Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionTypesStages of LearningHistory
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Stages of Learning
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Have you ever wondered why you reach for your phone every time you hear a ding or why you follow the same patterns at work each day? It’s not just habit; it’s the psychology of learning at work. Different types of learning—including association, reinforcement, and observation—all impact the skills we acquire, the habits we pick up, and the behaviors we mimic.
The psychology oflearningfocuses on a range of topics related to how people learn and interact with their environments. Such principles can be seen in classic psychology experiments (think Pavlov’s dogs drooling every time they heard a bell) and everyday behavior, like when we endlessly scroll through apps designed to keep us hooked.
If you want to know more about how people acquire new knowledge and modify their behaviors, learning more about the psychology of learning can help. Some main types of learning includeclassical conditioning, operant conditioning, and learning through observation. Knowing which one is best suited for a particular situation can help you get the most out of your learning experiences.
Definition of Learning in Psychology
Learningcan be defined in many ways, but most psychologists would agree that it is a relatively permanent change in behavior that results from experience. During the first half of the 20th century, the school of thought known as behaviorism rose to dominate psychology and sought to explain the learning process. Behaviorism sought to measure only observable behaviors.
Overview of Behaviorism
3 Types of Learning in Psychology
Behavioral learning falls into three general categories.
Classical Conditioning
Classical conditioning is a learning process in which an association is made between a previously neutral stimulus and a stimulus that naturally evokes a response.
For example, inPavlov’s classic experiment, the smell of food was the naturally occurring stimulus that was paired with the previously neutral ringing of the bell. Once an association had been made between the two, the sound of the bell alone could lead to a response.
For example, if you don’t know how to swim and were to fall into a pool, you’d take action to avoid the pool.
How Classical Conditioning Works
Operant Conditioning
Skinner described how reinforcement could lead to increases in behaviors where punishment would result in decreases.
He also found that the timing of when reinforcements were delivered influenced how quickly a behavior was learned and how strong the response would be. The timing and rate of reinforcement are known asschedules of reinforcement.
For example, your child might learn to complete their homework because you reward them with treats and/or praise.
How Operant Conditioning Works
Observational Learning
Observational learning is a process in which learning occurs through observing and imitating others. Albert Bandura’ssocial learning theorysuggests that in addition to learning through conditioning, people also learn through observing and imitating the actions of others.
1:42Basic Principles of Social Learning Theory
1:42
Basic Principles of Social Learning Theory
As demonstrated in his classicBobo Dollexperiments, people will imitate the actions of others without direct reinforcement. Four important elements are essential for effective observational learning: attention, motor skills, motivation, and memory.
For example, a teen’s older sibling gets a speeding ticket, with the unpleasant results of fines and restrictions. The teen then learns not to speed when they take up driving.
RecapThe three types of learning in psychology are classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning.
Recap
The three types of learning in psychology are classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning.
How Observational Learning Works
While learning can occur in a variety of ways, it typically involves three important stages:
History of the Psychology of Learning
One of the first thinkers to study how learning influences behavior was psychologistJohn B. Watson, who suggested in his seminal 1913 paperPsychology as the Behaviorist Views Itthat all behaviors are a result of the learning process.
Psychology, the behaviorists believed, should be the scientific study ofobservable, measurablebehavior. Watson’s work included the famousLittle Albert experimentin which he conditioned a small child to fear a white rat.
Other important figures in the psychology of learning include:
Takeaways
The psychology of learning encompasses a vast body of research that generally focuses on classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning. As the field evolves, it continues to have important implications for explaining and motivating human behavior. Behavioral theories have played an important role in our understanding of the learning process, but today we also understand that many factors influence how and what we learn.
3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yamamoto T.Classical conditioning(Pavlovian conditioning). In: Binder MD, Hirokawa N, Windhorst U, eds.Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 2009:744-746. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_1067Bouton ME, Balleine BW.Prediction and control of operant behavior: What you see is not all there is.Behav Anal (Wash D C). 2019;19(2):202-212. doi:10.1037/bar0000108Little B.Observational learning. In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2020:3294-3295. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1801
3 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yamamoto T.Classical conditioning(Pavlovian conditioning). In: Binder MD, Hirokawa N, Windhorst U, eds.Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 2009:744-746. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_1067Bouton ME, Balleine BW.Prediction and control of operant behavior: What you see is not all there is.Behav Anal (Wash D C). 2019;19(2):202-212. doi:10.1037/bar0000108Little B.Observational learning. In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2020:3294-3295. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1801
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Yamamoto T.Classical conditioning(Pavlovian conditioning). In: Binder MD, Hirokawa N, Windhorst U, eds.Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 2009:744-746. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_1067Bouton ME, Balleine BW.Prediction and control of operant behavior: What you see is not all there is.Behav Anal (Wash D C). 2019;19(2):202-212. doi:10.1037/bar0000108Little B.Observational learning. In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2020:3294-3295. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1801
Yamamoto T.Classical conditioning(Pavlovian conditioning). In: Binder MD, Hirokawa N, Windhorst U, eds.Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 2009:744-746. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_1067
Bouton ME, Balleine BW.Prediction and control of operant behavior: What you see is not all there is.Behav Anal (Wash D C). 2019;19(2):202-212. doi:10.1037/bar0000108
Little B.Observational learning. In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2020:3294-3295. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1801
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