Learning - Answers - is relatively permanent change in mental processing, emotional functioning,
and behavior as a result of experience.
- enables individuals to adapt to demands and changing circumstances and is
crucial in health
A Learning Theory - Answers is a coherent framework of integrated constructs and principles that
describe, explain, or predict how people learn.
Contribution Of Learning Theories - Answers - Provides information and techniques to guide teaching
and learning
- Can be employed individually or in combination
- Can be applied in a variety of settings as well as for personal growth and
interpersonal relations.
BEHAVIORIST THEORY - Answers - Environmental stimulus conditions, reinforcement promote
changes in responses. - To
change behavior, change the stimulus conditions in the environment and the
reinforcement after a response.
Respondent Conditioning - Answers learning occurs as the organism responds to stimulus
conditions and forms associations.
- A neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus-unconditioned response
connection until the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that elicits the
conditioned response.
NS - Answers Neutral Stimulus - stimulus that does not elicit a response prior to conditioning
UCS - Answers Unconditioned stimulus- stimulus that naturally triggers a response
UCR - Answers unconditioned response - an unlearned, natural response to the UCS
CS - Answers Conditioned Stimulus- previously neutral, now elicits response.
CR - Answers conditioned response - the learned response to a previously neutral response .
Operant Conditioning - Answers -Learning occurs as the organism responds to stimuli in the
environment and is reinforced for making a particular response. A reinforcer is applied
after a response strengthens the probability that the response will be performed again
under similar conditions.
Changing Behavior Using Operant Conditioning - Answers -To increase behavior positive
reinforcement negative reinforcement (escape or
avoidance conditioning)
-To decrease behavior non-reinforcement punishment
Escape Conditioning - Answers As an unpleasant stimulus is being applied, the individual
responds in some way that cause the uncomfortable situation to cease.
Avoidance Conditioning - Answers The unpleasant stimulus is anticipated rather than being
applied directly. Avoidance conditioning has been used to explain some people's
Advantages of Behaviorism - Answers - Highly structured situations
- Skills training in which steps and sequences can be clearly delineated
Disadvantages of Behaviorism - Answers - Instruction is mechanistic
- Minimizes student involvement in learning
- Inappropriate for complex mental processes, problem-solving, and critical thinking
COGNITIVE THEORY - Answers Internal perception and thought processing within a context of human
development
promote learning and change.
- To change behavior, work with the developmental stage and change cognitions, goals,
expectations, equilibrium, and ways of processing information.
- Viewed as a highly active process largely directed by the individual.
- It involves perceiving the information, interpreting it based on what is already known,
and then recognizing the information into new insights or understanding.
Gestalt Perspective - Answers - Perception and the patterning of stimuli (gestalt) are the keys to
learning, with each
learner perceiving, interpreting, and reorganizing experiences in her/his own way. -
Learning occurs through the reorganization of elements to form new insights and
understanding.
, Information-Processing Perspective - Answers - The way individuals perceive, process, store, and
retrieve information from
experiences determines how learning occurs and what is learned.
- Organizing information and making it meaningful aids the attention and storage
process; learning occurs through guidance, feedback, and assessing and correcting
errors.
- Focus on describing the way information is tracked, the sequence of mental
operations, and the results of operations.
Cognitive Development Perspective - Answers Learning depends on the stage of cognitive
functioning, with qualitative, sequential
changes in perception, language, and thought occurring as children and adults interact
with the environment.
- Recognize the developmental stage and provide appropriate experiences to
encourage discovery.
Social Constructivist Perspective - Answers - A person's knowledge may not necessarily reflect reality,
but through collaboration
and negotiation, new understanding is acquired.
- Learning is development. Assimilation, accommodation, & construction are part
of learning.
- An individual's perceptions, beliefs, and social judgments are affected strongly by
social interaction, communication, groups, and the social situation.
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY - Answers External role models and their perceived reinforcement along
with learner's internal
influences.
- To change behavior, utilize effective role models who are perceived to be rewarded,
and work with the social situation and the learner's internal self-regulating mechanisms.
- Social learning theory explains human behavior through observation and imitation. -
The theory states that humans learn socially not just intellectually. This means we learn
from our peers, parents, teachers, coaches, etc., rather than solely from books.
Role modelling - Answers is a central concept of social learning theory. To facilitate learning, role
models need to be enthusiastic, professionally organized, caring and self-confident, as
well as knowledgeable, skilled, and good communicators.
Vicarious Reinforcement - Answers involves determining whether role models are perceived as
reward or punished for their behavior.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES (external) - Answers -stimulus conditions and configuration of
elements
-social and cultural influences
-role models, experts, and guides
-reinforcements
-feedback
LEARNER INFLUENCES (internal) - Answers -developmental stage
-habits
-perception
-thoughts and reasoning
-schema
-ways of processing information
-memory storage
-conscious and unconscious motivation
-self-regulation
-subjective feelings
-self-concept
-expectations
-goals
PSYCHODYNAMIC LEARNING THEORY - Answers - the theory of motivation
- stresses emotions rather than cognition or response.
- emphasizes the importance of conscious and unconscious forces in guiding
behavior, personality conflicts, and the enduring effects of childhood experiences on