Question

Part A

Your book Theories of Human Learning: What the Professor Said - 180 Day Option, 6th Edition
Guy R. Lefrancois discusses several neuropsychological changes that underlie learning. Please describe your thoughts on learning and thinking according to Hebb's theory. Please discuss in detail the relationship between neurology and learning according to this concept and use examples as applicable.

Part B

Compare and contrast Hebb's theory of learning to Tolman's theory of learning.

Answer 1

Part B

Hebb's Theory of Learning

• Hebbs Theory explains about adaptation of neurons in learning process
• According to him, behaviour is based on factual inferences
• Hebbs rule postulates that learning requires repetition
• It include higher level of cognitive processes

Tolman's theory of learning.

• According to him, learning is a total process. It takes place by cognition. Cognition includes concepts like knowledge, thinking, planning, inference, and purpose.

• Organisms follows certain signs and clues to reach a goal. It learn its way by following a sort of mental map and it does not learn only some movements but also their significance and meanings. Hence, this theory is called as sign learning theory.

• In his experiment, a comparison was made between two groups of hungry rats in a maze. In one group, each subject received food each time it ran the maze and steady improvement was noticed. In the other, each subject was given access to the maze without finding a food reward and little improvement occurred in time or error scores. However, when food was introduced at the tenth trial, performance soon approximated that of the group which had been rewarded continually. Such sudden improvement suggests that the animals had acquired information about the maze which they did not utilize until, after the tenth day it became advantageous for them to do so. The rats had developed a cognitive map of the maze.

Compare Hebb's theory of learning to Tolman's theory of learning.

1. According to hebbs, behaviour is factual based. According to Tolman, behaviour is purposive

2. Hebbs said that learning requires repeptition where as Tolman says learning always need cognitive map