Cognitive Learning Theory
Angela Baker
PSY 331
Mr. Domingo Mamaril
June 21, 2010
Cognitive Learning Theory Cognitive theorists try to explain human behavior by understanding how we process and store new information. The cognitive theories of learning originated from the gestalt theory. The three major contributors to the cognitive learning theories were Jean Piaget, Edward Tolman, and Albert Bandura. In this paper, I will evaluate the work of all three theorists, demonstrate an understanding of the theory, and explain how the theory can be applied to our current educational environment. The gestalt theory was founded by three men, Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohlu, and Kurt Koffka. Wertheimer conducted several experiments, using a
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Tolman agrees mostly with the Gestalists about education. Tolman would test hypotheses in the learning environment. He would want the learner to be exposed to different viewpoints and encourage small group discussions. Tolman believed that learning occurs non-stop.
Tolman and Bandura share a lot of the same believes. They agree that learning is a continuous process that does not require reinforcement. Albert Bandura’s learning theory is known as observational learning theory. Bandura believed in reciprocal determinism, in that the environment and the behavior of a person cause each other. He believed that we learn from observing the consequences of our behavior. Bandura is famous for his study known as the “bobo doll” studies (Boeree, 2010). The study involved a group of children viewing a film of a woman beating a blow up clown. The children were allowed to play with a blown up clown and most mimicked the woman’s behavior. He preformed this study in many different ways, even using a real clown in one. This lead Bandura to believe, that there were steps involved in the modeling process (Boeree, 2010). He believed that for us to learn we must pay attention. If we lose our attention we will have a decrease in learning. We then must be able to recall what we were paying attention to. Bandura believes that we store what we have seen as mental images or verbally. Next we have to be able to reproduce what
Bandura had developed the theory on social learning, this is based on we learn from one and another through
Albert Bandura created the bobo doll experiment in 1961, the aim of this experiment was to show that if children where witnesses to aggressive displays by an adult of some sort they would imitate this behaviour when given an opportunity. The tested group contained 36 young girls and 36 young boys all aged between 4 and 5 years which was then divided into 3 groups of 24 – the aggressive condition, the non aggressive condition and the control group. The first group involved the children watching aggressive models, where the children where then subdivided by sex of the role model they were exposed to. The second group
Albert Bandura’s theory of observational learning states that an individual learns certain behaviors by observing and imitating other people. Matthew did this when he was playing with my 6 year old sister, Katie, my 6 year old cousin, Aifa, and his 5 year old neighbor, Jaiden. They were all in the toy room. When the three older kids wanted to play pretend kitchen, Matthew dropped the action figure he was playing with to try to join them. He was at first confused on what to do, but when he noticed Jaiden putting fake food on pans, he then
Born in 1902 in Salinas, California, Nobel Prize winner, John Steinbeck, was one of the most important writers in America during the 20th century. In his novels, East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row, and In Dubious Battle, Steinbeck explores what it takes for a person to find true happiness in life. Steinbeck addresses the pursuit for happiness in one’s life—the American Dream—, by questioning modern idea of it being achieved through material items and the path people take to accomplish it. Steinbeck also addresses the happiness people find in relationships and how connecting to someone can affect a person’s decisions in life. To communicate his ideas with the reader, Steinbeck creates the storyline of his novels, connecting his
There are three core concepts in social learning, first learning through observation, mental state is essential part of the process and the theory also recognises that just because something is learnt doesn’t mean it will result in a change in behaviour.(cited in Burns 1995)Positive reinforcement is far more effective than negative reinforcement. Bandura believed that observation and direct reinforcement could
The purpose of this experiment was to determine what happens to baking Soda when it is heated. It was hypothesized that the baking soda would bubble and turn into a gas. It is concluded that the data partially supports the hypothesis. The baking soda did not bubble, but it did create some form of gas. A test tube was placed in a position where a rubber tube connected the test tube to a soda bottle. In part 1 of this experiment as the water exited the bottle, some form of gas replaced the missing water. Towards the middle of this experiment condensation appeared in the test tube and the baking soda formed a clump like structure unlike its original form. At the end of this experiment the bottle squashed and was estimated to have loss 14% of its
The room was also equipped with a one-way window so the child could be observed without their acknowledgement. The experiment showed that the consequences in the films that the children observed in the ending, created a different outcome. The children who witnessed the film were the adult was rewarded was most likely to repeat or imitate the aggressive behavior toward the Bobo doll. In the situation of the other children who watched the adult being punished for their aggressive behavior, the children were less likely to recreate the aggressive behavior towards the Bobo doll. After the findings Bandura added to the experiment. The children who watched any of the three films were asked to recreate what the adult did in the film. Each imitation the child recreated correctly, they were rewarded with candy and stickers. Virtually all the children were capable of recreating all actions, aggressive or non-aggressive. The different variations of the films the children watched had no impact on them. In conclusion to Bandura’s experiment, you are capable of imitating any behavior, aggressive or non-aggressive, but you are more likely to imitate if there is expectation of any type of reward.
