...Running Head: LEARNING THEORIES Research Paper: Learning Theories Name Psychology of Learning Learning Theories From the beginning of life, learning is a natural process and continues through humankind’s lifespan. There seems to be an inherent encoding structure from birth seeking to discover new information that invokes learning which empowers one’s ability to adapt to different patterns of behavior. For years various theories have been introduced to explain how people learn. Learning can and does occur in a variety of methods. People may deem learning as experiences that become embedded into their memory having lasting effects. Others may think of learning as how they acquire new information and their ability to apply memory that has been stored overtime. While learning has often been defined in many ways, the basic element in the learning process is how people acquire knowledge and how it is maintained to produce changes in behavior. Learning is the fundamental nature of human functioning. This reflective paper presents a broad scope of theoretical concepts from Gregory Kimble, B.F. Skinner and Jean Piaget. The central focus of this paper is aspects of Albert Bandura’s observational, social learning and social cognitive theories; Bandura’s contributions to psychology; his critics and my personal response to Bandura’s theories. Introduction Many theories throughout the years...
Words: 6090 - Pages: 25
...Learning Personality Theories Learning Team C PSY/405 Theories of Personality January 23, 2012 Professor XXXXX Learning Personality Theories Personalities develop and learn from observing others, society, experiences, and the environment. Different theories have been created to explain how a person learns and develops. Three learning personality theories discussed here are the behavioral analysis theory, the social cognitive theory, and the cognitive social learning theory. The strengths and limitations of the three theories will be analyzed that will provide small, but noticeable edges on the other. A description of how each theory affects personality will be discussed. In closing, an explanation of how each learning theory proposes interpersonal relationships are influenced will be examined. Strengths and Limitations Behavioral Analysis Theory An advantage of the behavioral analysis theory is that it is based on observable evidence. This theory contains important concepts such as reinforcement, used as effective therapies to treat undesirable behaviors. Although proven to be an effective therapeutic theory it has many weaknesses. It does not account for learning that does not involve negative or positive reinforcement, nor does it explain adaptive behavior. Proponents of this theory also argue that this approach is too deterministic and cannot be accurate, as it does not account for free will or emotion (Feist & Feist, 2009). Social Cognitive Theory Much...
Words: 2046 - Pages: 9
...Social cognitive theory From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |[pic] |This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to | | |reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2010) | |Psychology | |[pic] | |Outline | |History | |Subfields | |Basic types | |Abnormal | |Biological | |Cognitive | |Comparative | |Cultural | |Differential | |Developmental | |Evolutionary | |Experimental ...
Words: 2723 - Pages: 11
...Social Cognitive Theory Brynn Hill Liberty University EDUC 205-B02 Abstract This paper discusses the development of the Social Cognitive Theory and how it can be applied to education. When applied, this theory can help students stay motivated and focused in class. It can also help gifted learners reach their full potential in a diverse classroom. The Social Cognitive Theory was developed by Albert Bandura in the 1960s. This theory “stresses the idea that much human learning occurs in a social environment.” (Schunk 2012). For instance, if a basketball player wants to be able to improve his free-throw shot, he could do this by observing a coach, or other basketball expert, and imitate his or her free-throw shot. Initially, these principles were applied to social skills, but now can be “applied to the learning of cognitive, motor, social, and self-regulations skills.” (Schunk 2012). Through time, this theory was able to help give teachers the strategies to motivate and help their students reach their full potential. There are three basic conjectures when it comes to learning and behavior in this theory. The first is the idea of triadic reciprocality. This is the idea “that personal, behavioral, and environmental factors influence one another in a bidirectional, reciprocal fashion.” (Benzon, Denler & Wolters 2014). This means that a personals cognitive perspective is influenced by three different factors: behavioral, contextual and cognitive. The second conjecture...
