Download Institution - Catholic College of Mandeville

Institution: The Catholic College of Mandeville
Programme: Bachelor of Education (Primary)
Course: Introduction to Psychology
Task: Summarizing the theories of learning theorists
Student: Kadiann King
Lecturer: Carline Campbell
Date: February 23, 2016
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the persons who had contributed to the successful
completion of this project. Firstly my facilitator who gave me this project with clear guidelines
on how to put it together then to Mr. Orlando White for assisting me in putting the information
together.
Introduction
This project was done to give readers information on the different learning theorist and their
theories. It is a summary of what learning theories are, there learning theories, those who
postulated them and how it is applicable to the learning process.
Learning theories
Learning can be described as the process by which experience or practice result in
relatively permanent change in behaviour. Morris (1988). Over the years, there have been several
theories explaining how the learning process works. Learning Theorists seek to define how the
different aspects of the mental and psychological, as well as environmental and social elements
contribute to the way humans absorb, process, store, and transfer information. In this paper,
Learning Theories/Theorists and their contribution to the field of Psychology will be highlighted.
According to Hills (2002), the two main values of learning theories are to provide us with
vocabulary and conceptual framework for interpreting the examples of learning that we observe
and suggesting where to look for solutions to practical problems.
Learning theories offer some form of frame work on which educators can build. Categories of
learning theories are Cognitive, Constructivism, Behaviorism, Experientialism – Learning
Experiences and Social Learning theory.
Social Learning – Learning from and with others
Albert Bandura, the originator of the Social Learning theory agrees with the behaviourist
learning theory of classical and operant conditioning. He believed humans learn from their
environment through observation and imitation, which he expressed in his ‘Bobo doll’
experiment Bandura (1961). According to the Social Learning Theory, children often copy the
behaviour of people in their environment, if the results of their behaviour is rewarding, they tend
to continue the behaviour, while if unfavorable, then they’ll more likely to discontinue such
behaviour. It is for this reason why it is necessary to pay close attention to the kinds of
environment children are allowed to be a part of. This takes into consideration the TV programs
they are allowed to watch, as well as the kind of atmosphere created for them in the homes,
churches, schools, among other areas. Bandura’s theory is often seen as the bridge between the
behaviour and cognitive theory, since it includes concepts of memory, attention and external
influences. According to Bandura, “most human behaviour is learnt through observation: one
forms an idea of how new behaviours are, and on later occasions this coded information serves
as a guide for action”. Individuals learn to do something or about the circumstances in which
actions are, or are not appropriate.
This type of learning depends upon a model or subject being copied as well as the resulting
consequences received when new behavior is being reproduced. Matalon, B.A. (1995).
Psychology of Learning
Social learning according to Bandura requires 4 major aspects for effective modelling, these
are;

Attention - which can be increased or decreased based on the different aspects and
conditions of the mental or physical space or both.

Retention – the ability to store information that has been received for future use

Reproduction - the ability to reproduce what had been brought to the attention/what was
learnt.

Motivation – the encouraging factors that would make a learner want to imitate or model
the behaviour of another. Motivating forces might be in the form of incentives, selffulfillment, and social status. Bandura A. (1965)
Behaviourism Learning Theory
The Behaviourism theory was primarily developed by the theorist B.F. Skinner, entails
research from other theorist such as Edward Thorndike, Tolman, Guthrie, and Hull. The term
Behaviourism was coined by John Watson who set forth its initial premises in his seminal article
“Psychology as the behaviourist views it” (1913).
Behaviourism is the theory that human and animals behavior can be explained in terms of
conditioning without appeal to thoughts or feelings and that psychologically, disorders are best
treated by altering behavior patterns.
There are two type of conditioning in behaviourism, these are: Classical Conditioning and
Operant Conditioning ( site Learning_theory_(education) ).

Classical Conditioning was posed by Ian Palvo and it is where stimulus is used to achieve
a desired behavior.
Pavlov proved his theory of classical conditioning when he did his ‘dog & Bell’
experiment, he found that the dog salivated at the sound of the bell as the dog began to
associate the bell with food, concluding that certain behaviours are naturally wired into
humans/animals and does not necessarily have to be taught as it will come naturally.

Operant Conditioning also known as Radical Behaviourism is where behavior is
reinforced through a reward or a punishment. Many changes and developments have
matured through the use of these conditioning.
Experientialism – Learning Experiences
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, Experientialism is described as the
philosophical theory that experience is the source of all knowledge not purely deductive, formal,
or tautological. In other words, this is a method of learning where skills are acquired by doing
things. A major contributor to this theory is David A. Kolb, following the influence of Dewey
and Piaget. The Experiential learning method states that one learns from his/her mistakes,
consequences and achievements. People tend to learn more from experience, however, if it be
traumatic or negative, this can hinder or slow up the learning process, such as in a case where
one is trying to figure out a math problem, getting it wrong after several attempts can often lead
to frustration and disappointment, leading one to avoid the topic altogether, thus, not learning the
topic. The order in which this learning takes place is described as the experiential learning
cycle (Action > Experience > Reflection > Insight) Kolb (1984).
Cognitivist Theory
The earliest challenge to the behaviourists was in a publication by Bode a Gestalt
psychology in 1929. Gestalt psychology was developed in Germany by Wolfgang Kohler in the
early 1900s; it is from this that Cognitive theory came. Cognition speaks to how the mind obtains
processes, stores and reproduces information. In this theory, learners participate actively in the
learning process, and could be compared to the operations of a computer system in that the mind
acts as the processor, processing input received from the senses, which are then stored for
reproduction of further processing at a later time. This theory was made popular by Jean Piaget, a
clinical psychologist. He established four stages through which each human go throughout their
lifetime; Pre Operational , Concrete Operational, Sensory Motor, Formal Operational.
Matalon B.A (1995)
Constructivist theory
Constructivist teaching fosters critical thinking and creates independent learners. The
theory of constructivism is (enwikibook.org/wiki/Foundation_of_constructivism) the way
learning occurs because learners are actively involved in a process of obtaining information in
relation to their own learning rather than passively obtaining it. Learning is based upon the
scheme that each individual experiences and values. It is also based on the perception that
perception is what our mind allows us to learn. Jean Piaget (1896- 1980) along with Dewey and
Lev Vygotsky (1896- 1934) were among the persons in the early part of the 1900’s to form
constructivist learning.
References
Information on constructivism retrieved from
enwikibook.org/wiki/Foundation_of_constructivism
Information on Bandura, Ross and Ross 1961 retrieve from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/bobo-doll.html
Information on behaviourism retrieved from
(http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/behaviourism/Watson.html).
http://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html
Information on Jean Piaget retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html
Information on Psychology of learning retrieved fromMatalon, B.A. (1995 p. 47) – Psychology
of Learning http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html
McLeod, S. A. (2007). Edward Thorndike. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/edwardthorndike.html
Information on behaviourism theory retrieve from ( site Learning_theory_(education) ).