Log In Start studying!

Select your language

Suggested languages for you:
StudySmarter - The all-in-one study app.
4.8 • +11k Ratings
More than 3 Million Downloads
Free
|
|
Learning Approaches

How impressionable are we? Do we simply see something and follow along? According to the learning approaches, behaviour is dictated and learned via interactions with our environment, such as our parents. If this is the case, are we not responsible for our thoughts and actions?  The learning approach is explained through two main theories, behavioural and social learning theory. Both views…

Content verified by subject matter experts
Free StudySmarter App with over 20 million students
Mockup Schule

Explore our app and discover over 50 million learning materials for free.

Learning Approaches

Learning Approaches

Save the explanation now and read when you’ve got time to spare.

Save
Illustration

Lerne mit deinen Freunden und bleibe auf dem richtigen Kurs mit deinen persönlichen Lernstatistiken

Jetzt kostenlos anmelden

Nie wieder prokastinieren mit unseren Lernerinnerungen.

Jetzt kostenlos anmelden
Illustration

How impressionable are we? Do we simply see something and follow along? According to the learning approaches, behaviour is dictated and learned via interactions with our environment, such as our parents. If this is the case, are we not responsible for our thoughts and actions?

The learning approach is explained through two main theories, behavioural and social learning theory. Both views have been investigated by credible psychologists and theorists, with slight differences in their models.

  • We will start by understanding the definition of behaviourism learning theory, then learn the basic learning approach assumptions: psychology.
  • Next, we will look at some learning approach psychology examples, including classical conditioning, operant conditioning and the social learning theory.
  • And finally, we will delve into the learning approach psychology strengths and weaknesses.

What is the Learning Approach: Psychology?

The learning theory highlights how our experiences shape our thoughts, attitudes and behaviours.

There are different approaches to learning; the three major theories are behaviourist, cognitive constructivist and social constructivist.

The approaches have slight differences, but each agrees that our experiences are fundamental to understanding human behaviour.

What is the Definition of Behaviourism Learning Theory?

Behaviourism learning theory is an approach in psychology that focuses heavily on how the external environmental shape our behaviour.

The behavioural approaches were introduced and accepted in mainstream psychology when the psychodynamic approach, which focuses on childhood experiences and their effect on personality (psyche) and psychosexual development, was no longer the accepted approach to explain behaviour.

In psychology, when the majority of psychologists no longer believe or disprove that an approach in psychology is no longer functional or effective at explaining behaviour, there is a paradigm shift.

A paradigm is essentially an approach in psychology. When a paradigm is accepted, that approach in psychology is mainly used to explain behaviour, and the principles/ methods of that approach are also predominantly used.

Learning Approach Assumptions: Psychology

The main learning approach assumptions are:

  • Behaviour is learned from our environment; thus, behaviourists approach the nurture aspect of the nature versus nurture debate.
  • Behaviour can always be understood in terms of a stimulus-response.
  • Behaviourists argue that animal and human behaviour are comparable as both learn behaviours in the same way; this means it is generalisable to extrapolate research from animal studies to humans.
  • Researchers should aim to measure observable behaviours, i.e. Behaviourists favour empirical research. Behavioural psychologists emphasise that empirical research should be as scientific and objective as possible.

Learning Approach Psychology Examples

The learning approach consists of three explanations; the first two focus on how our response to environmental factors shapes our behaviour. These are known as classical conditioning and operant conditioning.

Although both theories assume that the environment shapes our behaviour, there are slight differences between the two. The classical conditioning theory emphasises the role of learning associations between stimuli and responses. In comparison, operant conditioning emphasises reinforcement, rewards and punishment's role in learning behaviours.

And the final learning approach example is the social learning theory (SLT), which explains how cognitive processes mediate the learning of stimulus responses.

The SLT was proposed much later than the classical and operant conditioning learning theories.

Learning Approaches Psychology: Classical Conditioning

Ivan Pavlov proposed the classical conditioning theory in 1897. The theory suggests that behaviour is learned via associations.

Pavlov proposed his classical conditioning theory after conducting experiments on dogs. In the experiment, before the dogs were conditioned, dogs were presented food (the unconditional stimuli) which caused an automatic response from the dogs to salivate (unconditional response).

Each time the dogs were given food, a bell rang (neutral stimulus); the dogs had no response to the bell.