Words: 1260 - Pages: 6
...Social Cognitive Theory Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory is the framework for learning, based on the relationship between behavior, personal factors, and factors in the environment (Institute for Dynamic Educational Advance). Factors for social cognitive theory are based on a social or physical environment. Social environments encompass friends, colleagues, and family. Physical environments could run the gamut as vast as a particular food, securing a room size, room temperature, consideration of classroom setting, or an e-learning classroom online. The social cognitive theory explains the process functions of humans and aspects of emotional behaviors. In understanding these behaviors, the process of understanding behavioral change becomes clearer. According to Burney (2008), this cognitive process provides a backdrop for humans to observe their environment and others, using the information gathered to self-regulate their functions. Bandura introduced self-efficacy as the center of social cognitive theory. As one of the most studied topics in psychology, self-efficacy is one’s own belief in their outcome on succeeding in any given situation, based on a person’s belief system of thinking, feeling, and the person’s response or behavior (University of Twente, 2010). As populations have become more diverse, the global educational area has grown to encompass more students that are technology-rich (Gunter, 2007). As institutions of higher learning seek additional...
Words: 1255 - Pages: 6
...Albert Bandura (born December 4, 1925, in Mundare, Alberta, Canada) is a psychologist who is the David Starr Jordan Professor Emeritus of Social Science in Psychology at Stanford University. For almost six decades, he has been responsible for contributions to many fields of psychology, including social cognitive theory, therapy and personality psychology, and was also influential in the transition between behaviorism and cognitive psychology. He is known as the originator of social learning theory and the theory of self-efficacy, and is also responsible for the influential 1961 Bobo doll experiment. A 2002 survey ranked Bandura as the fourth most-frequently cited psychologist of all time, behind B. F. Skinner, Sigmund Freud, and Jean Piaget, and as the most cited living one.[1] Bandura is widely described as the greatest living psychologist,[2][3][4][5] and as one of the most influential psychologists of all time.[6][7] In 1974 Bandura was elected to be the Eighty-Second President of the American Psychological Association (APA). He was one of the youngest president-elects in the history of the APA at the age of 46. Bandura served as a member of the APA Board of Scientific Affairs from 1968 to 1970 and is well known as a member of the editiorial board of nine psychology journals including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology from 1963 to 1972.[8] At the age of 82, Bandura was awarded the Grawemeyer Award for psychology and is known as one of the most influential psychologists...
Words: 6800 - Pages: 28
...Learning Perspectives Lynnette Sharrer Grand Canyon University EDU 313 N June 3, 2012 Learning perspectives can be generalized into three groups; cognitive psychology, behaviorism, and social cognitive theory. The main focus of learning differs between the three perspectives, but they are similar in some ways and complement each other, which helps teachers build successful learning classrooms. According to Omrod (2011, pg. 356), “Diverse perspectives of learning often complement, rather than contradict, one another, and together, they give us a richer, more multifaceted picture of human learning than any single perspective can give us by itself.” All three perspectives can help teachers provide valuable lessons for student achievement and motivation to succeed. A brief description of the three learning perspectives and what a classroom with each perspective may look like, including lesson plans with the different perspectives is outlined in this essay. Cognitive psychology studies mental processes; how people think, perceive, learn, and remember. Cognitive psychology focuses on how people acquire, process, and store information. An internal mental phenomenon may or may not be reflected in behavior is how learning is defined, according to Omrod (2011). In cognitive psychology, new information and knowledge occurs from experiences. An important aspect of cognitive psychology is constructivism. Constructivism in theory is how learners construct knowledge from experiences...
Words: 692 - Pages: 3
...Review Chapter 10 in the course text, Learning and Behavior. Pay particular attention to the sections titled, "Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory" and "Miller-Dollard Reinforcement Theory. “Think of times in your life where you learned something through observational learning. Select an example of observational learning to use for this Discussion. It may be one that you experienced personally or one experienced by someone you know well and can provide you with information about his or her experience. Reflect on the Miller-Dollard Reinforcement Theory and how it might explain the example you selected. Consider Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory and how it would explain the same behavior. Reflect on the two theories and think about what is different between them in terms of accounting for learning, ultimately selecting one such difference to use in this Discussion. With these thoughts in mind: 1page an example of observational learning. Explain how the Miller-Dollard Reinforcement Theory would account for the experience. Then explain how Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory would explain your behavior. Explain one major difference between the two theories. Application: Processes of Observational Learning Albert Bandura is the leading proponent of social cognitive theory, which you explored in this week's Discussion. Your textbook describes social cognitive theory as a theory of observational learning. Bandura suggests that four processes...
