Beyond Behaviorism: Contrasting Approaches in Learning Theory.
Understanding the Evolution of Learning Theories
The way humans and animals learn is a subject that has changed tremendously over the past century. Generally, there are several different theoretical frameworks that compete with one another. Earlier psychological research was largely dominated by Behaviourist Learning Theory. However, researchers have since developed alternative viewpoints to address the inadequacies of this learning approach.
Behaviourist Learning Theory: The Foundation
The formulation of Behaviourist Learning Theory was developed during the first half of the 20th century as an alternative to introspective approaches to psychologizing. Learning is a process that creates permanent changes in behaviour through experience. Internal emotions and cognitions could not be scientifically measured or observed, so behaviourists only concentrated on visible actions.
Key Assumptions of Behaviorism
· An individual’s environment creates their behaviour.
· Internal processes aren’t really up to science, so we’re excluding them too.
· Learning is a behaviour that is a form of stimulus-response and described through the relationship between directly observable events.
· Learning is a process that has an impact on behavior.
· Learning takes place when certain events coincide.
· Humans and animals use the same way to learn new behaviour.
Influential Behaviourists
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) is the physiologist who discovered classical conditioning, by showing how behavior paired to a stimulus can also be associated with different stimuli. Pavlov conducted experiments on dogs that revealed how the animals could be conditioned to develop salivation on hearing a sound if that sound was paired with food. The ideas of acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, and discrimination were introduced by Pavlov.
John Watson took Pavlov’s idea, and said psychology should just predict what was going to happen next to a stimulus. His experiments with 'Little Albert' showed that people could become conditioned to feel an emotion, which means that Pavlov's theories about learning applied there too.
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) has put forward the idea of operant conditioning to explain a more complex kind of learning than simple reflexes. Classical conditioning involves involuntary responses. Unlike that, operant conditioning studies those behaviours, which a person learns to do in order to gain a reward (positive reinforcement) or to avoid a punishment (negative reinforcement). Skinner’s experiments with pigeons show us that unnatural behavior can also be taught.
Challenging Theories: Alternative Perspectives on Learning
Behaviourism gave us a valuable idea about learning but it was not the only theory. A few competing theories came along.
Cognitive Learning Theory
Cognitivism directly challenged behaviorism, by investigating the mental processes that behaviorists explicitly denied. Cognitive theories that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s view learning as complex mental operations.
· It is Learning that is at the Centre of Information Processing.
· Mental schemas help organize knowledge and lead learning.
· Memory systems play crucial roles. (short-term, long-term).
· Learning is active, not merely reactive.
· Thinking about thinking has an impact on learning.
Key figures such as Jean Piaget and Jerome Bruner talked about cognitive learning developing in stages. This means that the things people learn will depend on how mature they are. Behaviorism was unable to explain this.
Constructivist Learning Theory
Constructivism has determined that learners actively construct knowledge as opposed to passively absorbing it.
· Gaining knowledge is a unique interpretation of the world.
· Knowledge is created and not transferred.
· Learning is contextual.
· What you already know and experience determines what you learn next.
· It is vital to knowledge construction through social interaction.
Social Learning Theory
Albert Bandura’s theory of social learning combined behaviourism and cognitivism, taking into account both environmental and internal processes.
· People learn by watching and copying others.
· Belief in one's abilities affects learning outcomes.
· The concept of vicarious reinforcement refers to our learning through others’ consequences.
· Reciprocal determinism states that one’s behaviour, environment and personal factors must all interact continuously.
Bandura’s well-known experiments with the Bobo doll indicated that children learned aggressive behavior by observing adults—a finding not easily explained by behaviorism on the basis of direct reinforcement.
Chomsky's Challenge to Behaviorist Language Learning
Noam Chomsky’s critique of behaviorism was perhaps the most powerful, particularly Skinner’s attempt to apply it to language acquisition. Chomsky proposed:
· The human brain has a pre-installed module for language acquisition.
· All human languages have the same grammar.
· Children can create new and unheard sentences.
· The theory that language acquisition takes place even with insufficient input is often referred to as the poverty of stimulus argument.
· Language acquisition is similar in all cultures.
Chomsky argued that behaviorism could not explain creative, generative aspects of language, or how and why humans can create and comprehend an infinite number of sentences.
Comparing Approaches: Strengths and Limitations
Behaviorism's Strengths
· Measuring things is an objective process.
· Using Something In Real Life To Change Behavior.
· Clear experimental methodology.
· Good for explanation of simple learning tasks.
Behaviorism's Limitations
· Ignores internal mental processes.
· We cannot clarify complex learning events.
· Learning is merely a biological machine.
· Does not consider creativity and insight.
Cognitive and Constructivist Strengths
· Involves sophisticated thinking and problem-solving.
· Transfer of learning across contexts is explained.
· Individual differences in learning are recognised.
· Shows how meaning gets constructed
Social Learning Theory Strengths
· Links environment and cognitive process.
· Learning without reinforcement is explained.
· Makes allowances for cultural and social influences.
· Recognizes self-regulation in learning.
Integrated Approaches to Learning
No single theory fully explains learning through modern educational psychology in today’s world. Modern plans usually combine parts of various theorists.
· Information processing models have both behavioral and cognitive components.
· The social cognitive theory of psychology combines behavioral, cognitive, and social elements.
· Neuropsychological approaches link learning theories and brain function.
· The location and community of learning are emphasized by situated learning.
Implications for Education and Practice
· Make learning environments more effective.
· Address individual learning differences.
· Select appropriate instructional strategies.
· Learning has many aspects and dimensions.
· Create specific help for kids that struggle
Conclusion
While behaviorism offered valuable insight into learning through observable behavior and environmental influence, thinking theories have broadened our understanding of the complex, multidimensional learning process. Cognitive, constructivist and social learning theories try to fill some of the gaps of behaviourism and focus on the internal mental processes, construction of knowledge, and the social aspects or influence on behaviour.
Many modern theories of learning do not consider these theories to be mutually exclusive. By combining insightful perspectives from behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and social learning theory, we can gain a comprehensive understanding of how animals and humans learn to master complex situations.
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References
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Prentice Hall.
Chomsky, N. (1959). Review of B.F. Skinner's Verbal Behavior. Language, 35(1), 26-58.
Piaget, J. (1972). The psychology of the child. Basic Books.
Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. Macmillan.
Watson, J. B., & Rayner, R. (1920). Conditioned emotional reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 3(1), 1-14.