Learning theories wiki

Plus

• Implies the dominance of the instructor and is therefore of significant relevance to teachers in educational settings.
• Relevant to skill development and the substrate or conditions of learning.
• Conditioning - behaviour can be conditioned via the linkage of an unconditioned stimulus with a conditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response.
• Does not require the learner to 'do' anything.
• Operant conditioning - behaviour can be based on consequences which can reinforce, punish or lead to extinction (by lack of consequence) of the behaviour.

Minus

• Simplifies complex cognitive processes - the brain is viewed as a 'black box' (Mergel, 1998),with outputs in response to inputs.
• Many behaviourism studies are performed on animals and are generalised. The relevance of such studies to higher order animals and humans must therefore be challenged.
• Conditioning works both ways - stimuli can be associated with fear and thus negative outcomes in some instances. Must be aware creation of phobias is possible.
• Operant conditioning can be confounded by a phenomenon known as "feedforward" (Gardner et. al. 1988) where simple stimuli are paired, and consequences become ineffective.

Interesting

• What are the ethical constraints regarding punishment in operant conditioning?
• Learning theories assume that experience shapes behaviour, yet this is not always the case. What causes resistance to reward and punishment in shaping behaviour?
• How do different learning disorders affect conditioning?
• Conditioning can be used to develop addiction. Advertising, food, and gaming industries capitalise on this learning style. Can children be conditioned to become addicted to learning??...
• Could be attributed as an evolutionary trait - "survival of the fittest".
• What are the ethical implications of behavioural studies performed on both animals and humans.
• Are humans different to other animals with regards to their ability to anticipate punishment?