THEORIES OF LEARNING

JN Junnile S. Paat, RN, MHSS

 THEORY
♦  Greek term theoria, beholding a spectacle or
speculation.
♦  a system of ideas based on general principles
intended to explain a phenomenon.
♦  A set of principles on which the practice of an
activity is based
♦  Provides professional autonomy and power by
guiding and directing the practice, education, and
research of the profession.
♦  Model – symbolic presentation of a phenomenon
 LEARNING THEORIES
♦  Consists of concepts and propositions that
explains why people learn and predict under what
circumstances they will learn.
♦  Concept – a word picture or basic idea of a
phenomena that symbolizes reality which may be
abstract or concrete.
♦  Propositions – statement of the relationships
between concepts based on facts
♦  Fact – established and verifiable truth
 LEARNING THEORIES

♦  Behavioral / Stimulus-response

♦  Cognitive

♦  Social
 LEARNING THEORIES

1. Behavioral 2. Cognitive 3. Social

• Watson • Ausubell • Bandura

• Pavlov • Rumelhart
• Skinner • Kohler
• Thorndike • Lewin
• Bruner
 STIMULUS RESPONSE/
BEHAVIORAL THEORIES
♦  Learning by association between stimuli
and responses (central focus) and consider
learning has taken place if there is a change
in behavior.
♦  Stimulus – event an individual is capable of
sensing and perceiving
♦  Response – individual does as a result of
perceiving the stimulus.
 John B. Watson Behaviorism Theory
•  Psychologist at University of Chicago
trained in animal experimentation, to
determine the mental qualities of the
animals.
•  Behavior is more objective than mental
state.
•  Most Behavior is learned by making
an association between a stimulus and
a response.
•  Useful in teaching and caring for
pediatric patients.
 John Watson & Guthrie Contiguity Theory
•  Behavior = muscle movement
•  Behavior is a result of series of reflexes,
and thought & emotions is a result of
behavior that is learned.
•  Contiguity = simultaneous occurrence of
the stimuli and the responses.
Ex.
•  child learn fear of hot stove
= (stimulus-stove + response-touch)
+ response-pain
Who’s Ivan Petrovich Pavlov?

A B
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov
 Ivan P. Pavlov’s
Classical/Respondent Conditioning
♦  Russian Physiologist, work on digestive
secretions (control of salivary and gastric
secretions)
♦  Learner is responding to the environment
♦  2 Kinds of Stimulation
1.  Unlearned/physiologic reflex – food
introduced in the mouth
2.  Learned/ Conditioning – sight of food
Pavlov’s Dog (Classical
Conditioning)
 Ivan P. Pavlov’s
Classical/Respondent Conditioning
Presence of Food Salivation A (UR) Before Conditioning
in Mouth (US)

Presence of Food Salivation A (UR) During Conditioning

in Mouth (US)
+ Musical Tone (CS)

Musical Tone (CS) Salivation B (CR) After Conditioning

US = Unconditioned Stimulus UR =Unconditioned Response

CS = Conditioned Stimulus CS = Conditioned Response
 Ivan P. Pavlov’s
Classical/Respondent Conditioning
1.  Extinction
CS (musical tone) – US ( presence of food in mouth)

CR (Salivation) weakened

Extinct
 Extinction

Occurs when the conditioned stimulus occurs

repeatedly in the absence of the unconditioned
stimulus.

Refers to the process by which conditioned

responses are lost
 Ivan P. Pavlov’s
Classical/Respondent Conditioning
2.  Generalization
CS (musical tone) + US ( presence of food in mouth)
slightly different from usual

Generalize

CR (salivation)
 Generalization

Occurs when a stimulus related to the

conditioned stimulus elicits the conditioned
response all by itself.
 Ivan P. Pavlov’s
Classical/Respondent Conditioning
3.  Discrimination
CS (musical tone) + US ( presence of food in mouth)
varying pitch 1 pitch

Discriminate

CR (Salivation)
 Discrimination

Is the ability to give different responses to

related but not identical stimuli.
 Ivan P. Pavlov’s
Classical/Respondent Conditioning
4.  Spontaneous Recovery
CS (musical tone) + US ( presence of food in mouth)

CR (Salivation)
Extinct

Spontaneous Recovery
 Spontaneous Recovery

Occurs when lost conditioned responses are

recovered through the presence of the
unconditioned stimulus.
 Edward L. Thorndike
Trial and Error Learning/Connectionism

•  Learning occurs through stimulus-

response associations derived from trial
and error.

•  E.g. Cats in a puzzle box with food

outside – length of time to escape
Principles of Connectionism

1. The law of Readiness

States that when a person is prepared to
respond or act, giving the response is
satisfying and being prevented from doing
so is annoying.
Principles of Connectionism
2. The law of Exercise
States that constant repetition of a
response strengthens its connection with
the stimulus and disuse of a response
weakens it.

Knowledge of results must occur before

the behavior can be reinforced.
Principles of Connectionism
3. The law of Effect
States that learning is strengthened if it
results in satisfaction but is weakened if it
leads to annoyance.

behavior which results in success or reward

is more likely to be repeated than a behavior
which does not.
Who’s B.F. Skinner?