During the conditioning stage, the dogs began to form an association/ understand the link between the bell and food (unconditional stimuli) and salivated when they heard the bell. Therefore, the bell became the conditional stimulus, and salivation was the conditional response.

The experiment highlighted how the dogs learned an association between the bell and food.

Learning Approaches, Diagram illustrating the process of how the dogd in Pavlov's experiment formed associations, VaiaFigure 1 - Pavlov's dog experiment highlighted how animals learn associations.

Learning Approaches Psychology: Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning was proposed slightly later than classical conditioning by B. F. Skinner in 1948. The theory suggests that we learn behaviours by observing behaviours and their consequences. If behaviours are reinforced, an individual is likely to repeat the behaviour, but if they are punished or receive negative consequences, they are unlikely to repeat the behaviour.

There are two types of reinforcement; positive and negative.

Positive reinforcement is when something positive occurs when carrying out the behaviour and negative reinforcement is when something negative is removed, making the individual likely to continue the behaviour.

An example of positive reinforcement is a child being praised for doing their homework; this praise will make the child feel good. And an example of negative reinforcement is smoking because it alleviates stress.

The principles of operant conditioning are based on research that Skinner carried out on rats and pigeons. In one experiment, rats were placed in a box with an electrical grid on the floor. The grids passed small electrical currents, which caused discomfort to the animal.

There was a lever in the box, and the electrical currents stopped each time the animal pressed it (an example of negative reinforcement.

The rats quickly learned to press the lever as soon as it was placed in the electrocuted Skinner box to avoid an unpleasant experience.

Learning Approaches, Diagram of the layout of Skinners experiment where a rat is placed in a box with an electrified grid on the floor and a response lever and food dispense or the wall, VaiaFigure 2 - Skinner's animal research highlighted how animals are likely to continue behaviours that are reinforced.

Learning Approaches Psychology: Social Learning Theory

The SLT supports many of the assumptions of behavioural theories similar to classical and operant principles; the theory proposes that behaviours are learned directly from experience.

However, it adds to the theory by suggesting that behaviours may also be learned indirectly from observation by imitating others. And that cognitive processes mediate the learning of behaviours.

Teenagers may observe that popular children in school are smokers, so they may also start to smoke to be seen as popular; this concept is known as vicarious reinforcement.

For the individual to acknowledge popular children as smokers, they need to pay attention to the popular children and what makes them popular, which is an example of a cognitive process.

Bandura (1961) outlined the role of mediational processes in learning. He suggested four processes:

  1. Attention; acknowledging a behaviour.
  2. Retention; remembering the behaviour.
  3. Reproduction; imitating that behaviour.
  4. Motivation; imitating the behaviour for the observed vicarious reinforcement - positive or negative.

The SLT is supported by Bandura's bobo doll experiment on nursery school children. The children were either exposed to an aggressive, non-aggressive, or no model at all. After exposure, the children were taken into a separate room with a bobo (inflatable) doll and observed.

The children exposed to the aggressive model exhibited aggressive behaviour compared to those exposed to the non-aggressive and no-model conditions.

In another experiment variation, children were less likely to copy aggressive behaviour if they saw others punished than children who observed aggressive behaviour and rewarded.

Learning Approach Psychology: Strengths and Weaknesses

The strengths of the learning approaches in psychology are:

  • Each learning approach has been supported by research. As there is evidence for each explanation, it can be assumed they have some truthfulness.
  • It has significant practical applications; for example, systematic desensitisation uses classical and operant conditioning principles to treat phobias.
  • The SLT helps to explain the influence that the media may have on human behaviour. The media, especially social media, has been found to play a crucial role in behaviours that children imitate. Rounsefell et al. (2019) found that social media exposure was related to body dissatisfaction, dieting/ restricting foods, changing their image to match the 'ideal' image, etc.

On the other hand, the criticisms of the behavioural theories of learning are:

  • The learning approaches simplify behaviour by only explaining behaviour in terms of environmental influences whilst ignoring other factors such as biological. Therefore, the theory can be considered reductionist.

The SLT considers environmental and cognitive factors. Therefore, it can be regarded as more holistic than classical and operant conditioning. However, it still ignores many important factors.

