Purpose
Learning theories help to explain many things in the life of a student, from dating behaviors, to studying behaviors, to test anxiety, to confidence in sports and activities, to learning better study habits just by watching other peers.
The purpose of this project is to master learning theories by applying them to the student experience.
This will be done in two ways:
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Application – Many students can understand textbook or online examples of different types of learning but have difficulty applying that knowledge to multiple contexts. An ability to apply displays better learning.
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Integration – The three learning theories are often not mutually exclusive in real-world experiences. An ability to integrate them displays better learning.
Directions
On your own or with a partner, you will design four integrated, applied learning scenarios that are collegestudent- specific, and which explain a variety of behaviors and thought processes. Here are the step-by-step directions. For each of the four scenarios, you will:
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Provide a brief narrative of the integrated learning scenario (as it relates to the life of a typical college student). For example, "Valentina went to class . . ." or "Samuel is having a problem with his friend . . ." This single narrative should include classical conditioning, one specific type of operant conditioning, and observational learning.
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Explain how this narrative scenario includes classical conditioning by identifying the following:
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unconditioned stimulus
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unconditioned response
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conditioned stimulus
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conditioned response
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Explain how this narrative scenario includes operant conditioning by identifying the following:
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the target behavior
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the consequence
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whether it is positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, or negative punishment
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Please note: Each of your four examples should use a different type of operant conditioning so that you can display a clear understanding of each one.
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Explain how this narrative scenario includes observational learning by identifying the following:
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the model
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what was learned
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the motivation (see Bandura's "Steps in the Modeling Process" in Lesson 5.4)
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Finally, based on what was has been learned through this assignment, each group member should submit a 300-word reflection that addresses the following:
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The role that these three theories of learning have played in your current experiences as a college student. These should be related specifically to success or failure in college.
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Two learning-based changes which, if implemented, could increase your success as a college student.
Please note: Individual reflections should illustrate knowledge of classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning.
Materials
None required.