Psychology Assignment: Summary of Learning Theories Articles

This report summarizes three articles related to learning theories in psychology. The first article by Lave (1991) discusses situated learning, emphasizing the importance of cultural and social environments in education. The second article by Steffe and Gale (1995) provides an overview of constructivism, including its history and criticisms, with a focus on Jean Piaget's contributions to cognitive development. The third article by Graham (2019) focuses on behaviorism, outlining its core principles, types, and critiques, particularly from neurologists who emphasize the role of cognition. The conclusion highlights the unique perspectives each theory offers for curriculum development.

Running head: PSYCHOLOGY: SUMMARY OF ARTICLES
PSYCHOLOGY: SUMMARY OF ARTICLES
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1PSYCHOLOGY: SUMMARY OF ARTICLES
Introduction
The following paragraphs demonstrate summarizations of three articles relevant to
learning theories in psychology.
Discussion
Article 1
The first article by Lave (1991) discusses on the need to consider the unique cultural and
social environments students or learners function and thus, postulates the need to adopt a situated
approach to learning. This article highlights how education often ignores the unique situational,
cultural and social factors which may cause success or failure in an individual’s education. This
article defines situated learning as an educational style emphasizing the interconnectedness
between an individual’s cognitive, thought processes and his or her social, cultural and religious
background. Thus, the situated centered learning focuses on the need to develop learning and
education based on not just individual cognition scores but also on experiences.
Article 2
The second article by Steffe and Gale (1995), is an overview of the basic concepts of
constructivism, the reason why it continues to receive criticism and the history of its
development. Jean Piaget continues to be one of the greatest pioneers of constructivism, whose
theories of cognitive development continue to be used across early childhood environments.
Constructivism implies the principle that each individual demonstrates a unique understanding of
their environment based on the key cognitive and thought processes. Due to its reliance on
individual performance in the form of objective scores, constructivism continues to be criticized.

2PSYCHOLOGY: SUMMARY OF ARTICLES
Article 3: Behaviorism
The overview of the third article by Graham (2019), is concerning the basic concepts
underlying the doctrine of behaviorism, its various types and the key areas against which this
area has been criticized. As evidenced in this article, behaviorism is a doctrine based upon the
principle that animals and humans must be assessed based on behavioral and not psychological
or cognitive differences. Behaviorism is categorized under three types: logical behaviorism,
methodological behaviorism and psychological behaviorism. Notable behaviorists include: B. F.
Skinner, Ivan Pavlov, and John Watson. This field however, is criticized by neurologists who
believe psychology is not just reliant on behaviors but also on abnormalities in cognition and
cerebral structure.
Conclusion
Thus, to conclude, each learning theory in psychology demonstrates unique educational
perspectives and must be considered during curriculum development.

3PSYCHOLOGY: SUMMARY OF ARTICLES
References
Graham, G. (2019). Behaviorism. Retrieved 28 February 2020, from
https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2019/entries/behaviorism/.
Lave, J. (1991). Situating learning in communities of practice. Perspectives on Socially Shared
Cognition. American Psychological Association.
Steffe, L. P., & Gale, J. (1995). A constructivist approach to teaching. Constructivism in
education, 489-523.