  • It considers humans as passive beings, undermining the role of mental processes and genetic functions in their behaviour; thus, it can be considered deterministic.
  • Behavioural studies derived their results by experimenting on animals, including uncomfortable/ unethical mental and physical conditions.
  • The bobo doll experiment was conducted on children. The results might have differed if this experiment had included adults in the sample. Therefore, the research can be considered non-representative and lacks generalisability.

Learning Approaches - Key takeaways

  • Behaviourism learning theories are approaches in psychology that focus heavily on how the external environmental shape our behaviour.
  • The learning approaches consist of classical conditioning, operant conditioning and the social learning theory.
  • Classical conditioning highlights how behaviour is learned via forming associations, and operant conditioning highlights how behaviour is more likely to be repeated if rewarded or reinforced.
  • The social learning theory differs from the other learning approaches as it highlights that cognitive processes mediate behaviour learned via observation of role models.
  • Although each learning approach is supported by research evidence, the theories can be criticised for being reductionist and deterministic.

References

  1. Figure 1 - Pavlov's dog conditioning.svg (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pavlov%27s_dog_conditioning.svg) by Maxxl² (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:MaxxL) is licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
  2. Figure 2 - Skinner box scheme 01.png (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skinner_box_scheme_01.png) by Andreas1 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Andreas1&action=edit&redlink=1) is licensed by CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

Frequently Asked Questions about Learning Approaches

  • Each learning approach has been supported by research. As there is evidence for each explanation, it can be assumed they have some truthfulness. 
  • It has significant practical applications; for example, systematic desensitisation uses classical and operant conditioning principles to treat phobias.
  • The SLT helps to explain the influence that the media may have on human behaviour.

Behaviourism learning theory is an approach in psychology that focuses heavily on how the external environmental shape our behaviour. 

  • Behaviour is learned from our environment.
  • Behaviour can always be understood in terms of a stimulus-response. 
  • Behaviourists argue that animal and human behaviour is comparable as both learn behaviours in the same way.
  • Researchers should aim to measure observable behaviours.

It considers humans as passive beings, undermining the role of mental processes and genetic functions in their behaviour; thus, it can be regarded as deterministic. 

The learning approaches simplify behaviour by only explaining behaviour in terms of environmental influences whilst ignoring other factors such as biological. Therefore, the theory can be considered reductionist. 

There are different approaches to learning; the three major theories are behaviourist, cognitive constructivist and social constructivist. The approaches have slight differences, but each agrees that our experiences are fundamental to understanding human behaviour.

Final Learning Approaches Quiz

Learning Approaches Quiz - Teste dein Wissen

Question

What is the learning approach?


Show answer

Answer

The learning approach proposes that behaviours or responses are learned through experiences.

Show question

Question

What is the difference between the behavioural and social learning theories?


Show answer

Answer

Unlike behavioural theory, social learning theory considers the role of cognitive processes in the process of learning.

Show question

Question

What are the two main explanations of the behavioural theory?


Show answer

Answer

Classical and operant conditioning

Show question

Question

Provide one argument in favour of the behavioural theory.

Show answer

Answer


  • The conclusions drawn from the behavioural theory are reliable and easily replicable.
  • Behavioural theory has significant practical applications. Systematic desensitisation is used to treat phobia using classical and operant conditioning principles.

(any one of the above are correct as an answer to this question)

Show question

Question

Provide one argument against the behavioural theory.

Show answer

Answer

  • It considers humans as passive beings, compromising the role of mental processes and genetic functions in their behaviour.
  • Behavioural studies derived their results from experimenting on animals, including uncomfortable/ unethical mental and physical conditions applied to them.

(any one of the above are correct as an answer to this question)

Show question

Question

Provide one argument in favour of social learning theory.

Show answer

Answer

  • Social learning theory provides a comprehensive picture of human behaviour and also considers the role of cognitive processes.
  • Social learning theory helps to explain the influence that the media may have on human behaviour.

(any one of the above are correct as an answer to this question)

Show question

Question

Provide one argument against the social learning theory.

Show answer

Answer

The researchers experimented on children who were still growing. If this experiment included adults in the sample, the results might be different as the adults have developed a full understanding of social and moral values.

Show question

Question

What is vicarious reinforcement?

Show answer

Answer

It is understood as learning through consequences. It proposes learning by observing another person being punished or rewarded for their behaviour.

