Learning Approaches

This section explores The Learning Approaches in Psychology. The Learning Approaches in psychology focus on the idea that behaviour is learned from the environment through conditioning, reinforcement, or observation. The two main learning approaches are the Behaviourist Approach and Social Learning Theory.

The Behaviourist Approach

The Behaviourist Approach asserts that all behaviours are acquired through interaction with the environment. It relies heavily on observable behaviour rather than internal processes, rejecting introspective methods. Behaviourists view learning as a relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs due to experience.

Classical Conditioning – Ivan Pavlov’s Research

Classical conditioning is a learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus, producing a conditioned response.

Key Concepts:

• Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): A stimulus that naturally triggers a response (e.g., food).
• Unconditioned Response (UCR): A natural response to the UCS (e.g., salivation due to food).
• Neutral Stimulus (NS): A stimulus that initially produces no specific response.
• Conditioned Stimulus (CS): A previously neutral stimulus that, after association with the UCS, triggers a conditioned response.
• Conditioned Response (CR): The learned response to the CS.

Pavlov’s Research:

Pavlov conducted experiments on dogs, demonstrating classical conditioning by pairing the sound of a bell (NS) with food (UCS), which led to salivation (UCR).

After repeated pairings, the sound of the bell alone (now the CS) elicited salivation (CR), showing that learning had taken place.

This research demonstrated that reflexive responses could be learned through association, forming the basis of classical conditioning.

Operant Conditioning – B.F. Skinner’s Research

Operant conditioning involves learning through the consequences of behaviour, with an emphasis on reinforcement and punishment.

Key Concepts:

• Reinforcement: Increases the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated.
• Positive Reinforcement: Adding a pleasant stimulus to increase a behaviour (e.g., praise for completing homework).
• Negative Reinforcement: Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behaviour (e.g., taking away chores when homework is done).
• Punishment: Decreases the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated.
• Positive Punishment: Adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease behaviour (e.g., extra chores for misbehaving).
• Negative Punishment: Removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease behaviour (e.g., taking away privileges).

Skinner’s Research:

Skinner’s experiments used a device known as the Skinner Box, where animals (typically rats or pigeons) learned to perform certain behaviours (like pressing a lever) in response to reinforcement.

When a rat pressed a lever, it received a food pellet (positive reinforcement), increasing the likelihood of lever-pressing behaviour.

Skinner demonstrated that behaviour could be shaped through reinforcement, which provided foundational knowledge on how learning occurs through consequences.

Skinner’s work helped solidify the principles of operant conditioning, illustrating how complex behaviours could be taught through the careful application of reinforcement and punishment.

Social Learning Theory (SLT) – Albert Bandura’s Research

Social Learning Theory (SLT) proposes that people learn behaviours through observing and imitating others, particularly role models. SLT incorporates cognitive processes, recognising that learning does not always result in an immediate behaviour change and emphasising the role of mediational processes.

Key Concepts in SLT

• Imitation: Copying the behaviour of others. Learning through imitation is influenced by observing the consequences of the behaviour.
• Identification: When an individual feels a sense of similarity or connection to a role model, making them more likely to imitate the model’s behaviour.
• Modelling: Demonstrating a behaviour that others may learn from. In observational learning, the individual (or role model) provides an example of a behaviour to be learned.
• Vicarious Reinforcement: Learning occurs when an individual observes another person’s behaviour and its consequences, which influences the likelihood of imitating that behaviour.

The Role of Mediational Processes in SLT

• Mediational processes refer to the mental processes that occur between observing a behaviour and imitating it. These include:
• Attention: The extent to which the individual notices the behaviour. Attention is necessary for learning to occur.
• Retention: The ability to remember the observed behaviour. If the behaviour is not remembered, imitation is less likely.
• Motor Reproduction: The ability of the observer to physically replicate the observed action.
• Motivation: The will to perform the behaviour, often influenced by vicarious reinforcement or punishment.

Bandura’s Research: The Bobo Doll Experiment

Albert Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment was instrumental in demonstrating SLT.

In Bandura’s study, children observed an adult acting aggressively towards a Bobo doll (a large inflatable toy).

The children were then allowed to interact with the Bobo doll. Those who had observed aggressive behaviour were more likely to act aggressively towards the doll, imitating the adult’s behaviour.

Bandura found that children were more likely to imitate a model’s behaviour if they saw the model being rewarded, illustrating vicarious reinforcement.

This study provided evidence for observational learning and highlighted the importance of mediational processes in imitation.

Evaluation of Learning Approaches

Both the Behaviourist Approach and Social Learning Theory have contributed significantly to psychology, but each has its strengths and limitations.

Strengths:

• Empirical Evidence: Both approaches are supported by extensive experimental evidence (e.g., Pavlov’s dogs, Skinner’s operant conditioning, Bandura’s Bobo doll study).
• Practical Applications: Operant and classical conditioning principles are widely applied in behaviour modification, education, and therapy (e.g., systematic desensitisation in phobias).
• Acknowledges the Role of Environment: Both theories emphasise the impact of environmental influences on behaviour.

Limitations:

• Reductionism: The Behaviourist Approach is often criticised for oversimplifying complex human behaviours by ignoring cognitive processes and focusing only on observable actions.
• Determinism: Both theories can be seen as deterministic, suggesting that behaviour is shaped entirely by the environment, without room for free will.
• Underestimation of Biological Influences: The behaviourist approach neglects the role of genetic and biological factors in behaviour.
• Social Learning Theory partially addresses these limitations by incorporating cognitive elements (mediational processes) and recognising the role of observational learning, making it more holistic compared to strict behaviourism.

Summary

The Behaviourist Approach and Social Learning Theory are foundational theories in psychology's study of learning. The Behaviourist Approach focuses on learning through association and reinforcement, while Social Learning Theory incorporates observation and cognitive factors. Together, these approaches have provided valuable insights into how individuals acquire new behaviours and have informed a range of practical applications in education, mental health, and beyond.