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Behavioral Learning Theory vs. Cognitive Learning Theory
Arin Kinney
PSYC 365- D06
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Behavioral Learning Theory vs. Cognitive Learning Theory
Learning is something that happens in our lives, all the time. Even if you are at the age
Ten years old or One hundred years old you are in a continuous stage of learning new and
different things and always developing new thoughts. And though we know that we all learn,
there is a debate as to how that learning actually takes place with each individual. Many people
believe that learning only takes place through factors from the outside and how those factors
have effect on a person’s reaction, people with those thoughts would fall under the category of
the Behavioral Learning Theory. Then some people believe that learning takes place in the brain
and that we are able to have an active part in our learning, relating new information with already
learned information. These people would fall under the category of Cognitive Learning Theory.
Key Concepts
The Behavioral Learning Theory is a very simple theory with just a few concepts that
really make up the foundation of the theory. The first is that the theory itself solely relies on the
observable behavior of an individual, as a result of a particular stimulus leading to a particular
response. The second key concept is that learning in this theory is nothing more than the
acquisition of new behaviors based on environmental conditions. The third key concept is that
the behavior learning theory is focused on the ideas of rewards and punishments (conditioning)
that strive to help achieve a specific behavior. And the last key concept is that there is no real
difference between the learning of a human and the learning of an animal.
Now let’s turn to the cognitive learning theory and key concepts that make up this
theories foundation. The first key is that learning involves the forming of mental representations
and associations that may not be shown on the outside. Learning involves internal, mental
changes and not the external behavior change. The second concept is that people are actually
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involved in their own learning. Instead of just being the victim of environmental circumstances,
people are able to play a role in learning by how they mentally process their experiences. The
third concept is that knowledge is organized, meaning peoples knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and
emotions are all connected. New things that we learn usually end up relating to something that
we may have previously learned, which makes learning more affective overall. And the last key
concept is that some learning processes may be unique to human beings. People pose different
abilities unique to himself or herself, therefore the process involved in learning are often quite
different.
Research Support
When it comes to the idea of introducing behavioral learning theory into the classroom,
one possibly way of implementing it is a way called “interteaching,” which is really based
around the whole idea of reinforcement students based on their needs and desires. How it works
is the teacher would hand out something known as a “prep guide” or a sort of study guide for
different topics. The students are then asked to discuss the different things on the prep guide with
different student in their classroom and then once they have discussed the new information, they
are asked to fill out a sheet of paper with the information they still are unable to understand and
then the teacher will have a follow up lecture to cover the information that the students are still
unclear on. This allows the students and the teacher to spend more time on the information that
they are unfamiliar with and more time on the new information. That way they are able to make
the most of their time in the classroom. In a study to see the effectiveness of “interteaching”,
students were given new information and some got to use interteaching, others were just lectured
on it and others just had to read a text about it. “Students that used interteaching got 74% of their
answer correct, while those that had the lecture got 60% of their answers correct and those that
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had to rely solely on reading the information only got 55% of their answers correct” (Saville,
Lambert & Robertson, 2011). This clearly shows that the idea of interteaching is actually more
affective, using the reinforcement method. So it would probably be more affective to potentially
look this direction for future teaching. “A growing body of research suggests that interteaching
might be an effective and enjoyable alternative to more traditional teaching arrangements”
(Saville, Lambert & Robertson, 2011).
A different side to the spectrum would be dealing with teaching individuals with
developmental disabilities, such as autism and how to best be able to teach them new things. In
this article they introduce what is called “Applied Behavior Analysis” (ABA), which is basically
to conduct descriptive and preferably experimental assessments of the individual’s problem
behavior to identify the reasons the individual engages in the behavior. So really is there some
sort of reinforcement or punishment that is currently in place that causes this individual to act the
way that they do. “The desired outcome is teaching the individual a more appropriate response to
obtain the same desired outcome provided by engaging in the problem behavior” (Boyd,
McDonough & Bodfish, 2011).