Show question

Question

List the mediational processes suggested in the social learning theory.

Show answer

Answer

  • Attention
  • Retention
  • Reproduction
  • Motivation

Show question

Question

Children were less likely to copy behaviour they saw being ______.

Show answer

Answer

  1. Rewarded 
  2. Punished

Show question

Question

Provide an example of negative reinforcement.


Show answer

Answer

Any example that involves taking action to prevent negative consequences is an appropriate answer. For example, a child suffering from social anxiety is not going to school because of a social gathering.

Show question

Question

Provide an example of positive reinforcement.


Show answer

Answer

Any example that involves taking action and being rewarded for it is an appropriate answer. For example, a child receives a $5 bill for cleaning their room.

Show question

Question

The learning approach considers the study of cognitive mental processes as_____, as it cannot be observed through sight.

Show answer

Answer

Unscientific

Show question

Question

Theorists consider psychology to be a scientific study and, therefore, make use of _______ experiments to achieve reliable results.

Show answer

Answer

Lab-controlled

Show question

Question

Describe the motivation process from the mediational processes in the social learning theory.

Show answer

Answer

Motivation is the imitation of the behaviour for the observed vicarious reinforcement- positive or negative.

Show question

Question

The learning approach focuses on _________ and rules out the involvement of the cognitive or biological approach in the process of learning.

Show answer

Answer

Observable behaviour

Show question

Question

What is the behavioural approach?

Show answer

Answer

The behavioural approach to learning suggests that changes in the behaviour of organisms are shaped by their interaction with and experience of their environment.

Show question

Question

Which of these statements about the behavioural approach is false?

Show answer

Answer

Mental processes explain more about human behaviour.

Show question

Question

Who laid down the assumptions of the behavioural approach?


Show answer

Answer

Watson in 1913.

Show question

Question

Which assumption is true about the behaviourist approach?


Show answer

Answer

Experiment conclusions from animal studies can be easily generalised to humans.

Show question

Question

According to the behavioural approach, the behaviours of organisms are explained by:

Show answer

Answer

Both.

Show question

Question

Give two main assumptions of the behavioural approach.


Show answer

Answer

  • Behaviourist psychology studies behaviours that are observable and quantifiable.
  • Behaviours are mostly learnt from interactions with our environment, which supports the nurture approach.
  • Humans and animals exhibit very similar learning patterns, so conclusions from animal experiments can be generalised/ extrapolated to humans.
  • In line with its objective and scientific approach to psychology, experiments conducted by the behavioural approach are mostly lab-controlled.


Show question

Question

Who suggested the theory of operant conditioning?


Show answer

Answer

Skinner (1948) proposed the theory.

Show question

Question

Who suggested the theory of classical conditioning?


Show answer

Answer

Pavlov (1897) proposed the theory.

Show question

Question

Provide an argument in support of behaviourism.


Show answer

Answer

Classical and operant conditioning have practical applications in psychological treatments, as, for example, in the systematic desensitisation for treating phobias, which is based on classical conditioning.

Show question

Question

Provide an argument against behaviourism.


Show answer

Answer

The behavioural approach portrays humans as passive beings whose cognitive thought processes do not influence their behaviours.

Show question

Question

What, according to Skinner, is positive reinforcement?


Show answer

Answer

Positive reinforcement is when an action performed is rewarded.

Show question

Question

Give an example of negative reinforcement.


Show answer

Answer

Brushing your teeth every night before going to bed to avoid cavities (any answer is fine as long as it involves carrying out behaviour to avoid a negative outcome). 

Show question

Question

What animal was used in Skinner’s 1948 research?

Show answer

Answer

Rats.

Show question

Question

What animal was used in Pavlov’s 1897 research?

Show answer

Answer

Dogs.

Show question

Question

Which cause of human behaviour is not considered by the behavioural approach?

Show answer

Answer

Biological

Show question

Question

What is the social learning theory?

Show answer

Answer

Social learning theory suggests learning occurs by observing or imitating others.

Show question

Question

Social learning theory is an arch between the behavioural approach and the_______.

Show answer

Answer

Cognitive approach.

Show question

Question

Name the four mediational processes in social learning theory.


Show answer

Answer

  • Attention.
  • Retention.
  • Reproduction.
  • Motivation.

