*the converting of abstract content to concrete situations* How were the bears like real people? Why did Goldilocks go into the little house? Write a sign that should be placed near the edge of the forest. Draw a picture of what the bears’ house looked like. Draw a map showing Goldilocks’ house, the path in the forest, the bears’ house, etc. Show through action how Goldilocks sat in the chairs, ate the porridge, etc.
Analysis	*the comparison and contrasting of the content with personal experiences* How did each bear react to what Goldilocks did? How would you react? Compare Goldilocks to any friend. Do you know any animals (pets) that act human? When did Goldilocks leave her real world for fantasy? How do you know?
Synthesis	*the organization of thoughts, ideas, and information from the content* List the events of the story in sequence. Point out the importance of time sequence words by asking: What happened after Goldilocks ate the Baby Bear's porridge? What happened before Goldilocks went into the forest? What was the first thing she did when she went into the house? Draw a cartoon or stories about bears. Do they all act like humans? Do you know any other stories about little girls or boys who escaped from danger? Make a puppet out of one of the characters. Using the puppet, act out his/her part in the story. Make a diorama of the bears’ house and the forest
Evaluation	*the judgment and evaluation of characters, actions, outcome, etc., for personal reflection and understanding* Why were the bears angry with Goldilocks? Why was Goldilocks happy to get home? What do you think she learned by going into that house? Do you think she will listen to her mother's warnings in the future? Why? Do parents have more experience and background than their children? Would you have gone into the bears’ house? Why or why not? Do you think this really happened to Goldilocks? Why? Why would a grown-up write this story for children to read? Why has the story of Goldilocks been told to children for many, many years?

1. Knowledge (finding out)
a. Use - records, films, videos, models, events, media, diagrams, books...
b. observed behavior - ask match, discover, locate, observe, listen.

2. Comprehension (understanding)
a. Use - trends, consequences, tables, cartoons....
b. observed behavior - chart, associate, contrast, interpret, compare.

3. Application (making use of the knowledge)
a. use - collection, diary, photographs, sculpture, illustration.
b. observed behavior - list, construct, teach, paint, manipulate, report.

4. Analysis questions (taking apart the known)
a. use - graph, survey, diagram, chart, questionnaire, report....
b. observed behavior - classify, categorize, dissect, advertise, survey.

5. Synthesis (putting things together in another way)
a. use - article, radio show, video, puppet show, inventions, poetry, short story...
b. observed behavior - combine, invent, compose, hypothesize, create, produce, write.

6. Evaluation (judging outcomes)
a. use - letters, group with discussion panel, court trial, survey, self-evaluation, value, allusions...
b. observed behavior - judge, debate, evaluate, editorialize, recommend.

Knowledge: remembering of previously learned material; recall (facts or whole theories); bringing to mind.
Terms: defines, describes, identifies, lists, matches, names.
Comprehension: grasping the meaning of material; interpreting (explaining or summarizing); predicting outcome and effects (estimating future trends).
Terms: convert, defend, distinguish, estimate, explain, generalize, rewrite.
Application: ability to use learned material in a new situation; apply rules, laws, methods, theories.
Terms: changes, computes, demonstrates, operates, shows, uses, solves.
Analysis: breaking down into parts; understanding organization, clarifying, concluding.
Identify parts: See Related Order; Relationships; Clarify.
Terms: distinguishes, diagrams, outlines, relates, breaks down, discriminates, subdivides.
Synthesis: ability to put parts together to form a new whole; unique communication; set of abstract relations.
Terms: combines, compiles, composes, creates, designs, rearranges.
Evaluation: ability to judge value for purpose; base on criteria; support judgment with reason. (No guessing.)
Terms: appraises, criticizes, compares, supports, concludes, discriminates, contrasts, summarizes, explains.

Beginning in 1948, a group of educators undertook the task of classifying education goals and objectives. The intent was to develop a classification system for three domains: the cognitive, the affective, and the psychomotor. Work on the cognitive domain was completed in 1956 and is commonly referred to as Bloom´s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain (Bloom et al., 1956). Others have developed taxonomies for the affective and psychomotor domains.

The major idea of the taxonomy is that what educators want students to know (encompassed in statements of educational objectives) can be arranged in a hierarchy from less to more complex. The taxonomy is presented below with sample verbs and a sample behavior statement for each level.

