About Psychology Learning & Motivation

Psychological learning theory studies the process of how we learn, while motivational theories explain what motivates us to achieve and learn. The study of learning theory and motivation informs our understanding of how we take in and process information and what inspires our accomplishments.

Learning Defined

• Psychological learning refers to the process of change that occurs in our perceptions and interpretations of stimuli that lead to behavioral change or potential behavioral change.

Understanding Learning Theories

• John B. Watson (1878 to 1958), the founder of the school of thought Behaviorism, first studied learning and focused only on observable behaviors. Behaviorists study the effect of stimuli on our responses, in order to understand how stimuli influence learning. Classical and operant conditioning are fundamental concepts to behaviorism. In a well known experiment illustrating classical conditioning, Ivan Pavlov trained his dog to salivate at the sound of a bell. Criticism of behaviorism centers around its inability to account for learning that cannot be observed.
  B. F. Skinner (1904 to 1990), a radical bahaviorist, followed Watson and expanded his study to include the examination of internal states, as well as external, observable states. Cognitive theory grew out of behaviorism and focused on the mind and its internal processes. Today, learning theory continues to be central to behavioral psychology. Current theory includes respondent conditioning, operant learning, social learning, cognitive sciences and information processing models.

Motivation Defined

• Motivation theory attempts to explain what causes the drive to achieve and learn. In the 2001 issue of Educational Psychology Interactive, Huitt defines motivation as "an internal state or condition (sometimes described as a need, desire, or want) that serves to activate or energize behavior and give it direction."

Motivation Theories

• The psychological study of motivation is fairly new, beginning in the 1900s. The major theories of motivation include behavioral theory, cognitive behavioral theory, instinct theory, drive reduction theory, arousal theory, psychoanalytic theory and humanistic theory.

Understanding Motivational Theory

• Motivational theories attribute motivation to either internal forces, like biology or emotion, or external, environmental forces. Behavioral theory posits that external stimuli motivate our actions, while cognitive theories posit that our expectancies and how we attribute success and failure determine motivation. Instinct theory, drive reduction theory and arousal theory all postulate that the drive to learn is biological or a result of internal tensions and need for arousal. In psychoanalytic theory the motivation for our actions, thoughts, and emotions is survival.
  According to Maslow (1943), the founder of humanistic theory, we are compelled to achieve our potential unless we're faced with obstacles. Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs to explain the order in which we are motivated to overcome obstacles. New treatments and theories of psychological motivation continue to emerge, such as Miller and Rollnick's (2002) Motivational Interviewing.