A B
B.F. Skinner
 BF Skinner
Operant/Instrumental Conditioning
•  Reinforcement = main factor in learning
•  Learning occurs by acquisition of new behavior
through manipulation of rewards and
punishment.
•  Useful in treatment strategies for the mentally
handicapped and mentally ill.
•  Operates on the environment and the learned
behavior is instrumental in controlling events.
•  Pigeon pecking at the illuminated window =
food pellet (reinforcer)
•  Skinner Box = puzzle box that animal has to
manipulate in order to obtain a reward.
 BF Skinner
Operant/Instrumental Conditioning
4 Principles of Reinforcement
 BF Skinner
Operant/Instrumental Conditioning
♦  Shaping – incorporation of novel
behaviors which are not part of the
animal’s natural response into its
behavioral repertoire, used in training
animals.
Types of Reinforcers
1. Primary – food, drink
2. Secondary – money and prestige
Types of Reinforcers

1. Primary Reinforcers (Food, Drinks)

Types of Reinforcers

2. Secondary Reinforcers (Money and Prestige)

 STIMULUS RESPONSE/
BEHAVIORAL THEORIES
Advantages
♦  Useful in highly structured situations in
classrooms, learning resource centers
♦  Useful for skills training
STIMULUS RESPONSE/
BEHAVIORAL THEORIES
Disadvantages:
♦  Decreases or minimizes student involvement in learning.
♦  Less visible and unobservable processes involved in
complex mental processes (concept formation, problem
solving, critical thinking) are not appropriate
♦  Has application to animal learning but not to the
complex learning of human beings.
♦  Promotes materialistic human beings
♦  Learning may exist without reinforcement.
Educational Implications
♦  When students respond, react to their
behavior as quickly as possible.

♦  Be sure to know exactly what you want

your students to do.

♦  Be aware of the nature and timing of your

reinforcements.
 COGNITIVE LEARNING
THEORIES
♦  Learning is a result of information
processing (mental process) that includes
perception, thinking, knowledge
representation and memory with emphasis
on understanding and acquisition of
knowledge and not merely acquiring new
behavior.
 David Ausubel Assimilation /
Subsumption of Meaningful Verbal Learning
•  Meaningful learning occurs as a result
of interaction between new information
which an individual acquires, and the
relevant cognitive structures he already
possesses.
•  Cognitive structures – a person’s store
of information, overall framework that
incorporates new knowledge,
prerequisite to meaningful learning.
 David Ausubel Assimilation /
Subsumption Theory of Meaningful Verbal
Learning

Approaches to Learning
1. Meaningful – learn in a particular meaningful way,
related logically and can interact with new material.

2.  Rote Learning – learn the material in a word for word

fashion, simple without any real interaction from new
material
David Ausubel Assimilation /
Subsumption Theory of Meaningful Verbal
Learning
Methods to Learning
1.  Reception – passive learning, learner is
presented with the material to be learned
2.  Discovery – active learning, learner must first
discover the material to be learned
Rumelhart Schema Theory
 Rumelhart Schema Theory
♦  All knowledge is packaged into units
called Schemata that helped us to
comprehend events or situations and to
make predictions about unobserved
events.
Schema
♦  An organized pattern of thought or behavior
♦  A structured cluster of pre-conceived ideas
Rumelhart Schema Theory
♦  Modes of Learning
1.  Accretion – learning of facts
2.  Tuning – schema are refined throughout the
life span as new situations are encountered.
3.  Restructuring – development of new
schema
Who’s Wolfgang Kohler?

A B
Wolfgang Kohler
Wolfgang Kohler

♦ German-American psychologist

♦ Köhler gained fame with his

studies on cognitive processing
involved in problem-solving by
animals
 Kohler’s Insight Theory
•  Learning by gaining insight
•  Insight is a gradual process of exploring,
analyzing, and restructuring perceptions
until a solution is arrived at.
Kohler’s Insight Theory
Process of Insight Learning
•  Surveying relevant conditions of the
presented stimulus and seeking their
relationship
•  Determining the “instrumental value”,
as a means of solving a problem
•  Experience “eureka” (aha!)
Who’s Kurt Zadek Lewin?

A B
Kurt Zadek Lewin
 Lewin’s Field Theory
•  Every object exists in a “field of forces” that move,
change, define or give degree of stability, meaning or
substance
•  Interaction of external forces (environment) &
internal forces (self) that acts on the learner.
Jerome S. Brunner’s
Discovery Learning Theory
 Jerome S. Brunner’s
Discovery Learning Theory
♦  Focuses on the problem “What people do
with information”
♦  Learning is a process that involves:
1.  Acquisition = process of obtaining and
assimilating new information
2.  Transformation = manipulation and
utilization of information obtained
3.  Evaluation = finding out whether such
information is appropriately utilized
 COGNITIVE LEARNING
THEORIES
Advantages
♦  Enhance retention of concepts and relationships,
and promote improved problem solving and
critical thinking of students.
♦  Enhance students self-esteem as learner
♦  Learning is more effective and efficient
Disadvantages
♦  Faculty may be unable to relinquish some
control of learners
♦  Require reduction in the amount of content dealt
with in the course
Who’s Albert Bandura?

A B
Albert Bandura
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORIES/
OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING

♦  Acquisition of behavior by means of

modeling.
 Albert Bandura
Social Cognitive Theory
♦  Learning is a result of observation and imitation
♦  Observation & modeling the behavior, attitude &
emotional reaction of others.
♦  Process of Learning
1.  Attention – behavior or value desired has caught the
interest of the learner
2.  Retention – recalls/remembers the behavior or value to
be learned
3.  Motoric reproduction – learner imitates or emulates
newly learned behavior
4.  Reinforcement – learner practices what he has learned