Question

What is meant by learning? Explain any one theory of learning with an example.

Hint:

Define learning as a lasting change from experience, then explain Pavlov's bell-and-food experiment as one theory.

Answer 1

Step 1: Meaning of Learning.
Learning is a relatively lasting change in a person's behaviour or knowledge that happens as a result of experience or practice, rather than from natural growth alone.

Step 2: A theory of learning: Classical Conditioning (Pavlov).
Ivan Pavlov's theory of Classical Conditioning explains learning as forming a new link between a neutral stimulus and an automatic response, through repeated pairing.

Step 3: Pavlov's experiment.
Pavlov noticed that dogs naturally salivate (an unconditioned response) when given food (an unconditioned stimulus). He then rang a bell (a neutral stimulus) just before giving food, and repeated this pairing many times.

Step 4: The result.
After enough repetitions, the dogs began salivating at the sound of the bell alone, even with no food present. The bell had become a conditioned stimulus, and the salivation to it a conditioned response.

Step 5: Classroom example.
A teacher who always praises students right after they answer well (pairing a positive stimulus with the action) can eventually see students feel confident and eager just from being asked a question, since the question itself becomes linked with a positive expectation.

Final Answer:
Learning is a lasting change in behaviour from experience, and Pavlov's Classical Conditioning theory explains one way this happens: a neutral stimulus, repeatedly paired with a natural response-triggering stimulus, comes to trigger that response on its own.