Show question

Question

Who was the sample of Bandura et al. (1961)?


Show answer

Answer

36 boys and 36 girls in the age group of 3-6 years.

Show question

Question

What was the conclusion of the Bandura et al. (1961) experiment?


Show answer

Answer

  • Group 1 imitated the model by showing more aggression towards the doll than the other two groups.
  • Boys were more physically aggressive towards the doll compared to girls.
  • Verbal aggression among both genders was similar.

Show question

Question

Which famous case was supported by the Bandura et al. 1961 theory of social learning?


Show answer

Answer

Jamie Bulgars in 1990.

Show question

Question

Provide one argument in support of social learning theory.


Show answer

Answer

  • Social learning theory may explain the influence of media on human behaviour.
  • Compared to conditioning, social learning theory presents a more comprehensive example of human behaviour that also considers cognitive factors such as mediational processes.
  • It also helps explain cultural differences in determining human behaviour, as behaviours are imitated if people are exposed to them.

Show question

Question

Provide one argument against social learning theory.


Show answer

Answer

The entire sample was just children. If this experiment included adults, the results might have been different as the adults have developed proper moral values compared to children.

Show question

Question

Which type of experiment did Albert Bandura et al (1961/63) conduct?


Show answer

Answer

Lab experiment.

Show question

Question

Which group showed more aggression in the Bandura and Walters experiment (1963)?


Show answer

Answer

Group 1 showed more aggression followed by group 3.

Show question

Question

What is true about the Bandura et al. (1961) research?


Show answer

Answer

Boys were more aggressive than girls.

Show question

Question

What were the aggressive tools in the Albert Bandura et al. (1961) experiment?


Show answer

Answer

Aggressive tools included a hammer and a pistol.

Show question

Question

What were the non-aggressive tools in the Bandura et al. (1961) experiment?


Show answer

Answer

Non-aggressive tools included farm animals and pencils.

Show question

Question

Define retention as a mediational factor.


Show answer

Answer

Retention requires storing the observed behaviour in the long term memory for later retrieval. Imitation is a gradual process and might not occur immediately.

Show question

Question

Define motivation as a mediational factor.

Show answer

Answer

Motivation implies that there should be an expectation to retrieve the same positive reinforcement the model received for replicating the observed behaviour.

Show question

Question

What was the aim of Bandura's Bobo doll study?

Show answer

Answer

The study investigates whether children can learn behaviours solely from observing adults. 

Show question

Question

How did Bandura (1961) use matched pair design in his research?

Show answer

Answer

Participants were first assessed for their aggression levels by two observers and divided into groups in a way that ensured similar levels of aggression across groups. 

Show question

Question

Describe the sample size of Bandura’s (1961) experiment.

Show answer

Answer

Bandura et al. (1961) recruited children from Stanford University nursery. Seventy-two children (36 girls and 36 boys) aged three to six participated in his laboratory experiment. 

Show question

Question

How many independent variables did Bandura's study have?

Show answer

Answer

3.

Show question

60%

of the users don't pass the Learning Approaches quiz! Will you pass the quiz?

Start Quiz

How would you like to learn this content?

Creating flashcards
Studying with content from your peer
Taking a short quiz

How would you like to learn this content?

Creating flashcards
Studying with content from your peer
Taking a short quiz

Free psychology cheat sheet!

Everything you need to know on . A perfect summary so you can easily remember everything.

Access cheat sheet

Discover the right content for your subjects

No need to cheat if you have everything you need to succeed! Packed into one app!

Study Plan

Be perfectly prepared on time with an individual plan.

Quizzes

Test your knowledge with gamified quizzes.

Flashcards

Create and find flashcards in record time.

Notes

Create beautiful notes faster than ever before.

Study Sets

Have all your study materials in one place.

Documents

Upload unlimited documents and save them online.

Study Analytics

Identify your study strength and weaknesses.

Weekly Goals

Set individual study goals and earn points reaching them.

Smart Reminders

Stop procrastinating with our study reminders.

Rewards

Earn points, unlock badges and level up while studying.

Magic Marker

Create flashcards in notes completely automatically.

Smart Formatting

Create the most beautiful study materials using our templates.

Sign up to highlight and take notes. It’s 100% free.

Start learning with StudySmarter, the only learning app you need.

Sign up now for free
Illustration