The Psychology of Learning: 5 Key Factors Influncing Learning

Psychology of Learning is a continuous process happening throughout the life of human beings. If a person does not learn anything, he can be considered a vegetable. This learning occurs everywhere. However systematized learning is the price concern of the education system. All education programs like formal, non-formal, and informal education aim at developing learning. Learning goes with education by possessing a psychological approach. Thus, Educational psychology scientifically approaches the concept of learning

Definitions of learning

There are many definitions available to define learning but common consensus over the definition is yet to be arrived at. Learning can be defined as any relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of practice or experience.

1. Gates (1946): “The modification in behaviour to meet environmental requirements
2. Gardner Murphy (1968): “The term learning covers every modification in behaviour to meet environmental requirements.”
3. Crow and Crow (1973): “Learning is the acquisition of habits, knowledge and attitudes,
4. Munn: “To learn is to modify behaviour and experience.”
5. Skinner: “Learning is a process of progresșive behaviour adaptation.”
6. Baron (1995): “Learning is any -relatively permanent change in ◦ behaviour potential, resulting from experience.”

Learning is the desired change or modification of behaviour attained through experience and environment.

Characteristics of Learning

1. Learning is goal-oriented or purposeful: Every person wants to achieve some goals in life and fixes these goals as short-term goals or long-term goals. If these goals are stated in a clear and definite manner, learning becomes meaningful and purposeful for the learner.
2. Learning is an active process: Learning is based on the self-activity. The student who puts greater effort will learn fast.
3. Learning is individual: Learning is individual-based. The rate of learning differs from person to person according to intelligence, interest, needs, and motivation.
4. Learning is due to interaction with the environment: Learning is the outcome of the interaction with the total learning situation.
5. Learning is creative: Learning aims at a higher level of thinking which is known as creative or critical thinking. Creative thinking involves the mental process for learning.
6. Learning is universal and continuous: Learning does not stop but it is a continuous process. It cannot be  ni restricted to any age, sex, race or culture 
7. Learning is organization of experience: Experience makes a person learn  Organization of experiences will be helpful for new learning.
8. Learning is transferable: One kind of learning helps in a new kind of learning.  Classroom learning can be helpful in real-life situations. The transfer of learning takes place in everyone’s life. 
9. Learning is adjustment: Learning is a process of progressive adjustment and adaptation to an ever-changing physical as well as social environment. 
10. Learning is both formal and informal  process: Learning takes place both in  formal process and informal processes in  the sense of different rating level 
11. Learning is a social process: Learning never takes in a vacuum or in an empty place. It takes place while interacting with other living organisms and non-living things. 
12. Learning is measurable: Learning can be measured in many ways. The responses of a person can be judged to evaluate the learning.

Factors Influencing Learning

Learning is the outcome of experience, which alters the behaviour of an individual in the desired direction. The learning process is based on three aspects i.e., the learner, the learning experience, and the learning materials.

A) Nature of the Learner

The learner is the core of any learning task. Some of his / her natures influence the learning. The following are some of the factors associated with learner for learning:

1. Physical and mental development: The physical development and mental maturity of a person support the level of learning. The learner cannot be attentive when he/she is in physical ailment. The mental maturity keeps the pace of learning. A person who is mentally or emotionally disturbed could not gain satisfactory learning.
2. Motivation: Learning depends on  relative strength of motives. Self-  motivation, an external environmental motivation greatly influence the  learning. 
3. Basic Potentialities: Learning depends  heavily upon some basic potentialities  such as innate abilities, intelligence,  interests, aptitudes, attitudes, creativity,  thinking, reasoning and imagination. 
4. Goals of life: Learning is a goal-directed activity. One’s goal-setting creates an impact on the learning activities. For example, if a student wants to go for Computer Engineering,  he sets the goal in such a way as to get knowledge and interest in the computer field. 
5. Learning readiness: Learning readiness includes mental preparedness and physical coordination to learn  Learning takes place when only the  -learner intends to learn  6. Physical impairment: The defect in vision, hearing, and speech tend to affect learning adversely. Orthopaedic impairment retards learning of many motor skills. 

