Subsumption Theory

By

David Paul Ausubel

Prepared by:
Trixie Mae Issobelle M. Remoroza, LPT
Tagoloan Community College-COED Faculty
Biography

David Paul Ausubel (1918 – 2008)

• An American psychologist, born in Brooklyn, New
York.
• Did his undergraduate work at the University of
Pennsylvania (pre –med and psychology).
• Graduated from medical school at Middlesex
University.
• Earned a Ph.D in Developmental Psychology at
Columbia University.
• Influenced by the work of Piaget.
Biography

David Paul Ausubel (1918 – 2008)

• His principal interests in psychiatry have been
general psychopathology, ego development, drug
addiction, and forensic psychiatry.
• Served on the faculty at several universities and
retired from academic life in 1973 and began his
practice in psychiatry.
• Published several textbooks in developmental and
educational psychology, and more than 150
articles.
• In 1976, he received the Thorndike Award for
“Distinguished Psychological Contributions to
Education” from the American Psychological
Association.
Introduction
 During meaningful learning, the person “subsumes,” or organizes or incorporates,
new knowledge into old knowledge.
 Subsumption theory suggests that our mind has a way to subsume information in
a hierarchical or categorical manner if the new information is linked/incorporated
with prior knowledge/familiar patterns.
 As a result prior knowledge is given absolute importance.

 Teachers are encouraged to teach prior knowledge first rather than new
information to help information subsume.
 Advance organizers provide concepts and principles to the students directly in an
organized format.
 The strategy of “advance organizers” basically means to classify/ categorize/
arrange (organize) information as you proceed (advance) to the next complex level.
Principles

1 • The most general ideas of a subject

should be presented first and then
progressively differentiated in terms of
detail and specificity.

2 • Instructional materials should attempt to

integrate new material with previously
presented information through
comparisons and cross-referencing of new
and old ideas.
Purpose
• Helps introduce a new lesson, unit, or course.

• Helps summarize major ideas in new lesson or unit.

• Based on student’s prior knowledge.

• Show similarities between old material and new material.

• Allows student to transfer or apply knowledge.

• Provides for structure for new information.

• Helps teach complex material that is similar to information learned

previously.
Diagramatic Representation
The process of meaningful learning

 Ausubel proposed four processes of meaningful

learning:

- Derivative subsumption
- Correlative subsumption
- Superordinate learning
- Combinatorial learning
Derivative Subsumption
New material or relationships can be derived from the existing structure.
Information can be moved in the hierarchy, or linked to other concepts or
information to create new interpretations or meaning.

• Suppose I have acquired a basic concept such as “tree” –

trunk, branches, green leaves, and may have some kind of
fruit.
Exampl • Now, I learn about a kind of tree that I have never learn
before “persimmon tree” – conforms to my previous
e understanding of tree.
• My new knowledge of persimmon trees is attached to my
(Stage 1) concept of tree, without substantially altering that concept in
any way.
• So, I had learned about the persimmon trees through the
process of derivative subsumption.
Correlative Subsumption
 New material is an extension or elaboration of what is already
known.

• Suppose I encounter a new kind of tree that has red

leaves, rather than green.
• In order to accommodate this new information, I have
Exampl to alter or extend my concept of tree to include the
e possibility of red leaves.
• I have learned about this new kind of tree through the
process of correlative subsumption.
(Stage 2) • In a sense, you might say that this is more “valuable”
learning than of derivative subsumption, since it
enriches the higher-level concept.
Superordinate learning
 An individual is able to give a lot of examples of the concept
but does not know the concept itself until it is taught.

• Imagine that I was well acquainted with maples,

oaks, apple trees, etc., but I did not know, until I
Exampl was taught, that these were all examples of
deciduous trees.
e • In this case, I already knew a lot of examples of
(Stage 3) the concept, but I did not know the concept
itself until it was taught to me.
• This is superordinate learning.
Combinatorial learning
The first three learning processes all involve new information that "attaches" to a hierarchy at a level that is either
below or above previously acquired knowledge. Combinatorial learning is different; it describes a process by which
the new idea is derived from another idea that is neither higher nor lower in the hierarchy, but at the same level.

• Now, suppose I learn about how fish eggs are

fertilized.
Exampl • I might relate it to previously acquired
e knowledge about pollination in plants.
• Both of the ideas are different, but it is related to
(Stage 4) the “process of breeding”.
• You could think of this as learning by analogy.
Advance organizer

 Advance organizers are used to relate prior

information to new concepts. 

 They are part of  Ausubel's subsumption theory

that "contends that meaningful learning and
permanent retention of material is a function of
the stability of existing anchoring ideas" (Applin).

 Can be classified : expository or comparative.

Expository teaching
 While presenting new material.
 Use beginning of lesson.
 Presents several encompassing generalizations where detailed
contents will be added later.

• The teacher discuss the process of

Exampl the absorption of water and
e minerals into the plants through
the tap and fibrous root system.
Comparative teaching
 Useful when the knowledge to be presented is new to learner.
 Compares new material with knowledge already known by
emphasizing the similarities between 2 types of material &
showing the information that is to be learnt.
 Ausubel’s teaching approach is deductive in nature.

• A teacher shows the similarities and

Exampl differences among two major root
e system, the tap root and the fibrous root
system.
Deductive Teaching Model
Conclusion

 Ausubel’s theory is concerned with how

individuals learn large amounts of meaningful
material from verbal/ textual (lecture/ books)
presentations in a school setting as opposed to
theories developed based on experimental
settings.
 Therefore, learning is based upon the kinds of
superordinate, representational, and
combinatorial processes that occur during the
presentation of information.
Activity Time!
 Ivie, Stanley D. “Ausubel’s Learning Theory: An Approach to Teaching Higher
Order Thinking Skills,” High School Journal. Oct. 1998: Vol. 82,, i1, p.35.
 Cooper, S. (2009). Theories of Learning in Educational Psychology: David
Ausubel: Meaningful Verbal Learning & Subsumption Theory. Retrieved on
from
http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/constructivism/ausubel.ht
ml
 Goconstructivism, (2007).  David P. Ausubel. Retrieved from
http://goconstructivism.blogspot.com/2007/02/david-p-ausubel.html
 Aziz, A, W. B., Razali, A. B., hasan, L. B. C., & Yunos, Y. A. B. M. (2009).
Cognitive learning theories and its implication on science classroom
teaching. Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/niena17/learning-theory-by-ausubel
 Kearsley, G. (2009). Subsumption Theory (D. Ausubel). Retrieved from
http://tip.psychology.org/ausubel.html