Essay - Learning Theories: Compare and Contrast as Learning Theories Attempt to...

Learning Theories: Compare and Contrast

As learning theories attempt to make clear the same concept, they are actually bipolar with respect to individual views of how knowledge is acquired by an individual as well as with respect to the tools (teachers) need for learning. To such theor*****t as Watson ***** Skinner, the behaviorist learning theory is based on ***** taking place through behavioral indicators. As such the emphasis is ***** conditioning wherein learning is a sequence of stimuli and response reactions in observable relationships that can be def*****ed as cause and effect sequences. Although behavioral learning theorists do not discount the importance of cognition in learning, ***** relegate the cognitive phenomenon to an unobservable sign of learning. B. F. Skinner (1968) greatly expanded the original *****ories of behavioral learning brought about ***** Watson and Thorndike by focusing on what is known as operant conditioning. Voluntary ***** au*****matic behavior, according to ***** ***** be strengthened or weakened ***** the immediate occurrence of a rew*****rd and or punishment. Taking this position one step farther, Skinner's position on learning is that new learning occurs as a result of positive reward or reinforcement ***** old learning blueprints are set ********** when negative reward or reinforcement occurs (Belkin & Gray, 1997). Skinner also added to his theory of ***** the concept of 'contingency." According to Skinner education and teaching become effective when on a contingency of reinforcement. That is to say teachers arrange noteworthy contingencies to foster and expedite learning, thus hastening that behavior which would, for the most part, take place slowly (Skinner, 1968). More complex learning would, according to Skinner, be achieved if the process of contingencies and reinforcements were constant and change progressively in the direction of the required *****havior.

Although ***** human*****tic ***** has not garnered extensive support ***** education, such theorists as M*****low and Rogers have definitely placed a new twist on human learning. According to these theorists human learning is a ***** of *****n ********** ***** to express creativity. Further, according to these theorists the humanistic approach to ***** helps to engage ***** learner in creative activities ***** c*****trol, growth and knowledge can be achieved. As ***** a central force or drive encourages the learner to express oneself ***** to learn. In the end ***** *****er needs to satisfy the 'self' by learning ways to become self-actualized, self-maintained, and self-enhanced (Maslow, 1970). When *****n **********, i.e., behaviorism ***** humanism, the ***** paradigm becomes very potent with respect to healthcare education. That is to *****, an individual learns at an optimum level when learning is sequenced, reinforced, and guided by self-improvement and learning activity.

Although the ***** ***** to learning has had a definite impact on education the psychodynamic approach has been less powerful. Based on the theories of such *****-known theorists as Freud ***** Jung the psychodynamic approach to ***** takes ***** a much more personal and subconscious role. According to the aforementioned ***** an individual learns, or does not learn, based upon the interaction that takes place between