Welcome to "Explaining Learning"

In this chapter, we are going to dive into one of the most fascinating questions in psychology: How do we actually learn? Whether it’s learning how to ride a bike, understanding a complex math formula, or picking up social cues from your friends, learning is a fundamental part of being human.

Because this chapter is part of the Learning and Cognition context, we will look at learning through different "lenses" (the biological, cognitive, and sociocultural approaches). We will also see how big ideas like Change and Causality help us make sense of how our behavior evolves over time.

What is Learning?

In psychology, learning is generally defined as a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge that happens because of experience. If you touch a hot stove and never do it again, you’ve learned! If you practice a guitar chord until you can play it perfectly, you’ve learned.

Quick Tip: If the change is just temporary (like being hyper after drinking an energy drink), psychologists don’t usually call that "learning." It has to stick!

1. Explaining Learning through the Sociocultural Approach

This approach focuses on how our environment and the people around us shape what we do. It looks at the Causality (the cause-and-effect relationship) between an external event and our reaction.

Learning by Association (Classical Conditioning)

Sometimes we learn because two things happen together. If every time a bell rings, you get a snack, eventually, your mouth might water just hearing the bell.
- The Process: An automatic reflex gets attached to a new, neutral trigger.
- Real-world example: If a student feels anxious every time they walk into a specific classroom because of a past bad experience, they have "learned" a fear response through association.

Learning by Consequences (Operant Conditioning)

This is all about rewards and punishments.
- If a behavior leads to a good result (reinforcement), we are more likely to do it again.
- If it leads to a bad result (punishment), we are less likely to do it again.
- Concept Link: This is a clear example of Causality. The consequence causes the future behavior to change.

Learning by Watching (Social Cognitive Theory)

We don't always have to try things ourselves to learn. We can learn by observing others. This involves several steps:
1. Attention: You have to notice what the other person is doing.
2. Retention: You have to remember it.
3. Reproduction: You have to be physically able to do it.
4. Motivation: You have to want to do it (usually because you see the other person getting rewarded).
- Concept Link: This involves Perspective—understanding the world through someone else's actions.

Key Takeaway: The sociocultural approach suggests that our environment provides the "data" we use to adjust our behavior.

2. Explaining Learning through the Cognitive Approach

While the sociocultural approach looks at what happens outside us, the cognitive approach looks at what happens inside our minds. It treats the human mind like a powerful computer that processes information.

Mental Processes

For learning to happen, our brains must actively process information. This involves:
- Perception: How we interpret the information coming in.
- Thinking: How we manipulate that information to solve problems.
- Memory: How we store that information for later (Note: see the "Memory and cognitive processing" chapter for more depth on this).

Expectancy and Beliefs

Cognitive psychologists argue that we don't just react to rewards; we expect them. If you believe that studying will lead to a better grade, your mental Perspective on the value of studying changes your behavior. This introduces the concept of Responsibility—we are active agents in our own learning, not just passive sponges.

Key Takeaway: Learning isn't just about what we do; it's about how we process, interpret, and store information.

3. Explaining Learning through the Biological Approach

Every time you learn something new, your brain physically changes. This is the biological side of the concept of Change.

Neuroplasticity

This is the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections.
- "Neurons that fire together, wire together": When you practice a skill, the path between neurons gets stronger.
- Synaptic Pruning: If you stop using certain information, the brain "prunes" those connections to stay efficient.
- Measurement: Scientists can use brain imaging technology to see these physical changes, illustrating how we apply Measurement to understand learning.

Key Takeaway: Learning is a physical process of "rewiring" the brain based on our experiences.

HL Extension: Motivation, Technology, and Culture

(This section is specifically for Higher Level students)

Motivation

Why do some people work harder to learn than others? Motivation can be Intrinsic (learning because you enjoy it) or Extrinsic (learning to get a reward). Our level of motivation determines how much effort we put into the cognitive and biological processes of learning.

Technology

How do digital tools change how we learn?
- Cognitive Load: Does having all the world's information on a smartphone make it harder to focus?
- Neuroplasticity: Does using GPS instead of maps change the physical structure of our brain's spatial memory centers?

Culture

What we learn is often dictated by what our culture values. In some cultures, learning might be a collective, social activity; in others, it might be highly individualistic and competitive.

Summary of Key Concepts in Learning

To do well in your assessments, try to connect "Explaining Learning" to these six big ideas:

  • Causality: How do specific experiences cause changes in our behavior?
  • Change: How does our behavior or brain structure evolve over time through learning?
  • Perspective: how do different psychological approaches explain the same learning event?
  • Bias: How might our existing knowledge bias the way we learn new things?
  • Measurement: How can we prove that learning has happened (e.g., test scores, brain scans)?
  • Responsibility: To what extent are we responsible for our own learning progress?

Don't worry if this seems like a lot! Just remember: Learning is simply the process of Change triggered by the environment (Sociocultural), processed by the mind (Cognitive), and recorded in the brain (Biological).