Learning Theories

Lev Vygotsky believed teachers could control many factors in an education environment. Vygotsky proposed with his unique theory on social learning that learning occurred through social interaction in a social environment. What Is Vygotsky’s Theory? Also known as the “Mozart of Psychology, ” Russian teacher and psychologist Lev Vygotsky contributed significantly to child development and…

Is the law of large numbers only used in statistics and mathematics? What is the law of large numbers and how does it relate to coin flips, the gambler’s fallacy, insurance, and AI? What Is The Law Of Large Numbers?  According to the Law Of Large Numbers, in statistics and probability theory, the average result…

Have you ever thought about how you think and learn? It’s called metacognition. Metacognitive strategies help students regulate, evaluate and modify learning strategies to become better learners. Teaching metacognition in the classroom can help students develop metacognition strategies for improved learning and perform particular tasks.   Let’s delve further into what is metacognition, and how…

Ever have an identity crisis? You aren’t alone. Dr. Erikson would say everyone has had multiple over the course of their lifetimes. Erik Erikson believed personality developed in stages throughout a person’s lifespan; in each stage, a person faces a crisis they need to resolve to develop the psychological quality for that development stage.   Who…

Do teachers still use rote learning today, or is it an obsolete and no longer an effective learning method? Rote learning is a learning process based-on repetition. Examples of rote learning are memorizing basic concepts like numbers, the alphabet, or multiplication tables. High school students need to have learned the periodic table, and copywriting students…

The way the brain processes information helps instructors understand how to use multimedia learning more effectively. Dual channels, limited capacity, and active processing are three assumptions Richard E. Mayer, professor of psychology at the University of California, based his cognitive theory of multimedia learning on. Mayer has authored over 500 publications, including 30 books. In…

Can an effect be accurately linked to a cause or a list of causes? How predictable or unpredictable is the weather and weather forecasts? In the 1960s, MIT meteorology professor Edward Lorenz was convinced computers could accurately forecast the weather conditions. If they can predict the trajectory of planets in the solar system, why not…

You have heard the saying that your brain is like a computer. Many may agree, but some would disagree, stating that you cannot compare the two because a human brain can do things computers cannot, like experiencing emotions. Computers that break can be fixed by replacing the parts; a human’s brain is not that easy…

One of the most influential thinkers of the Middle Ages was English Franciscan friar and philosopher William of Ockham. Ockham was the village in the English county of Surrey, where he was born. By misspelling Ockham, his theory became known as Occam’s Razor. It is also called Ockham’s Razor, Law of Economy, and the Law…

Operant conditioning is something to be observed in most areas of a growing child’s life, as well as in the adult world. It has been widely applied in human behavior modification processes using reinforcement techniques. A student that receives a positive response from the teacher may become encouraged to repeat the behavior. The opposite is…

What makes an action right or wrong? Do the consequences of your actions matter?  Is it allowable to act morally wrong, yet achieving good consequences? Are there situations where it is okay to against what human nature deems right or wrong?  Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, addressed these questions in his deontological ethics theory. Deontology…

It’s common knowledge that kids often mimic adults and peers. Parents have been delighted but also embarrassed when their kiddo modeled their behavior in public. Social learning theorists have proposed various theories about the complexity of learning. Psychologist Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory expanded on the available learning theories of the time. He believed the…

The name Abraham Maslow is one of the first names that come to mind when discussing what motivates human behavior. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was introduced over 70 years ago. He published the article “A Theory of Human Motivation” in the Psychological Review in 1943. Quick Explanation of the Theory Maslow was a humanist psychologist…