Psychology of learning

Posted by Winnie Melda on October 5th, 2018

Discussion #1

Studies show that many college seniors lack the good general knowledge as well the necessary skills that can make them reason properly in today’s society (Fink, 2003).  The students do not learn or retain what they learn due to the application of inappropriate approaches to learning.  For that reason, there have been calls for implementing new kinds of learning from various parts of the society.  There are also theories that help to explain the process of learning, and example is Bloom’s taxonomy theory.  The theory is about the various kinds of thinking and learning particularly in the cognitive domain.

The cognitive domain of Bloom’s taxonomy of learning entails thinking of all sorts.  Bloom divided the cognitive domain into six areas that include knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis and finally synthesis (Krathwohl, 2002).  The area of knowledge deals with the collection of facts, the comprehension, comprehension deals with the understanding of the facts, the application deals with the application of the facts, the analysis is about organizing and ordering the facts while the evaluation is about the assessment of the relative merits and the validity of the ideas of information.  Clearly, to reach the level of understanding that makes the evaluation possible, the learner must employ significant effort and time (Huitt, 2004). That level of understanding cannot be attainable through simply reading a book. One has to compliment it with active thought and reflection.

The social learning theory also has it that people learn via the observation of other’s behaviors, attitudes as well as the outcomes of those behaviors.  Most behaviors that human beings have has been acquired through observation and modeling. When one observes the way one conducts himself, they emulate that, and they begin practicing it in carrying out their actions or behaviors (Grusec, 1992). Just like Bloom’s taxonomy, the social learning theory of Bandura explains the behavior of humans regarding progressive reciprocal interaction between the behavioral, the cognitive as well as the environmental impacts.  The way Bloom’s taxonomy and Bandura’s social learning theory have integrated cognitive and constructionism are via encouraging the learning from others and then using what is observed from others to guide one’s behavior and actions (Perry, Baranowski & Parcel, 1990).

The emotional intelligence deals with the ability to think in a constructive way.  It is about using the information one acquires in a manner that can help to make well-informed decisions that ensure better behavior.  The metacognition, on the other hand, is the higher order of thinking that entails active control over the cognitive processes of learning. It is associated with the emotional intelligence (Metcalfe & Shimamura, 1994).  The self-determination theory, on the other hand, deals with our natural tendencies to behave in an effective and healthy manner.  The taxonomies and the social learning theory laid the basics that form the foundation of the emotional intelligence, metacognition, and self-determination.  They give the process of learning to attain the levels of metacognition, self-determination, and emotional intelligence.

There have been various useful trends in the area of metacognition to what it is currently. Metacognition has been applicable in many areas in history including the uncertainty monitoring in non-humans, the familiarity in artificial grammar learning, monitoring, and control in schizophrenia, the monitoring, and regulation of comprehension reading, its applicability in development ion early childhood among other areas. The most current application of metacognition is in the area of intelligent decision-making.  There are series of research that help to promote the area of metacognition in psychology. Through research, I got to learn that metacognition helps in guiding the process of decision-making in humans and that this process is often guided by our certainty or uncertainty concerning the accuracy of our decisions.  It helps to make the most appropriate decision in a given decision. The decision may not be right, but it is the most appropriate in a given situation.

Metacognition can be applicable in the area of business when one is making a decision on which venture or investment one should make. One can be presented with two options, one that is riskier but brings more benefits and the one that is less risky and brings fewer risks when implemented. Metacognition is not guided by the stimulus of what is presented before somebody, but it is rather based on the critical and intelligent analysis of the situation, thereby resulting in the best decision out of the two options presented.

Discussion #2

The social learning and taxonomy can be helpful in recognizing one’s weaknesses or incompetence by observing the actions of other people. Those weaknesses or incompetence may pertain to the deficiencies in social or intellectual skills.  Through the taxonomy provided by Bloom, we have the process of starting from the ground up to attaining the emotional intelligence that helps in solving sophisticated problems that we encounter in our everyday lives. It also helps us not only to mimic other people’s behaviors blindly even though they bring positive outcomes but to understand how to make the most suitable decisions in every situation (Salovey et al., 2008). That is because what works in one situation may be right if applied to another situation, but it may not result in the anticipated outcomes. Thus, the emotional intelligence and metacognition help us understand that what is good may not always be right.

Discussion #3

Emotional intelligence is currently a flourishing area in research and positive psychology and it has been associated with academic excellence.  Emotional intelligence developed through the area of affect and cognition, examining the way emotions is affected by thoughts.  The emotional intelligence has a cognitive ability that is different but also related to the general intelligence. It incorporates the branches of perceptions of emotion, facilitation of emotion, understanding the emotions, and managing emotions (Brackett, Rivers & Salovey, 2011). These four branches continue to progress as a human being matures. It offers a way of addressing one’s flaws and creating strengths out of the same. Individuals that perform well are the ones that respond appropriately to the hypothetical emotional situations and must be lower in alexithymia. 

References

Brackett, M. A., Rivers, S. E., & Salovey, P. (2011). Emotional intelligence: Implications for personal, social, academic, and workplace success. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5(1), 88-103.

Grusec, J. E. (1992). Social learning theory and developmental psychology: The legacies of Robert Sears and Albert Bandura. Developmental psychology, 28(5), 776.

Huitt, W. (2004). Bloom et al.'s taxonomy of the cognitive domain. Educational psychology interactive, 22.

Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of Bloom's taxonomy: An overview. Theory into practice, 41(4), 212-218.

Metcalfe, J. E., & Shimamura, A. P. (1994). Metacognition: Knowing about knowing. The MIT Press.

Perry, C. L., Baranowski, T., & Parcel, G. S. (1990). How individuals, environments, and health behavior interact: Social Learning Theory.

Salovey, P., Mayer, J. D., Caruso, D., & Yoo, S. H. (2008). CHAPTER 11: The Positive Psychology of Emotional Intelligence. Counterpoints, 336, 185-208.

Veenman, M. V., Van Hout-Wolters, B. H., & Afflerbach, P. (2006). Metacognition and learning: Conceptual and methodological considerations. Metacognition and learning, 1(1), 3-14.

Wise, J., Lee, S.H., Litzinger, T.A., Marra, R.M. & Palmer, B. (2004). Encouraging intellectual growth: Senior college student profiles. Journal of Adult Development, 11, 111-122.

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at Melda Research in customized research paper if you need a similar paper you can place your order for medicine essay writing.