Chapter Two

Chapter Two

The Nature of Learning Theories 

1- Maturation versus Learning:-

           Growth is learning s chief competitor as a modifier of behaviour. If a behaviour sequence matures through regular stages irrespective of intervening practice, the behaviour is said to develop through maturation and not through learning. If training procedures do not speed up or modify the behaviour, such procedures are not casually important and the changes do not classify as learning .Pure cases like the flying of birds can be attributed to maturation. Another example, the child does not learn to talk until old enough, but the language which he learns is that which he hears.

2- What Learning includes 

There are many activities which everyone will agree account as illustrations of learning: acquiring a vocabulary, memorizing a poem, learning to operate a typewriter. There are other activities, not quite as obviously learned, which easily classified as learned, once you have reflected upon then. Among these are the acquiring of prejudices and preferences and other social attitudes and ideals, including the many skills involved in the social interplay with other people. Finally there are number of activities whose acquisition is not usually classifiable as a gain or improvement because their utility. Among these are mannerisms.

3- One or More kinds of Learning ?

                   According to theorists , there are two varieties of learning . But these two varieties are not the only possibilities perhaps by using the common name       " learning " to cover the acquisition of motor skills , the memorization of a poem , the solving of a geometrical puzzle , and the understanding of a period in history, we are deceiving ourselves by looking for common laws explanatory of processes that have little in common .

                   Hence the theorist has to choose between a single factor theory and a multi-factor one . Single factor theory means that there is one factor that controls learning, while multi-factor theory means that learning can be attributed to more than one factor (mainly, heredity and environment). Tolman at one time pointed to the possibility of seven kinds of learning .

Maturation              النضج   

growth                      النمو

chief                     أساس    

competitor               عامل

modifier                  مُهَذَّب/معدل

sequence                 يعقب

regular                    منتظم

stages                     مراحل

irrespective           ماعــدا 

intervening practice  ما يتخلله التمرين

procedures               إجراءات

casually              بصورة طبيعية

classify                      تُصَنَّف

flying                         الطيران

attributed                  تعزى إلى

activities                     فعاليات

illustrations                   إيضاح

acquiring                     اكتساب

vocabulary               مفردات لغوية

memorizing                     حفظ

poem                            قصيدة

operate                         تشغيل

typewriter                     آلة كاتبة

prejudices                       تَحَيُّز

preferences                     تفضيل

social attitudes            وجهات نظر اجتماعية

ideals                             قيم

skills                               مهارات

social interplay            التعامل الاجتماعي

classifiable                     قابِل للتصنيف

gain                                  تحصيل

improvement                      تحسين

utility                                 استعمال

mannerisms                   أساليب التعامل

two Varieties                      نوعان

common                             مشترك

motor skills                  المهارات الحركية

solving                                   حَل

geometrical                          هندسي

puzzle                                   مسألة

period                                    فترة

deceiving                               تخدع

explanatory                             تفسيري

multi – factor                    متعددة العوامل

pointed to the possibility      أشار إلى احتمالية