By definition, learning is the act of gaining knowledge or skills. This is often applied to human beings who constantly attempt to expand their horizon of knowledge and understanding by learning new things. However, different types of learning can affect how people perceive and process information.
What type of Learning Affects Humans the most?
There are four types of learning:
- Cognitive,
- Associative,
- Observational, and
- Social.
Cognitive learning is when a person understands something in their way, such as learning about a concept. In this type of learning, the person will likely have different associations with their perception of the information.
Associative learning is when a person learns from an association or pairing of two stimuli, such as between an inspiration and a response, such as in classical conditioning.
Observational learning is when a person learns by imitating others. This is also known as Vicarious learning, where the learner observes others and gains knowledge through them.
Lastly, social learning is when a person learns new skills or behaviours by observing others and mimicking their actions, also known as modelling.
Which of these types of learning affect humans the most?
Cognitive Learning
Cognitive learning affects humans the most because this type of learning involves understanding or perceiving information in one’s way; for example, one might understand a concept in different ways than others. This is especially true in modern times where children are using chrome books in education and following instructions by Teachers. The challenge is to align the thinking and perception of all the students.
However, cognitive learning does not always affect everyone the same way. Even when two people have the same concept, they will have different associations with that concept.
Associative Learning
A person might develop a similar response to a stimulus in association learning because of pairing with another push. For example: In classical conditioning, a dog learns to salivate upon hearing/seeing food after pairing this with the sound/sight of the ringing bell. A person might develop a similar response to a stimulus after pairing with another push in association learning.
Observational Learning
Observational learning is when a person imitates others by observing them. This type of learning also involves modelling, where one learns future behaviours or skills after seeing the expert perform them. For example: Watching an expert chef know how to cook can be effective in observational learning. Observational learning is thus when a person learns by imitating others. A person might develop a similar response to a stimulus if they imitate after seeing someone else do it first.
Social Learning
Lastly, social learning is when a person learns new skills or behaviours by observing others and mimicking their actions. For example, if the observer cannot acknowledge or imitate specific movements, such as riding a bicycle or dancing, then social learning would not be as effective.
However, for social learning to work effectively, the observer must recognize what they are seeing. Social learning could also affect a person unknowingly because a person might not recognize what they are imitating if they cannot mimic or imitate movements.
The Verdict
In conclusion, cognitive learning affects humans the most because this type of learning pertains to understanding or perceiving information in one’s way that is unique from others. However, different people have different associations with that concept based on what is being learned and how.
