Learning Theory

If you want to get into the nitty gritty about learning and all the complex issues it entails, you will discover that there is a learning theory to describe how, well, how you learn. There are many perspectives to pursue as theorized by countless psychologists but it all boils down to four main types – behavioral, cognitive, social and humanist.

In the behavioral learning theory, a change in behavior is introduced by outside stimuli to produce the positive, desired response needed to learn. You know when people tell you that you learn by your mistakes? Well, this applies to this type of learning theory.

The next theory in the line-up of learning is cognitive. Psychologists who believe in cognitivism believe that everything you do whether it is feeling, thinking or acting is an actual behavior. This particular view of the world is called the cognitive learning theory.

Other psychologists believe that learning can stem from how you act in response to certain social behaviors. In other words, you model your behavior against how others deal in similar situations and learn from their actions. Your social learning theory is based on using an existing framework to build up on your learning.

With the humanist learning theory, psychologists feel that your personal needs dictate how you behave.  Physiological requirements as well as security, love, a sense of belonging and self-awareness all create a certain learning atmosphere in which you base your actions. In this particular learning theory, there are different stages of learning, a hierarchy which starts with the physiological requirements first which must be satisfied before moving to the next level and so forth.

For the most part, educators don’t really bother with trying to figure out the learning theory that applies to you. Instead, they will try and identify how you learn and the style that suits you best when you retain the most information and are able to recall it.