Social Sciences Research On Theories Of Human Learning (Essay Sample)

Theories of Human Learning
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Social learning theory
This is also referred to as observational learning which is a kind of cognitive learning whereby, the new responses are acquired after witnessing a certain behavior and the results of the very behavior (Schunk and Zimmerman 2012). This theory indicates that one can learn in absence of reinforcements but rather on their own desire to learn. The research learning theory was formulated by Wolfgang Kohler while stranded on the island and performed his experiments with chimpanzees during World War 1. He observed that chimpanzees could easily solve complex problems through insight learning (Kattari, 2015). This type of learning is a unique form of cognitive learning where problem-solving skills are developed through spontaneous reorganization of the perceptions. The chimpanzee could use boxes to access fruits that were placed high in the cage while for the fruits beyond its reach it could use sticks. The chimpanzee could not get the fruits due to the fall in the trial and error. Before the chimpanzee could give up on the fruit, he resorted to using a box after learning that the box could be used to get to the fruit. This allowed the chimpanzee to get to the fruit to the very end.
Further research on test learning was performed by Edward Tolman using rats. He proved that rats could easily interpret a maze and find an easy route through mental presentations which are known as cognitive maps (O'Connor et al., 2013). Moreover, he found out that animals learn a concept and not just a mere behavior. They found the way not through reinforcements but rather through learning on their own. Both the rats and chimpanzees learned through their own volition and not reinforcements because of the reward for their learning.
Classical conditioning theory
Classical conditioning refers to the pairing of the two stimuli in a way that one stimulus induce the other (Funder, 2015). For instance, when one signal is sent to the brain the second stimuli is automatically induced. This can be proved by the works of Ivan Pavlov’s experiment with the dogs. In his experiment, Pavlov rang the bell first all the time he fed the dogs. He did this repeatedly and consistently for a long period of time. This resulted in the conditioning of the brain of the dogs to start salivating in anticipation of the food all the time they heard the bells ring. The dogs could then salivate all the time the bell rang regardless of whether there was food or not.
Furthermore, Ivan Pavlov and his team did research to unearth the process of digestion in animals by accurately measuring the amount of saliva all the time they offered them food. This research helped understand that animals and human beings learn in a similar manner (Baldwin, 2016). He noted that the salivation of the dogs during feeding in a controlled setting was an involuntary reaction that was developed after repeated ringing of the bells. This indicates that animals and humans have a t...