Words: 429 - Pages: 2
...The Social Cognitive Theory The social cognitive theory is a view that people simply don’t learn from environmental influences but often learn and behave due to their own personal thoughts, feelings, motivation and actions. Observing others, thinking about the consequences and setting performance goals are a just a few of the examples of the social cognitive theory. This theory can also be split up into three different but equally valid components: observational learning, self-efficacy and self regulation. Observational learning is the process of learning through observing, imitating and reflecting from the behaviour of others. In most cases, observational learning occurs when someone examines the actions of another and reflects upon the person’s consequences. According to the consequences of the actions, the observer will imitate the behaviour if the outcome is positive or reject it if it is negative. Observational learning in some cases can be seen as reinforcement but it is self-reinforcement. Self-efficacy is another component of the social cognitive theory and is the belief that an individual has about their capability to successfully complete a task. Self-efficacy is a cognitive belief and changes according to the task at hand. It is not a stable personal trait but rather is affected by one’s experiences and past successes while performing the specific task. Self- efficacy is also influenced by perceiving others performing the task, verbal persuasion, encouragement...
Words: 478 - Pages: 2
...Piaget and Vygostsky’s cognitive developmental theories in a practical classroom environment Piaget and Vygotsky have antonymous beliefs when dealing with the concepts of cognitive development. Vygotsky believes in development through social behaviour whilst Piaget believes in individuals acquiring knowledge on their own. Both however, believe that the interaction between development and learning hold significant implications for a child’s growth. This essay discusses some of the philosophical beliefs of each theorist in regards to a scenario based in the classroom of a year five teacher named Ann. Ann reinforces classroom lessons through the outdoor environment, exemplifying Piaget’s theories of constructivist based learning as well as teaching methods that cater to the concrete operational stage of cognitive development. Ann also displays Vygotsky’s cognitive theory involving the zone of proximal development and peer to peer or teacher-peer scaffolding within a group environment. The essay will examine Ann’s teaching methods and how they relate to these cognitive developmental theories. Ann’s socially-constructive pedagogical approach as described by Howell (2012) will help children build their knowledge base through collaborative learning as well as independent work, known as scaffolding. Ann would apply the technique of scaffolding by providing assistance and offering feedback relating to new information (Woolfolk, 2004). Vygotsky (1978) put forward a theory in which one only...
Words: 1779 - Pages: 8
...University of Phoenix Material Learning Personality Theories Matrix |Theory |Assumptions |Reliability |Validity |Application | |Behavioral Analysis Theory| Behavior is the result of exposure to | Behaviorism is used in research to | The theory was falsifiable and generated | | | |external (environment) and internal (self) |collect accurate data or information. |research. |The treatment method is simple and quick approach | | |stimuli. |Critics argue that behaviorism does not|The theory was well organized and presented |to utilize. Application to real world use is easy.| | | |have a complete understanding of |material which reflected the human personality.|The information can be applied in psycho therapy, | | | |individual personalities or the |The theory demonstrated accurate use of terms, |education, and training purposes. | | | |variances. The theory met the criteria |clear meaning which is...
Words: 586 - Pages: 3
...Vygotsky: Social Theory to Cognitive Skills Tammy Boykin American Military University Prof. Terzynski Abstract The last couple of decades have seen the research in the area of sociocultural theory and theoretical perspectives grow by leaps and bounds. This area is of high interest, especially to those in the education field, since it concentrations on children and how they learn in genuine settings. Sociocultural theory and research also helps educators discover how better to support children’s education. (McDevitt, 2013). However, Lev Vygotsky (1896-9134), is credited with focusing and studying sociocultural theory and how children and adults learn at the turn of the 20th century. (Jaramillo, 1996). Vygotsky’s groundbreaking and persistent work to learn how children’s minds are molded by daily experiences in social settings have gave way to how sociocultural theories lend to cognitive theories. Unlike Piaget’s theory where children are the ones who do the work of learning, Vygotsky’s theory sees adults within a child’s culture or society as responsible for teaching and so on. (McDevitt, 2013). As stated by McDevitt, (2013), “Vygotsky emphasized the importance of adult guidance in promoting cognitive advancements and more generally because he emphasized the influence of social and cultural factors in children’s cognitive development his perspective is known as a sociocultural theory”. (Pg. 214). Vygotsky: Social Theory to Cognitive Skills For this assignment in childhood development...
