I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught..

"Any more than transient modification of behaviour which presumably results from past experience and not from organic change"

Wenger, Jones and Jones, 1956

(cited in Hilgard, E and Marquis, D. 1961)



This definition provides an overall reference to the process of learning, however 'not from organic change' or instances where learning has not taken place, according to Jim Blythe (2008), refers to the following circumstances:

• Species response tendancies (instincts or relexes)
• Maturation (behavioural changes according to hormonal changes)
• Temporary states of the organism (tiredness, hunger, drunkeness)
• Damage to the brain (surgery, disease or injury)



The Connectionists

Classical conditioning is the explanation used by perhaps the most recognised of learning theorists, Ivan Pavlov. His experiments revolved around the conditioned reflexes of dogs, where the basic principle contained two ideas or objects that were connected by prospects of a reward or punishment being given as the result of a certain action (Chisnall, P. 1995)

The Law of Effect was also developed, alongside classical conditioning, by Edward Thorndike in 1905 using experiments he designed involving cats and the 'puzzle box'. This experiment involved placing the cat inside a puzzle box, with a string and push pedal as the only method of escape, and leaving a bowl of food on the outside. After engaging in seemingly odd behaviour, the animal would release the door and go on to eat it's prize, leaving Thorndike with the view that the random process of trial-and-error had been adopted, and only when accessing the food did the animal realise the successful behaviour (Nevid, J. 2009).

Operant conditioning is another form of behavioural or associative learning, created by Burrhus F. Skinner. The theory is dependant on the 'organism' performing everyday activities, however, when encountering a re-inforcing stimulus, the organism's behaviour will be rewarded or re-inforced to increase the probability of the behaviour being repeated (Coon, D. Mitterer, J. 2010)





Latent Learning is a process through which there is no obvious reward yet information is retained, only to be recalled at a later date when necessary. Goodenough, McGuire and Jakob (2010) explain latent learning through this example: "an animal can learn important characteristics of it's environment during unrewarded explorations to use the information later. Even though the knowledge is not put to immediate use, it can later become lifesaving."

Observational Learning, as described by Solomon et al. (2010) is the process of learning whereby people watch the behaviour of others  and recognise the reinforcements associated with such activity. An example for this could be foreign language lessons, as evident in a clip from My Big Fat Greek Wedding...

Try it yourself...how do you learn?

The Diary that we all carry about with us

"It seems that without learning, new memories could not be developed, and without memory, old learning could not be manifested"

(Kendrick, D. Rilling, M. Denny, M. 1986)

Shiffman and Kanuk (1994) organise the minefield that is memory by creating 'storehourses' in which information can be categorised according to it's relevance. The consist of:

• The Sensory Store; An 'after image, very short lived, but crammed with more information needed'.
• The Short-term Store; The rehearsal stage of remembering, the 'looking up a phone number only to forget it as soon as you look away'.
• Long-term Store; The 'first grade teacher', even though forgettable at the time, easily retainable throughout week, months and years.

The original Santa before Coca-Cola