MULUNGUSHI UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL)

STUDENT NAME: ANNIE CHILUBA

STUDENT NO: 202411344
COURSE: EDUCATIONAL PYSCHOLOGY

COURSE CODE: EDU 211

YEAR OF STUDY: 2ND YEAR
ASSIGNMENT NO: 1
LECTURER NAME: DR KABETA
PHONE NUMBER: +260 974030036
EMAIL: [email protected]

QUESTION:
DEFINE THE CONCEPT OF LEARNING. COMPARE AND CONTRAST IVAN
PAVLOV, B.F.SKINNER AND ALBERT BANDURA’S THEORIES OF LEARNING
AND DISCUSS THEIR IMPLICATION ON THE TEACHING AND LEARNING
PROCESS.
The known definition of learning involves a process that results in a relatively permanent change
in behavior based on an individual’s interactional experience with its environment. Hence,
learning is a significant process that defines an individual’s adaptation. Learning takes place at
all stages of one’s life. However, one may not be aware that learning occurs continuously. It is
advisable to define and describe learning in order to understand it. Skinner, Pavlov and Bandura
are among the most prominent behavioral psychologists who are better known for their
experiments on operation conditioning, classical conditioning and observation learning
respectively (Traxler, J 2019). As cited in literature, they all played an important role in
exploring the process of learning. While they all focused their experiments on a specific
behavior, they had several limitations despite having a few similarities and differences in their
approaches to learning. This this essay will seek to define the concept of learning. It will also
Compare and contrast Ivan Pavlov, B.F.Skinner and Albert Bandura’s theories of learning and
discuss their implication on the teaching and learning process.

The major assumption associated with learning psychology is that factors like the environment,
reinforcement, and other forms of interventions offer the best conditions for understanding
human behavior and learning. Learning has relatively long-term changes in behaviors. Hence,
learning does not result from fatigue, and it does not result from physique changes that occur due
to aging and development. It is difficult to separate an individual’s learning processes and the
environment. This makes learning to be a form of biological adaptation. Learning leads to
behavioral changes, which are unique to a person. It only takes place within one’s lifespan and
originates from environmental experiences. One can note the importance of the environment and
an individual’s interactions with it. The environment is responsible for changes in behaviors that
lead to learning (Ivy Panda, 2024). At the same time, behaviors also exert their influences on the
environment. Psychologists note that adaptation to the environment and learning to adapt result
from the need to survive and find comfort.

There are three different learning theories. These theories are classical conditioning, operant
conditioning, and the social learning theory. Each theory of learning is approached differently,
but they have many similarities and differences. Classical conditioning is based on pain to
stimulus and getting results. Operant conditioning uses reinforcements and punishments and the
social learning theory uses observation. All of these elements have an impact on learning.
Classical conditioning, also known as “Pavlovian” conditioning, was an accidental discovery of
Ivan Pavlov. He was doing a study on the role in saliva and what it did for digestion. During his
study on saliva Pavlov noticed that the dogs were starting to salivate when the attendant that was
feeding the dogs would enter the room the dogs would start to salivate. Either the sight or sounds
of the attendant evoked this behavior in the dogs. Thought Pavlov was not studying the dogs for
this reaction, it was a big discovery. Classical conditioning is “a form of learning that was based
on nothing more than the repeated associate of two stimuli.” With classical conditioning things
are essentially ‘programmed’ into the brain (Burrhus Frederic,2019).

Social Learning Theory originated from Albert Bandura. “Bandura’s Social Learning Theory
posits that people learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling.” (Social
Learning Theory (Bandura) Learning-Theories.com, 2009). His theory is considered the ‘bridge’
cogitative and behaviorist learning theories. The Social Learning Theory uses three things. These
are observing, imitating, and reinforcements. This theory is associated with criminology a lot.
Bandura thought that there was more to learning than just direct reinforcements in learning. He
thought that people were able to learn by watching other people. This was called observational
learning or modeling. Modeling can be used to explain a number of different behaviors. There
are four conditions that are necessary for modeling. These conditions are attention, retention,
reproduction and motivation. To learn something, you must be paying attention. If something
grabs your attention you might miss something important that you are trying to learn. This could
have a negative effect on what you are learning. The next thing is you need to be able to retain
this new information (Burrhus Frederic,2019).

All three theories relate to learning are meant to modify behavior. The way that these theories do
this is through using either a stimulus, reward, reinforce or punishment. No matter what method
is used one will learn a new behavior. There are a few similarities between classical conditioning
and operant conditioning. One of the major similarities is that both classical conditioning and
operant conditioning is that both are learning by association. Classical conditioning is learning
based on two stimuli. Operant conditioning is learning through either positive reinforcement or
punishment or negative punishment or reinforcement. Other similarities in classical conditioning
and operant conditioning are that neither will last if they are not reinforced. Also in both cases
the responses are under control in a stimulus environment. Another interesting thing about these
to conditions is that one can build new behaviors on the previously learned behaviors (Burrhus
Frederic,2019).

social learning theory and operant conditioning are more similar that the social learning theory
and classical conditioning. Both the social learning theory and operant conditioning rely on
motivation, rewards or punishment. In operant conditioning learning is based on what is
acceptable and results in either a reinforcement (reward) or punishment. Social learning theory is
based on watching and learning. If I were to see someone with good behavior get rewarded, I
would be motivated to reproduce their good behavior to get the same reward. The same applies
that if I were to see someone get punished for stealing something and that person gets punished I
would not steal because I would not want to get punished (De Houwer,2020).

