UNIT-2
THEORIES OF LEARNING
Dr. Rita Saini
Assist. Prof.
Ittr, kuk
THEORIES OF LEARNING
CONNECTIONISM THEORY- Trial and Error Theory
(Thorndike)
CONDITIONING THEORIES: Classical
Conditioning(Pavlov), Operant Conditioning (Skinner)
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISTTHEORY (Vygostky and
Bandura)
1.TRIAL AND ERROR THEORY
• GIVEN BY E.L. THORNDIKE (1874-1949)
• Educational psychologist
• Learning takes place by trial and error.
• Learner selects a correct response out of a large no. of possible
ones and the connection is established between stimulus and
response through the elimination of wrong response.
• Learning is stamping in off correct responses and stamping out
of incorrect response through a process of trial and error.
• Selected chickens, rats and cats for experimentation.
• Placed them under different learning situations and studied
them and tried to evolve certain laws and propagated the
theory of trial and error learning.
Experiment
• Thorndike put a hungry cat in a puzzle box
• There was only one door for exit which could be open and correctly
by manipulating the latch. A fish was placed outside the box
• The smell of fish worked as a strong motive for hungry cat to come
out of the box. Cat made every possible effort to come
• In one of random movement cat came out and got reward responses.
• It was able to open door without any error.
STAGES OF LEARNING
1. DRIVE- it was hungry and intensified with the sight if food
2. GOAL- to get the food by getting out of the box
3. BLOCK- the cat was confined in the box with a closed door
4. RANDOM MOVEMENTS- the cat persistently, tried to get out of
the box
5. CHANCE SUCCESS- by chance succeeded in opening the door.
6. SELECTION –proper way
7. FIXATION- fixing the right responses
THORNDIKE PROPOUNDED THE LAWS OF
LEARNING
1. LAW OF READINESS- When any conduction unit is ready to conduct,
for it to do is satisfying. When any condition unit is not in readiness to
conduct, for it to conduct is annoying. When any condition unit is in
readiness to conduct, for it not to do so it is annoying.
2. LAW OF EFFECT- learning takes place properly when it results in
satisfaction and the learner derives pleasure out of it.
3. LAW OF EXERCISE-
• LAW OF USE- strengthening of connection with practice
• LAW OF DISUSE- weakening of connection or forgetting, when the
practice is disoontinued.
EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATION OF TRIAL AND
ERROR THEORY
Child must be encouraged to do his work independently
Child must be ready to learn
Main task of teacher is to see what things he likes to be
remembered or forgotten by his students.
Past experiences and learning give an adequate base for the new
learning.
2. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING THEORY
GIVEN BY IVAN PAVILOV 1897-1902
RUSSIAN PSYCHOLOGIST
Learning through association
Acc. To Pavlov learning is habit formation based on principle of
association and substitution between natural stimulus and artificial
stimulus.
Learning that occurs when a natural stimulus becomes associated
with a stimulus (food)
That naturally produces a behavior.
Connection between stimulus and response
S and R type of theory
Experiment
Pavlov kept dog hungry for the night and tied him to the experimental
table
Arrangement was there to give dog food automatically
Observer kept himself hidden from dog
Everytime when the bell rang the food was presented to the dog
There was automatic secretion of saliva from mouth of the dog
After several trials, dog was given no food but bell rang
Saliva was still secreted by the dog
Even in the absence of food (natural stimulus) the ringing of bell
(artificial stimulus) caused the dog to secrete saliva.(natural stimulus).
Experiment
Conducted by .J Watson
Father of behaviorism
1920
USED PRINCIPLES OF CLASSCIAL CONDITIONING TO
STUDY HUMAN EMOTIONS’
Subject was human baby of 11 months
Baby was given a rabbit to play. Baby was impressed by the fur.
After some time, loud noise comes from the rabbit and the baby was
frightened
Every time he touch the rabbit the noise was produced
He began to fear from rabbit even when there was no loud sound
accompanied it.
artificial stimulus is able to behave like a natural stimulus when
both natural and artificial stimulus are presented together.
EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Day to day learning at home, school etc. are learning through
conditioning
Sympathetic treatment given by the teacher and interesting
methodology adopted can bring desirable impact on students.
