Glossary

CHAPTER 1

Behaviorism– observable and measurable aspects of human behavior; A change in behavior resulting in stimulus-response behaviors

 

Classical conditioning- a type of learning behavior that occurs unconsciously through association with a certain stimulus

 

Operant conditioning– a type of learning behavior that can be strengthened by rewards or punishments

 

Positive reinforcement- the presentation of a stimulus that increases the likelihood of a response

 

Negative reinforcement- increasing the likelihood of a response that removes or prevents an adverse condition

 

Punishment– presenting a strong stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a response

 

Extinction– decreases the likelihood of a response by withdrawing a previously reinforced stimulus

 

Shaping is the process of gradually changing the quality of a response. The desired behavior is broken down into discrete positive movements, each of which is reinforced as it progresses towards the overall behavioral goal.

 

Cueing is providing a student with a verbal or non-verbal cue as to the appropriateness of a behavior.

 

Behavior Modification- the process of changing a person’s behavior by using different techniques (ie, reinforcement, punishment, shaping, cueing, etc)

 

 

CHAPTER 2

 

Schema- background knowledge or lived experiences- connecting to the schema of a student improves their engagement and understanding

 

Assimilation- modifying information to fit into what we already know (our schemas)

 

Accommodation- when a person modifies what they already know so new information fits in better

Equilibrium-per Piaget’s theory, seeking order when being uncomfortable with contradictions and/or inconsistencies in knowledge structures.

 

 

CHAPTER 3

Self-efficacy-a person’s belief that they are capable to perform certain behaviors that lead to a desired performance outcome

 

 

Self-regulation- controlling one’s emotions and thoughts to achieve certain goals or perform certain behaviors

 

Reciprocal determinism- Bandura’s idea that states that a person’s behavior both influences and is influenced by personal factors and the social environment

 

Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) is a learning theory based on the idea that people learn by observing others.

 

Cognition– how someone takes in information and processes it, related to their experiences.

 

Reciprocal Triadic Relationship-the environment, behavior, and cognition which operate as a triad, a group of three connected things that influence one another.

 

Agentic- a person’s ability to control their actions

 

Personal Agency-The understanding that one’s own actions can influence the environment

 

Modeling- when a person observes another person’s behavior and then imitates that behavior

 

 

CHAPTER 4

Imitative learning– where one person tries to imitate or copy another.

 

Instructed learning– which involves remembering the instructions of the teacher and then using these instructions to self-regulate.

 

Collaborative learning– which involves a group of peers who strive to understand each other and work together to learn a specific skill (Tomasello, Kruger, & Ratner, 1993).

 

Internalization- the internal acceptance of external social values, attitudes, or beliefs as one’s own.

 

Introjection- a process in which an individual unconsciously incorporates attitudes, values, or qualities of another person or a part of another person’s personality into the self

 

Socialization- the process by which a person acquires social skills, beliefs, and values which conform to societal norms.

 

 

Zone of Proximal Development- the space between what a learner can do without assistance and what a learner can do with adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers (Vygotsky, year).

 

Scaffolding- the role of teachers and others in supporting the learner’s development and providing support structures to get to that next stage or level’ (Raymond, 2000).

 

 

CHAPTER 5

Androcentric- focused or centered on males

Gynocentric– focused or centered on females

 

Character Education– a learning process that enables students and adults in a school community to understand, care about, and act on core ethical values such as respect, justice, civic virtue and citizenship, and responsibility for self and others.

 

Emotional Environment– the tone of an atmosphere (like in a classroom) and how people relate to one another

 

 

 

CHAPTER 6

Holistic-looking at a whole person or situation, not just one aspect

 

 

CHAPTER 7

Proximal processes-active experiences a person participates in with other people, objects, or symbols

 

Proximal– next to or near something

 

Laissez-faire- a policy of letting things take their own course, without interfering; Translated to English from French, this means “allow to do”

 

Socioemotional: developing emotional skills that allow a person to relate to society

 

 

 

CHAPTER 8

Identity diffusion- occurs in adolescence when a person is not actively seeking to identify or define their personality traits or view of self

 

Moratorium- refers to a period in adolescence where a person is actively seeking to define one’s identity

 

 

CHAPTER 9- no vocab needed

 

 

CHAPTER 10- no vocab needed

 

 

CHAPTER 11

 

Prepotent- having exceptional power or influence

 

Cognitive- the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses

 

Conative- desiring or striving to know

 

Psychopathogenesis– the origin of a psychological disorder

 

 

CHAPTER 12

 

Iconic memory- the storage of what we see

 

Echoic memory- the storage of what we hear

 

Tactile– related to touch

 

Olfactory– related to smell

 

Gustatory– related to taste

 

Rehearsal– repetition in the role of memory

 

Metacognition– awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes

 

Elaboration– the process of interpreting or embellishing information to be remembered or of relating it to other material already known and in memory

 

Stasis– a state of inactivity or equilibrium

 

Metamemory– understanding of one’s own memory and how it works

 

Encoding– the conversion of a sensory input into a form capable of being processed and deposited in memory

 

Cognitive Load– the amount of information that working memory can hold at one time

 

 

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Educational Learning Theories Copyright © 2023 by Sam May-Varas, Ed.D.; Jennifer Margolis, PhD; and Tanya Mead, MA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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