Assignment in Intro to Psychology
In groups of three to five students each, create a Power Point Presentation with
Microsoft Office Power Point Viewer, that demonstrates the various learning theories we
have discussed this week. Your group’s poster should include the cognitive learning
theory, behavioral learning theory, and social learning theory. Then, using our projector
show the class your Presentations, and explain which of the theories best fits with your
view of learning, and why.
The Powerpoint Presentations must include slides of how the theories came about
and describe what they emphasize. For example: The first slide should have all three of
the theories on a Title Page, the second slide will display the first theory with a simple
description of it like this:
The social learning theory emphasizes the importance of observing and modeling
the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others, so, then, it focuses on learning
by observation and modeling. The theory originally evolved from behaviorism but now
includes many of the ideas that cognitivists also hold; as a result it is some times
called social cognitive learning.
The third slide can introduce a theorist involved in studying and research on the
theory. For example: Albert Bandura, the social learning theorist, was born on December
4, 1925, in the small town of Mundare in northern Alberta, Canada. During summer
vacations he worked in several places acquiring carpentry in Edmonton skills and filling
holes protecting the Alaskan Highway in the Yukon. While, dealing with lot of people
and a horrifying encounter with bears, he developedappreciation for psychopathology of
everyday life.
The fourth slide can explain how or why the theorist pursued his field of study
and research on the certain theory. For example: “In search of understanding human
nature he received his bachelors’ degree in Psychology from the University of British
Columbia in 1949. He went on to the University of Iowa, where he obtained his Ph.D. in
1952. It was there that he came under the influence of the behaviorist tradition and
learning theory.”
The next slide can read details of the theory. For example: “Social learning theory
is about how both environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence human
learning and behavior. It focuses on the learning that occurs within a social context. It
considers that people learn from one another, including such concepts as observational
learning, imitation, and modeling” (Abbott, 2007).
Then the following slides may show examples of what the theory suggests: For
example: “Life experiences can profoundly affect our thinking ability and cause
negativity or positive thinking. If you are treated a certain way thousands of times then
you begin behaving in ways that reflect the fundamental programming of either success
or failure. Being abused for many years can impact cognitive responses.”
You may quote authors from various texts. Don‘t forget to cite the sources. Here
is an example of what is expected: “A challenging environment forces the brain to flex its
thinking muscles” (Jensen, 2008, Brain-Based Learning, A New Paradigm of Thinking,
2nd ed.)
You may add your group’s opinions or ideas, such as: “If your brain is not
exercised it’s not building up muscle, as the saying goes, “if you don’t use it you lose it”.
References
Abbott, L. (2007). Social Learning Theory taken from the University of Texas at Austin.
Retrieved from: University of South Alabama, Online Learning Laboratory, (oll).
http://www.southalabama.edu/oll/mobile/theory_workbook/social_learning_theor
y.htm
Jensen, (2008), Brain-Based Learning, A New Paradigm of Thinking, 2nd ed., Corwin
Press.
