Learning Theories

#Behaviorist Perspective
#Cognitive Perspective
 Behaviorist Perspective
Behaviorism
the theory that human and animal behavior
can be explained in terms of conditioning,
without appeal to thoughts or feelings, and
that psychological disorders are best
treated by altering behavior patterns .
1.Classical Conditioning Ivan Pavlov 1849 – 1936
It is the association of an unconditioned
and conditioned stimulus in such a way
that the conditioned stimulus comes to
elicit the unconditioned response.

John Watson 1878 – 1958

Humans are born with a few
reflexes and the emotional
reactions of love and rage. All
other behavior is learned through
stimulus-response associations
through conditioning.
2.Connectionism (Edward Thorndike 1874 – 1949 )

He believed that all learning

are explained by bonds or
connections that are formed
between stimulus and
response
3 Primary Laws of
Learning
Law of Effect
Law of Exercise
Law of Readiness
Satisfying event following the
response strengthens the
connection between the
stimulus and the behavior,
whereas, an annoying state
weakens the connections.
“Practice makes perfect”. Repetition
of an experience increases the
probability of a correct response.
“annoying or satisfying”
When the person is
prepared to respond or act,
giving the response is
satisfying, while being
prevented from giving the
response becomes
annoying.
3.Operant Conditioning (BF Skinner 1904 - 1990)

Learning occurs when the

consequence of behavior is
manipulated. When a particular
stimulus-response (S-R) pattern
is reinforced (rewarded), the
individual is conditioned to
respond.
Video Presentation Part 1
Reinforcement - is the key element to
explain how and why learning occurs. A
reinforcer is anything that strengthens
the desired response.
Types of Reinforcer
Positive reinforcer – a pleasant
consequence to strengthen behavior
Negative reinforcer – a consequence
that removes one unpleasant
situation, thus strengthens the
behavior.
Extinction or non-reinforcement- responses that
are not reinforced are not likely to be repeated

Schedules of Reinforcement
• Shaping of Behavior
• Behavioral Chaining
• Reinforcement Schedules
• Fixed Interval Schedules
• Variable Interval Schedules
• Fixed Ratio Schedules
• Variable Ratio Schedule
Video Presentation Part 2
 Neo Behaviorism
Is a behavior cannot be fully understood
simply in terms of observable stimuli
and reactions. It has aspects of
behaviorism but it also reaches out to
the cognitive perspective.
 1.Purposive Behaviorism (Edward Tolman)

Referred to as Sign Learning Theory

and is often seen as the link
between behaviorism and cognitive
theory. Learning involves forming
beliefs and obtaining knowledge
about the environment and then
revealing that knowledge through
purposeful and goal-directed
behavior.
 Tolman’s Key Concept

1. Learning is always purposive and goal-directed

2.Cognitive Maps
3. Latent Learning
4.The concept of intervening variable
5.Reinforcement not essential for learning
2. Social Learning Theory (Albert Bandura)

Focuses on the learning that occurs

within a social context. It considers
that people learn from one another
including such concepts as
observational learning, imitation and
modeling.
General Principles of Social Learning Theory
1. People can learn by observing.
2.Learning can occur without a change in
behavior.
3. Cognition plays a role in learning.
4.Social learning theory can be considered a
bridge or a transition between behaviorist
learning theories and cognitive learning
theories.
 Cognitive Factors in Social Learning

1. Learning without performance- similar to latent

learning
2. Cognitive processing during learning – attention is a
critical factor in learning
3. Expectations – people form expectations about the
consequence
4. Reciprocal causation – behavior can influence both
the environment and the person
5. Modeling – live model, symbolic model
 Educational Implications of
Social Learning Theory
Social learning theory has numerous implications for classroom use

1. Students often learn a great deal simply by

observing other people.
2. Describing the consequences of behavior
3. Modeling provides an alternative to shaping for
teaching new behaviors.
4. Teachers and parents must model appropriate
behaviors.
5. Teachers should expose students to a variety of
other models.
Video Presentation 3