Biblical Worldview
The Bible has quite a lot to say regarding the idea of learning and what learning should
like as believers living in a world where we are constantly learning new things, whether they be
good or bad things. To book of Proverbs itself is lined with many thoughts regarding learning
and the learning behavior believers should have at all times. First we see in Proverbs 1:5, “Let
the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.” This verse
is saying that as a believer we need to always to striving to listen and learn as much as possible
and that when we understand the importance of learning, we will be able to acquire the necessary
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guidance that we desire. Again in Proverbs 1:7, it says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The foundation that needs to be laid for
believers in their lives should the have a desire to gain knowledge is a fear of the Lord. He is the
one that will provide the wisdom and instruction that is needed to grow in our daily learning and
growth. Lastly in Proverbs 22:6, we see “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he
is old he will not depart from it.” In this verse it talks about how parents play a vital role in the
future learning of their children. If the yare raised up in the Lord, gaining a Biblical Worldview,
then when they are older and they are learning new things, they will be able to fall back on what
they had learned when they were younger and use that to their benefit in the current situation.
If one is equipped with a biblical worldview it will shape the way that they are to learn
because their will be a sort of “filter” in place that is their biblical worldview that everything
they are to learn past, present or future will have to go through before it is able to become stored
in their memory. It’s like a pair of glasses that are worn and everyone that has a biblical
worldviews learns everything through these special glasses. As we see in the scriptures, 2 John
1:9 says, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not
have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” People need to stick
to their Biblical Worldviews when it comes to the idea of learning new things and if we leave
those Biblical Worldviews and don’t abide in the teaching of the Lord, then we won’t have God
in our lives. And how we are able to establish those Biblical Worldviews is through our knowing
and understanding of the scriptures. This creates the filter, or glasses that we are to put on when
we are learning new things throughout our lives. As we see in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture
is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” God was
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the one that brought all the scriptures to life and not only can we learn from them for our own
lives, but we can learn them to turn around and be able to help others learn about Christ and His
word as well. And lastly we look at Titus 2:1, which says, “But as for you, teach what accords
with sound doctrine.” The sound doctrine that they are referring to in this passage is the Biblical
Worldview held by all Christ believing individuals. If we keep that sound doctrine in our heart, it
will affect they way that we learn and also they way that we are to teach others.
Most Effective Theory of Learning
To say that one theory is better than the other wouldn’t really be right or true, because
they both present a different aspect of learning and can be present in learning even to this day.
One can’t say that we only learn the behavioral way of responding to stimulus with a different
response and that is how we in turn the2n learn. And one can’t also say that we only learn the
cognitive way and that every instance of learning needs to be this well thought out, mind
changing instance. So the most effective theory for learning would be a mixture of both theories,
thus creating the “Cognitive-Behavioral Theory” (CBT). “This creates the assumption that
internal mediating cognitions and external environmental contingencies are within the awareness
and control of the individual” (Early, 2017). And this way individuals are able to learn via their
external ways as well as their internal ways, because different circumstances within learning will
call for either behavioral learning or cognitive learning. So we need to be able to tap into both for
when those opportunities arise.
Conclusion
Whether you are a supporter of the behavioral learning theory or the cognitive learning
theory, as you have seen from above both theories are well thought out and well supported by
those that have played a vital part in forming them. From the historical development, to what
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each theory would like in the educational field and most importantly the Biblical Worldview of
learning, learning is something that happens for each person in his or her own unique way. And
whether you learn differently than the next person doesn’t mean you are any less of a learner.
The important part is that one never stops learning and continues to grow, whether using the
behavioral theory or the cognitive theory.
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Reference
Boyd, B. A., McDonough, S. G., & Bodfish, J. W. (2012;2011;). Evidence-based behavioral
interventions for repetitive behaviors in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental
Disorders, 42(6), 1236-1248. doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1284-z
Early, B. P., & Grady, M. D. (2017). Embracing the contribution of both behavioral and cognitive
theories to cognitive behavioral therapy: Maximizing the richness. Clinical Social Work
Journal, 45(1), 39-48. doi:10.1007/s10615-016-0590-5
Gang, J. (2011). Behaviorism and the beginnings of close reading. Elh, 78(1), 1-25.
doi:10.1353/elh.2011.0003
Ormrod, J. E. (2016). Human learning (7th ed.). Harlow: Pearson.
Saville, B. K., Lambert, T., & Robertson, S. (2011). Interteaching: Bringing behavioral education
into the 21st century. The Psychological Record, 61(1), 153-165.
doi:10.1007/BF03395752