B. Learning Experience

Behavioural modification of the learner depends upon the type of learning experience. The important factors that provide the learning experience are presented below.

1. Methodology of learning: Learning depends upon the methods, techniques and approaches employed for the teaching and learning of the subjects.
2. Linking present and past learning: Learning depends upon the abilities of the teacher and the learner to link the present new learning with the past experiences of the learner. Past experiences help the learner to understand and assimilate the new learning.
3. Practice: Practice in learning increases retention rate. Repeated practice and revision of one’s learning help in good reproduction. Spaced or distributed practice is superior to massed practice for better learning and longer retention.
4. Multisensory approach: Sense organs are the gateways of knowledge. A learner who learns using maximum senses like sense of vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste gets better learning.
5. Congenial environmental and incentives: A pleasant environment should be created for learning Incentives in the form of appreciation. motivation, rewards, and awards encourage better learning and longer retention.

C) Learning material

Learning materials are important factors, which have high influence on learning. The learning materials should have some criteria to enhance learning. They are presented below:

1. Length: If the length of learning material is voluminous, the learner gets tired and loses interest.
2. Difficulty level: Difficult tasks take more time and energy to learn. Thus, the learning material with more difficulty level creates fatigue, which in turn slows down the rate of learning such material.
3. Meaningfulness: The material which is meaningful and sequential is easier to learn than the meaningless ones.
4. Language expression: Learning depends upon the usage of language The simple, understandable vernacular language helps the learner to learn and comprehend the learning tasks.

Types of Learning

1. Motor Learning: The learning of all types of motor skills may be included in this type of learning. Learning to swim, ride a horse, drive a car, fly a plane, play the piano, hit a moving target, draw a diagram, performing experiments and handling various instruments are examples of such learning. Skills to perform such activities can be acquired through systematic and planned ways of learning methods and devices.
2. Perceptual Learning: A child gets sensation through sense organs. While giving meaning to this sensation.  perception takes place. It means that objects around him are meaningful to  him and he perceives them. He learns the names of different objects in order  to differentiate them. 
3. Associative Learning: New concepts are_ associated or linked with the old concepts and knowledge to acquire learning. 
4. Conceptual Learning: A concept is a generalized idea about things, persons or events in the form of a mental image  The concept of house’ is a mental image that throws up the similarities or common properties of all the different houses we know. 
5. Animal Learning: Animal Learning is a motor learning. Motor learning is done  by actions, signs and symbols. Animals learn by motor activities like running.  jumping, climbing, eating, drinking, etc. 
6. Sensory Motor Learning: Learning is a sensory-motor process. Sensory motor learning is a coordinative activity of both sensory organs and physical activities using arms, hands, fingers,  legs, toes and body movements. 
7. Attitudinal Learning: A child develops  certain attitudes towards the living or  non-living things, through which  learning takes place 
8. Verbal Learning: Human learning is  mostly verbal. The language we speak  and the communication devices we use  are the product of verbal learning. Signs,  pictures, symbols, words, figures,  ” sounds and voices are employed by the  individual as essential instruments for  engaging in the process of verbal  learning. 
9. Discrimination Learning: When the child is presented with two or more    stimuli, which differ in some detail, the  child distinguishes the differences. This  way, the child learns by discriminating  the things or objects. 

Document title: Psychology of Learning: Definition, Characteristics, Factors Influencing Learning

Meta tags: learning, behaviour, psychology, characteristics, factors influencing learning

In this article, we explore the psychology of learning. Learning is the result of experience, leading to behavioral changes in individuals. It involves three key aspects: the learner, the learning experience, and the learning materials. Understanding the nature of the learner helps us identify factors that influence their learning. Additionally, the type of learning experience and the quality of learning materials play crucial roles in shaping the learning process. By delving into these factors, we gain a comprehensive understanding of the different types of learning.