Theorists and Learning Theories Assignment

Running head: DISCUSSION 1
Discussion: Theorists and Learning Theories Paper
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DISCUSSION 2
Discussion: Theorists and Learning Theories
1. How the Research Informs Our Understanding of Learning
During the last century, educational researchers have suggested several theories towards
the explanation of how human beings obtain, process, and utilize the knowledge and set of skills
(Rollin, 2006). The main aim of this research was to determine the basic laws of education and
behavior that may be extended to further elucidate more complex human mannerisms. Research
results were significantly based on the observed behavior of lower life forms using the
conception that the laws of learning could be generalized, thus purporting that examinations
performed on laboratory animals may be inferred to humans as well. Hence, the research
informed a set of basic principles in the study of learning which suggest that a more basic form
of understanding could be applied in broader contexts, such as in educational institutions.
Studies also suggest that these experimental approaches may be used in associatonistic
research models, such as (Chomsky, 1983):
i. The use of word connections to understand a correlation of ideas
ii. The relationship human tendencies, as a result of sensations and instincts
iii. The association between reflexology and sensations
2. Can Animal Behavior Really Be Generalized To Human Behavior?
Major criticisms of this generalized form of research argues that it is false to assume that
findings governed by laboratory constraints could reveal laws of learning in a broader context.
While these criticisms have assumed many forms, the most dominant argument claims that the
extrapolation of inferences from animals to humans relatively ignores the biological inclinations
of their animal subjects. Hence, these generalizations not only ignore the true human nature, but
also distorts the potential for human learning capacities and motivations (Chomsky, 1983).