Learning Theories and Models Comparison

Learning Theories and Models Comparison
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Introduction
The quality and extent of an individual’s experiences that is gained throughout life are known to be shaped and molded through societal tasks and roles that according to Knowles can be used as a learning avenue. The desire to gain knowledge or to engage in a learning process is in many instances intensified by a person’s eagerness to learn and is stimulated by the motivating shift by the development task that helps in adjusting behaviors that leads to the improvement of an individual's being.
According to sources, such movement within a person’s development has the capacity to alter the perceptions of a person from a subject centered academic understanding into a problem-centered academic orientation geared towards advancing learning (Rachal, 2014). This paper seeks to underline some of the prominent learning theories and models as depicted by Malcolm Knowles. Also in this document will be the description of the approaches and the similarities and differences that exist between this theory and how they may be used within a work setting.
Summary of Prominent Learning Theories and Models
Many scholars and theorists have ventured into the discovery of the theories of learning. Since this, there have been several theories that have been developed which bring all these theories into play. The primary prominent learning theories and models include the cognitive, behavioral theories which form the basic foundations in the formation of learning theories. The understanding of these theories especially in the nursing sector is of significance.
Behaviorist Learning Theories
Behaviorist learning theory begun in the field of psychology during the 19th century with Petrovich Pavlov, Edward Lee, John Broadus and Burrhus Frederic crowned the fathers of this theory (Rachal, 2014). During this period, many psychologists emphasized on the need of self-analysis of the mental process(introspection), a factor that lead Ivan Pavlov do develop that critically analyzed the observable process that resulted in the response of behavior. The people credited as the originators of this theory believed that learning was a process that was confined to a more measurable and observational behavior. The main schools of thought that resulted from this theory include the classical conditioning and the process of operant conditioning.
Pavlov's Dog Experiment
Ivan Pavlov in line with this theory carried out experiments on this theory through the use of dogs that salivated when they heard the sound of a bell when they had no food. Through this research, Ivan tried to explain the theories behind stimulus and response. It is against this foundation that it is essential to mention that behaviorist learning theory draws its focus on the observed behaviors and emphasizes that learning is a process that involves the acquisition of new behaviors that result from the stimulus of the environmental conditions (Green, & Sammons, 2014).
Through this, a learner is subjected as the receptor to some stimulus that produce a conditioned response, and through this, behaviors are influenced through the process of learning. An example of this learning theory is the Operant Conditioning. Operant conditioning was coined from this experiment to disclose the behaviors of individuals that change through reinforcements that originate from a desired response.
Cognitive Theory
The cognitive theory of learning is centrally based upon the mental process and the human intellect. This theory holds that some of our actions such as reading, watching, doing and so on are processed and stored within our mental capacities for future advancement. The cognistic theory of learning believes and holds to the idea that the human mind functions like a computer and that the black box situated in the mind needs to be understood (Green, & Sammons, 2014). When information comes in the mind, it is processed, and the outcomes are considered a process of learning. This concept also holds that individuals are far from the ...