Types of Learning in Psychology

1. Learning by observation

When we observe and imitate the behavior of other people that is called learning by observation. This process is often called modeling.  A famous psychologist 'Bendura' believes that most of our learning takes place through observation. We learn by watching the performance of other people, and then, imitate what we observe.

The process of learning by watching other is called observational learning, also known as social learning.  We learn all kind of social behavior by observing and imitating models. Models are most useful when their actions and words are consistent.  Children are particularly influenced by the behavior of adult and peers role model.

The fact that people I can learn by watching the behaviour of other, does not mean that they always will.  At one time or another, most people ignore the experience of other and must find out something else for themselves.

Observational learning may involve self reinforcement, which are thought and statement that we make to our self.  That is why we are purposefully controlling or reinforcing our learning process. We learn much to observe of models, both pro-social and anti-social behavior. So we can say observational learning can be positive and negative, as well. Children may learn to perform helpful behaviors by watching their teachers, i.e.  To help other students with school problems

According to Bendura,   there are four requirements in observational learning

Attentional process:  Close attention is necessary to what is happening around people cannot learn and less they are able to observe models behaviour. Attention paid to model depends upon different factors of observational learning. A child may be more likely to imitate and uncle then a father.

Retentional process: The learner organizes and retains what has been observed, revealing experiences, mentality rehearsing, future experience. To imagination and language, the learners build a cognitive map.

Motor reproduction process:  It is related to the Reproduction of behaviour which is observed. Learner converts the cognitive representation into action; it depends on the physical capability of leaner. 

Motivation: The actual are image and rewards of imitated determine whether the behaviour will extinguish or not people are most likely to imitate those whom they see rewarded for their behaviour and whom they like. Liking tents to be in enhanced if the model is similar to the observer in gender, age or other characteristics or is attractive or powerful. 

2. Learning by Cognition (Insight)

Tolman was one of the earliest researchers to to underline the importance of cognitive process in learning cognitive learning means using thought processes while learning. Cognitive theorists give a key role in mental activity in any learning. 

Kohler: In some learning, it appears that there is no connection between sudden Insight or   understanding and external rewards. Gestalt psychologists use the term “Insight” instead of cognition. Gestalt psychologist Wolfgang Kohler illustrates this form of learning. Gestalt psychologists believed that learning must be treated as a whole. They argued that learning came in sudden flashes for Insight only when learner put pieces together in such a way that the completed whole exceeded the mere total of those pieces.

 

Experiments: Kohlar conducted his experiments on chimpanzees, to reveal the essence of learning. He put them in cages. In this condition, a chic chimpanzee named Sultan was prevented from reaching a piece of fruit near the bars of his cage.

Kohler gave Sultan a stick, but it was also shot. Chimpanzee names Sultan gazed around; picked up the short stick; throughout the bar it smashed another longer stick which was lying outside of the cage; he joined these two sticks together and grabbed the fruit. Kohlar explained that Chimpanzee named Sultan learned to resolve the problem by putting different pieces together into a meaningful whole. The solution resulted from insight” a sudden realization following a period of mental activity.