Audio- visual aids in teaching process involves conditioning theory
Development of proper behavior, attitudes, interests and sense of
appreciation
OPERANT CONDITONING THEORY
Given by- B.F. Skinner 1938-1957
Revolted against the “no stimulus, no response” mechanism in the
evolution of behavior.
Learning process where by a response is made more probable and
operant is strengthened.
Behavior is shaped and maintained by its consequences and it is
operated by the individual and maintained by its result from
environment.
Reinforcer- reinforcer is the stimulus whose presentation or
removal increase the probability of a response re- occuring.
Schedules of reinforcement
Continuous reinforcement
Fixed interval reinforcement
Fixed ratio
Variable reinforcement
Experiment
Skinner placed a hungry rat into a box that contained a lever.
As the rat scurried around inside the box, it would accidently press
the lever, could result in production of click sound and causing the
food pellet to drop into the box
The click sound acted as a signal indicating to the rat that if it
responds by going to the food cup, it will be rewarded.
Rat learned the art of pressing the lever as desired by the experi
meter.
EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF
OPERANT CONDITIONING
Task of human behavior can be easily manipulated
Does not attribute motivation to internal processes within an
organism.
Behavior modification
Training an organism to learn a particular behavior and may be
initiated to respond in such a way as to produce the reinforcing
stimulus,
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORIES OF
LEARNING
Constructivist learning means the learning that is based on
the philosophy and approach of constructivism.
Constructivist approach propagated by the psychologists
like- Vygotsky, Bandura and Bruner etc. Is known as by the
term Social Constructivism
All learning is social. A child learns and develops through
social interactions with his parents, family members, peers,
teachers and community members.
He constructs the necessary knowledge as a part of his
learning in the social company of the peers and guidance of
the elders.
VYGOTSKY’S SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST
THEORY
Russian psychologist
1896-1934
Weightage to social interaction, cultural tools, and activity by
accepting them as main instruments for shaping individual
development and learning
Learning is a social process and carried out in a social environment
Involves knowledge construction
Knowledge building on the part of an individual is helped much if it
involves his interaction with two or more people, his elders or peers,
by making use of social interaction.
MKO- MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE OTHER
MKO refers to someone who has a better understanding or a
higher ability than the learner, with respect to a particular task,
process or concept.
MKO- teacher, older adult etc.
.
ZPD- ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT
Difference between what a child can achieve independently and
what a child can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a
skilled partner.
MKO AND ZPD forms the basis of scaffolding component of the
cognitive model of instruction,
BANDURA’S SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST
THEORY
Albert Bandura
American social learning theorist
1960-1977
Emphasizes the importance of observing, modeling, and imitating
the behaviors, attitudes and emotional reaction of others.
one learns through observations by incorporating and imitation of
behaviors of others taken as model
STEPS OF LEARNING-
1. Attending to and perceiving the behavior
2. Remembering the behavior
3. Converting the memory into action
4. Reinforcement of the imitated behavior
EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATION OF SOCIAL
CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORIIES
Learner must be given responsibility of taking charge
of his learning
Task of teacher is not pour the ready made material in
the minds of the students.
Whenever a concept is taught, teacher must search
out his student’s understanding and prior experiences
about the concept for the necessary planning of its
learning on the parts of the students.
Acquisition of new learning, solving problems and
discovering facts are suggested for leading the learners
Students have to construct their own meaning and
discover the knowledge on their own.
References
Ausubel, D.P.,Novak J.D. and Hanesian H (1978). Educational
Psychology: A cognitive view, (2nd edition), New York: Holtl,
Rinnehart and Winston
Bernard, H.C. (1967), An Introduction to Teaching, University of
London Press Ltd.
Bruner, J.S. (1966), Towards a theory of Instruction,
Massachussetts, Harward University Press.
Bruce, Joyce and Marsha, Weil (1980), Models of teaching: New
Jersy, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall, Inc.
Chauhan, S.S., Innovations in Teaching Learning Process, Vikas
Publishing House, Pvt Ltd., New Delhi, 1979.
Dr. V.K.Maheshwari, M.A(Socio, Phil) B.Sc. M. Ed, Ph.D, Former
Principal, K.L.D.A.V.(P.G) College, Roorkee, India