From the Article of “Nuclear energy Opposing viewpoints online collection”, many experts point out that, despite the accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, nuclear power is still very safe. Indeed, one scientist has noted that the estimated number of deaths that might have resulted from Chernobyl is no greater than the annual number of deaths in the United States caused by air pollution from coal-burning power plants.
Teachers have been influenced greatly in their classes by Bandura’s theories in order to meet the needs of various different learning styles. As an educator I have observed some teachers who use a teaching format that does not include students in observational learning and they tend to be less motivated than those students who learn by the observational models. My paper will discuss Bandura’s biography, observational learning models, and self-efficacy in learning.
Another point, perhaps the weakest of the study, is methodological shortcomings. Inflated Bobo doll, is primarily designed to be hit down and bounce back up, so basically its purpose is being hit, therefore when the children hit the doll, it didn’t necessarily mean that they were imitating their role models. This contradictory argument is supported by Kniverton and Stephenson found in 1970. On the other hand, bearing all these limitations in mind, “we can deduce that the role model did indeed have a genuine effect on the child’s observed reaction and imitation because all variables other than the independent variable were well and tightly controlled.” This finding is really useful, not purely because it supports the theory of learning through observation, but mainly it demonstrates usefulness of explaining real world situations, such as the influence of TV and actors on children (this is also applicable to further development of social cognitive theory). Probably the biggest strength of this theory is its high face validity. The idea that children would imitate other’s behaviour is highly probable, because we see it every day. But although there are some really strong supporting arguments, that children actually imitate the behaviour, it
Learning is a multifaceted perception unique to each individual. In looking to address the intricacies of learning, there have been a multitude of learning theories established over the centuries. To this day new theories are developed and traditional theories continue to be developed and expanded upon. (Swinburne Online, 2016)
This essay will compare and contrast three key theories of learning; Behaviourism, Cognitive Learning Theory and Constructivism.
Cognitive and behavioral learning theories tend to dominate modern discussions of learning theories. Employed in both educational and clinical settings, both have important contributions to understanding how and why individuals learn. Is one approach statistically better than the other, or do they each have their own place where one approach may be more effective under specific circumstances? Each theory has supporters who claim the efficacy of their theory is superior. Comparison of the theories is necessary to determine if one is significantly better than the other, or even if one theory may be slightly more effective than the other. Determining if one competing theory
The Bobo Doll Experiment was a study on aggression conducted by Albert Bandura at Stanford University in 1961 because there was a lot of debate about whether a child’s social development was due to genetics, environment factors, or social learning from others around them. The purpose of the study was to give credit to Bandura’s claim that children behavior can be acquired by observation and imitation of a trusted adult role model. The experiment was performed by a team of researchers who physically and verbally mistreated a 3- and 5-foot painted cartoon clown doll, that is designed to sit back upright when knocked down, in front of preschool-age children, which led the children to later copy the behavior of the adults by attacking the doll in the same fashion.
The very first thing one must know about the constructivist theory of learning is the premise that learners arrive at learning situations with prior knowledge and proceed to take and active part in building new knowledge upon that prior knowledge as they experience new things and reflect on those collected experiences (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2012). This theory directly contradicts the behaviorist learning theory in which learners are believed to arrive at learning situations with “clean slates” of understanding. From a behaviorist’s perspective, people learn because as they respond to negative and positive stimuli in their environment (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2012). While that may change observable behavior