What Is the Psychology of Learning?

Have you ever wondered why you reach for your phone every time you hear a ding or why you follow the same patterns at work each day? It’s not just habit; it’s the psychology of learning at work. Different types of learning—including association, reinforcement, and observation—all impact the skills we acquire, the habits we pick up, and the behaviors we mimic.

The psychology of learning focuses on a range of topics related to how people learn and interact with their environments. Such principles can be seen in classic psychology experiments (think Pavlov’s dogs drooling every time they heard a bell) and everyday behavior, like when we endlessly scroll through apps designed to keep us hooked.

If you want to know more about how people acquire new knowledge and modify their behaviors, learning more about the psychology of learning can help. Some main types of learning include classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and learning through observation. Knowing which one is best suited for a particular situation can help you get the most out of your learning experiences.

Definition of Learning in Psychology

Learning can be defined in many ways, but most psychologists would agree that it is a relatively permanent change in behavior that results from experience. During the first half of the 20th century, the school of thought known as behaviorism rose to dominate psychology and sought to explain the learning process. Behaviorism sought to measure only observable behaviors.

3 Types of Learning in Psychology

Behavioral learning falls into three general categories.

Classical Conditioning

Classical conditioning is a learning process in which an association is made between a previously neutral stimulus and a stimulus that naturally evokes a response.

For example, in Pavlov’s classic experiment, the smell of food was the naturally occurring stimulus that was paired with the previously neutral ringing of the bell. Once an association had been made between the two, the sound of the bell alone could lead to a response.

For example, if you don’t know how to swim and were to fall into a pool, you’d take action to avoid the pool.

Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning is a learning process in which the probability of a response occurring is increased or decreased due to reinforcement or punishment. First studied by Edward Thorndike and later by B.F. Skinner, the underlying idea behind operant conditioning is that the consequences of our actions shape voluntary behavior.

He also found that the timing of when reinforcements were delivered influenced how quickly a behavior was learned and how strong the response would be. The timing and rate of reinforcement are known as schedules of reinforcement.

For example, your child might learn to complete their homework because you reward them with treats and/or praise.

Observational Learning

Observational learning is a process in which learning occurs through observing and imitating others. Albert Bandura’s social learning theory suggests that in addition to learning through conditioning, people also learn through observing and imitating the actions of others.

As demonstrated in his classic Bobo Doll experiments, people will imitate the actions of others without direct reinforcement. Four important elements are essential for effective observational learning: attention, motor skills, motivation, and memory.

For example, a teen’s older sibling gets a speeding ticket, with the unpleasant results of fines and restrictions. The teen then learns not to speed when they take up driving.

Stages of Learning

While learning can occur in a variety of ways, it typically involves three important stages:

• Acquisition (encoding): This is the initial period of learning, during which information is obtained and a response is established. It’s when new information is presented, and we start to work on the basic skills we need to perform the task.
• Retention (storage): This stage involves transferring what we have learned into long-term memory. Even if we do not use the knowledge regularly, our understanding of it is retained and not forgotten.
• Recall (retrieval): This stage involves using the knowledge we have obtained when it is needed. For example, recalling facts or performing a skill we have learned are two examples.

History of the Psychology of Learning

One of the first thinkers to study how learning influences behavior was psychologist John B. Watson, who suggested in his seminal 1913 paper Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It that all behaviors are a result of the learning process.

Psychology, the behaviorists believed, should be the scientific study of observable, measurable behavior. Watson’s work included the famous Little Albert experiment in which he conditioned a small child to fear a white rat.

Other important figures in the psychology of learning include:

• Edward Thorndike: Thorndike discovered the law of effect, which stated that behaviors followed by positive consequences are more likely to be repeated, while those followed by negative consequences are less likely to be repeated.
• Ivan Pavlov: Pavlov’s research on the digestive systems of dogs led to his discovery of classical conditioning.
• B.F. Skinner: Based on Thorndike’s ideas, Skinner focused on how reinforcement and punishment could be used to teach information and modify behavior.
• Albert Bandura: Bandura’s famous Bobo doll experiments demonstrated how learning could also occur through observation.