Words: 745 - Pages: 3
...Applying Learning Theories Identifying The Components of Cognitivist Theories used in, "Kermit and The Keyboard." Abstract Cognitivism emphasizes on the explanation of cognitive structures and process, and the intervention of these structures and processes between instruction and learning (Glaserfeld, 1989). The study of cognitivism has allowed for educators, theorist and psychologist to understand the concepts of knowing, thinking and formulating feedback. In reviewing the sample texture, "Kermit and the Keyboard," has allowed for philosophers and psychologist to review the interactional theories of learning process. Within this paper, will identify, compare and contrast the views of congnitivist theories, Cognitive Information Processing (CIP), Piaget's Theory and Perspective of Interactional Theories of Cognitive Development as it relates to the sample text. The essence of utilizing cognitivist learning theories allows for educators such as myself to capture the meaning of cognitive and knowledge development within the classroom setting. Identifying The Components of Cognitivist Theories used in, "Kermit and The Keyboard." The developmental concept of learning theories allows for people to inquire the fundamentals of human engagement. The core concepts of learning has allowed for philosophers and psychologist to examine the nature of learning in applying those concepts in expanding the intellectual contents of human thinking. Educators and other learning theorist...
Words: 1499 - Pages: 6
...The two most influential and important theorists when examining and studying cognitive development would most certainly be Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. The definition of cognitive development can be explained as the ability to think, reason and remember; it is a vital part and plays an important role in the development of children into adults. Piaget believed that children were responsible for their own learning through explicit instructional and discovery learning; whereas Vygotsky’s theory concentrated on children learning through their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and scaffolding. Vygotsky’s definition of the ZPD was the distance between the knowledge a child could gain on their own compared to what the child was able to learn with guidance (Duchesne, McNaugh, Bochrer and Krause, 2013). Although they take different approaches, both theorists agree that social interaction played a role in children’s development. This essay will link these theories and principles to the teaching strategies used in classrooms and in particular the practices used in the provided scenario of Ann’s Year 5 Science class. Piaget’s constructivist method adopted the idea that children build their own knowledge individually through the initial instruction from the teacher followed by the exploration of their own environment. This method is a balanced teaching practice that can be used in classrooms as it allows learners to be responsible for their own knowledge development (Lourenco, 2012)....
Words: 1509 - Pages: 7
...Sociocultural Theory Lev Vygotsky is often called the "Mozart of psychology." Similar to the famous composer, Vygotsky applied his genius early in life to many different areas. And like Mozart, Vygotsky died young, at age 37, after a battle with tuberculosis. Born in 1896 in Belorussia, he began his career as an educator and a psychologist at the time of the 1917 Russian revolution. After moving to Moscow in 1924, Vygotsky set out to create what he hoped would become a new way to understand and solve the social and educational problems of his time. At the core of Vygotsky's theory, called the Sociocultural Theory, is the idea that child development is the result of the interactions between children and their social environment. These interactions include those with parents and teachers, playmates and classmates, and brothers and sisters. They also involve relationships with significant objects, such as books or toys, and culturally specific practices that children engage in the classroom, at home, and on the playground. Children are active partners in these interactions, constructing knowledge, skills, and attitudes and not just mirroring the world around them. Vygotsky opposed the psychologists who believed that children's development occurs spontaneously and cannot be affected by education. He also differed with those who claimed that teaching had the power to alter development at any time regardless of the child's age or capacities. Instead, Vygotsky felt that learning could...
Words: 3057 - Pages: 13