LEVEL	DEFINITION	SAMPLE VERBS	SAMPLE BEHAVIORS
KNOWLEDGE	Student recalls or recognizes information, ideas, and principles in the approximate form in which they were learned.	Write List Label Name State Define	The student will define the 6 levels of Bloom’s taxonomy of the cognitive domain.
COMPREHENSION	Student translates, comprehends, or interprets information based on prior learning.	Explain Summarize Paraphrase Describe Illustrate	The student will explain the purpose of Bloom’s taxonomy of the cognitive domain.
APPLICATION	Student selects, trans- fers, and uses data and principles to complete a problem or task with a mini- mum of direction.	Use Compute Solve Demonstrate Apply Construct	The student will write an instructional objective for each level of Bloom’s taxonomy.
ANALYSIS	Student distinguishes, classifies, and relates the assumptions, hypotheses, evidence, or structure of a statement or question.	Analyze Categorize Compare Contrast Separate	The student will compare and contrast the cognitive and affective domains.
SYNTHESIS	Student originates, integrates, and combines ideas into a product, plan or proposal that is new to him or her.	Create Design Hypothesize Invent Develop	The student will design a classification scheme for writing educational objectives that combines the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains.
EVALUATION	Student appraises, assesses, or critiques on a basis of specific standards and criteria.	Judge Recommend Critique Justify	The student will judge the effective- ness of writing objectives using Bloom’s taxonomy.

In general, research over the last 40 years has confirmed the taxonomy as a hierarchy with the exception of the last two levels. It is uncertain at this time whether synthesis and evaluation should be reversed (i.e., evaluation is less difficult to accomplish than synthesis) or whether synthesis and evaluation are at the same level of difficulty but use different cognitive processes. Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) revised Bloom’s taxonomy and placed evaluating prior to creating. In my opinion, it is more likely that synthesis/creating and evaluation/evaluating are at the same level. Both depend on analysis as a foundational process. However, synthesis or creating requires rearranging the parts in a new, original way, whereas evaluation or evaluating requires a comparison to a standard with a judgment as to good, better, or best. This is similar to the distinction between creative thinking and critical thinking. Both are valuable, while neither is superior. In fact, when either is omitted during the problem solving process, effectiveness declines (Huitt, 1992).

In any case, it is clear that students can "know" about a topic or subject at different levels. While most teacher-made tests still test at the lower levels of the taxonomy, research has shown that students remember more when they have learned to handle the topic at the higher levels of the taxonomy. This is because more elaboration is required, a principle of learning based on finding from the information processing approach to learning.

Cognitive objective	What students need to do	Links to thinking	Possible question stems
Knowledge	Define Recall Describe Label Identify Match	Students are more likely to retain information if it is needed for a specific task and linked to other relevant information. Do your questions in this area allow students to link aspects of knowledge for the task?	Describe what you see… What is the name for… What is the best one… Where in the book would you find… What are the types of graph? What are we looking for? Where is this set?
Comprehension	Explain Translate Illustrate Summarise Extend	Comprehension questions require the students to process the knowledge they already have in order to answer the question. They demand a higher level of thinking and information processing than do knowledge questions.	How do you think… Why do you think… What might this mean… Explain what a spreadsheet does… What are the key features… Explain your model… What is shown about… What happens when…
Application	Apply to new situations Demonstrate Predict Employ Solve Use	Questions in this area require students to use their existing knowledge and understanding to solve a new problem or to make sense of a new context. They demand more complex thinking. Students are more likely to be able to apply knowledge to a new context if it is not too far removed from the context with which they are familiar.	What shape of graph are you expecting? What do you think will happen?… Why? Where else might this be useful? How can you use a spreadsheet to…? Can you apply what you now know to solve…? What does this suggest to you? How does the writer do this?
Analysis	Analyse Infer Relate Support Break down Differentiate Explore	Analysis questions require students to break down what they know and reassemble it to help them solve a problem. Those questions are linked to more abstract, conceptual thought that is central to the process of enquiry.	Separate… (e.g. fact from opinion) What is the function of… What assumptions are being made… What is the evidence… State the point of view… Make a distinction… What is this really saying? What does this symbolise?
Synthesis	Design Create Compose Reorganise Combine	Synthesis questions demand that students select and combine information from different sources to respond to unfamiliar situations or solve new problems. There is likely to be a great diversity of responses.	Propose an alternative… What conclusion can you draw… How else would you… State a rule… How do the writers differ in their response to …
Evaluation	Assess Evaluate Appraise Defend Justify	Evaluation questions expect students to use their knowledge to form judgements and defend the positions they take up. They demand very complex thinking and reasoning.	Which is more important/moral/logical… What inconsistencies are there in… What errors are there… Why is… valid… How can you defend… Why is the order important? Why does it change?

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