In his research, Skinner approached learning from an operant conditioning point of view.
According to the psychologist, the “likelihood of future behavior is determined by the
consequences of past behavior”. He believed that for one to understand psychology, they only
require environment and behavior. He further illustrated how consequences of actions tend to
affect future habits. For instance, if the behavior has no impact, then the possibility of it being
repeated in future remain the same. However, if the said character brings about a consequence
that an individual finds interesting or pleasant, then this can easily strength their actions ,Skinner
also emphasized that actions tend to be reinforced either negatively or positive. On one hand,
positive reinforcement encourages behavior to be repeated. On the other hand, negative
reinforcement aims at removing the unpleasant experience from repeating itself. For example, a
child may clean their room to prevent being yield at. The last type of reinforcement proposed by
Skinner is punishment, an unpleasant experience that decreases the likelihood of engaging in the
same behavior (De Houwer,2020).

Unlike Skinner, Pavlov focused his research on understanding how classical conditioning impact
behavior. Pavlov’s narrowed his experiment on exploring how digestive process in dogs could be
conditioned to achieve the desired results. His studies involved redirecting “the animal’s
digestive fluids outside the body, where they could be measured”. From this, the findings
indicated that his dog would immediately salivate in the presence of a specific technician – one
who feeds them, as opposed to simply salivating in the presence of food. Pavlov later described
the dog’s timely salivation as “psychic secretion” . These informal findings were used in
performing experimental tests which involved a stimulus such as the sound of metronome,
followed by giving the dog some food. After several repetitions, the dog started salivated as a
response to the stimulus. This led Pavlov to conclude that if a specific stimulus within the dog’s
environment is used as a condition before giving the dog some food, then the stimulus could
become associated with food.

In line with the above, Albert Bandura’s research was aimed at testing his social learning theory.
Bandura carried out several Bobo dolls experiments between 1961 and 1963. His aim was to
observe children’s behavior after having watched an adult model act aggressively towards a
Bobo doll., the most notable variation of the experiment measured the children’s behavior after
seeing the adult model rewarded, punished, or experience no consequence for physically abusing
the Bobo doll. Social learning theory holds that people, specifically children, tend to learn
through observation, imitation and modeling. Bandura’s experiment demonstrated that people
can also learn from watching others being rewarded or punished

Skinner’s operation conditioning can be used to decrease disruptive behavior by either

eliminating a desirable outcome by applying a negative outcome. For example, a teacher can use
operation conditioning by informing the learners that they risk losing recess privileges if they
continue talking out of turn in class. The learners may abandon the disruptive behavior because
they fear being punished. However, Skinner’s approach, as argued by may fail to yield the
desired outcome because it was limited to a single response. According to the authors, “Skinner-
box method encourages the study of just one or two already-learned responses”. Another
limitation is that the approach cannot be used in teaching complex concepts and may not work
for everyone. In other words, punishment cannot always prevent behavior from being repeated
(De Houwer,2020)..

Similarly, Pavlov’s classical condition could be used in understanding smoking as a behavior.

Classical conditioning suggests that when smoking repeatedly follows a neutral stimulus,
conditioned responses tend to develop to this stimulus. A neutral stimulus in this case refers to
the smoking cues which often trigger cravings for smoking, thus making quitting difficult. For
instance, when smokers encounter the environment cues that are paired to smoking, they end up
developing a greater urge to smoke – their pulse rates tend to increase. The main limitation of
classical conditioning, as noted, is that it is deterministic. This means that it does not allow for
any degree of free in the individual (De Houwer,2020).

In the Pavlovian conditioning, an individual smoking behavior develops from their ability to
associate learning with events of stimuli that repeatedly happen together. For example, smokers
tend to associate certain smell to their behavior – the urge to smoke is elevated whenever they
find themselves in an environment with this type of smell. Similarly, in operant conditioning,
individuals also learn to associate events with a particular behavior, in this case aggression, with
its consequences – punishment or reinforcement. In the case of children in classroom, a pleasant
consequence will encourage them to be more aggressive in future (Meulders, 2020). Punishment,
on the other hand, deters or reduces the possibility of this habit from repeating itself. On the
contrary, Bandura’s observation learning aims at extending the effective range of both classical
and operation conditioning this is achieved through watching and imitation. This means that if
other people are engaging in aggressive behavior, the observant will model the same habits.

In conclusion, it can be said that When comparing the three learning theories classical
conditioning, operant conditioning, and the social learning theory they all share similarities and
differences. These theories modify behavior through various things such as stimulus, rewards or
punishments. The social learning theory and operant conditioning rely on rewards or
punishments. There are also different between these learning styles. Classical conditioning relies
on a stimulus and a response that is involuntary. The social learning theory is based on the
conditions you are in and if you will pick up on the actions and behaviors of others. Operant
conditioning depends on consequences for your actions. Skinner, Pavlov and Bandura’s
experiments have been used severally by different scholars and psychologists to understand how
and why people develop certain behaviors just as discussed above.
 References

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Disorders: A Conceptual Analysis and Brief Review.” Behaviour Research and
Therapy, vol. 12, no. 7, 2020, pp. 103-400. Web.
3. Meulders, Ann. “From Fear of Movement-Related Pain and Avoidance to Chronic
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https://ivypanda.com/essays/skinners-pavlovs-and-banduras-experiments/