LEARNING

Learning TheoriesBehavior ModificationSocial Learning TheoryKolb’s CycleOrganizational Application

Definition

Learning is any relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience.

– Learning involves change– Change must be relatively permanent– Learning takes place when there is change in actions, no

change in behavior no learning– Some form of experience is necessary for learning.

Theories of Learning

• Classical conditioning:

A type of conditioning in which an individual responds to some stimulus that would not ordinarily produce such a response.

Classical conditioning introduces a simple cause-and-effect relationship between one stimulus and one response.

• Experiment by Russian physiologist Ivan PavlovHe established a Stimulus-Response connection.

Unconditioned StimulusFOOD

Unconditioned Response

Conditioned StimulusBELL

Unconditioned StimulusFOOD

Conditioned StimulusBELL

Response

Conditioned Response

• Operant conditioning (B.F. Skinner)A type of conditioning in which desired voluntary behavior leads to a reward or prevent a punishment.

– Behavior is a function of its consequences.– People learn to behave to get something they want or to avoid

something they don’t want.– Operant behavior means voluntary or learned behavior in

contrast to reflexive or unlearned behavior.

• Reinforcement strengthens a behavior and increases the likelihood that it will be repeated.– Rewards are most effective if they immediately follow the

desired response. In addition, behavior that is not rewarded, or is punished, is less likely to be repeated.

• Behavior ModificationA theory that explains learning in terms of the antecedents and consequences of behavior.

• A-B-C’s of Behavior Modification– The central objective of behavior modification is to change

behavior (B) by managing its antecedents (A) and consequences (C).

– Although antecedents are important, behavior modification mainly focuses on the consequences of behavior.

Consequences

What happens after behavior

Antecedents

What happens before behavior

Behavior

What person says or does

• Contingencies of ReinforcementBehavior modification identifies four types of consequences, collectively known as the contingencies of reinforcement, that strengthen, maintain, or weaken behavior. These are:– Positive reinforcement

– Negative reinforcement

– Punishment

– Extinction

Positive reinforcemente.g.: Receiving a bonus

after successfully completing an important

project.

Negative reinforcement

e.g.: Boss stop criticizing when job performance

improves.

Punishmente.g.: Threat of a demotion or discharge after messing

up a critical order.

Extinctione.g.: Co-workers no longer

praise you when you engage in dangerous

pranks.

Punishmente.g. Giving up your

“employee of the month” parking spot to this month’s

winner.

Consequence is introduced

No Consequence Consequence is removed

Behavior increases

or is maintained

Behavior decreases

Positive reinforcementOccurs when the introduction of a consequence increases or maintains the frequency or future probability of a behavior.

Negative reinforcementOccurs when the removal or avoidance of a consequence increases or maintains the frequency or future probability of a behavior.

PunishmentOccurs when a consequence decreases the frequency or future probability of a behavior.

ExtinctionOccurs when the target behavior decreases because no consequence follows it.

Reinforcement, whether it is positive or negative, has an impressive record as a shaping tool (more than punishment or extinction). Various researches have concluded that

– Some type of reinforcement is necessary to produce a change in behavior.

– Some types of rewards are more effective for use in organizations than other.

– The speed with which learning takes place and the permanence of its effects will be determined by the timing of reinforcement.

Schedules of Reinforcement

Continuous reinforcement – A desired behavior is reinforced each and every time it is demonstrated.

Intermittent reinforcement – A desired behavior is reinforced often enough to make the behavior worth repeating but not every time it is demonstrated.

Fixed-interval schedule – Rewards are spaced at uniform time intervals.

Variable-interval schedule – Rewards are distributed in time so that reinforcements are unpredictable.

Fixed-ratio schedule – Rewards are initiated after a fixed or constant number of responses.

Variable-ratio schedule – The reward varies relative to the behavior of the individual.

Social Learning TheoryA theory stating that much learning occurs by observing others

and then modeling the behavior that lead to favorite outcomes and avoiding the behaviors that lead to punishing consequences.

- It is an extension of operant conditioning

- Acknowledges importance of perception in learning

- The influence of models is central to social learning viewpoint. Four processes have been found to determine the influence that a model will have on an individual.

1. Attentional processes.2. Retention process.3. Motor reproduction process.4. Reinforcement process

Behavior Modeling

– People learn by observing the behaviors of a role model on the critical task, remembering the important elements of the observed behaviors, and then practicing those behaviors.

– Behavioral modeling increases self-efficacy because people gain more self-confidence after seeing someone else do it than if they are simply told what to do. This is particularly true when observers identify with the model, such as someone who is similar in age, experience, gender and related features.

Learning Behavior Consequences

– People learn by logically thinking through the consequences of our actions and by observing the consequences that other people experience following their behavior.

Self-Reinforcement

– The final element of social learning theory is self-reinforcement. Self – reinforcement occurs whenever an employee has control over a reinforcer but does not take the reinforcer until completing a self set goal.

Learning Through ExperienceExperiential learning has been conceptualized in many ways, but one of the most enduring perspectives is Kolb’s experiential learning model. The model illustrates experiential learning as a cyclic four-stage process.

Concrete experience

Reflective observation

Active experimentation

Abstract conceptualization

Learning Through Experience– Learning through experience works best where there is a strong

learning orientation.– Organizations achieve a learning orientation culture by

rewarding experimentation and recognizing mistakes as a natural part of the learning process.

– They foster the concept that no question is dumb, no idea too wild, and no task or activity is irrelevant.

Action Learning

A variety of experiential learning activities in which employees are involved in a “real, complex and stressful problem,” usually in teams, with immediate relevance to the company.

Some Specific Organizational Applications

– Using lotteries to reduce absenteeism– Well pay vs. sick pay– Employee discipline– Developing training programs– Creating mentoring programs– Self management

Exercise:

What is your learning style?

Text Books• Robbins S P, Organizational Behaviour,Prentice-

Hall of India, Ninth Edition

• Steven L Mcshane, Mary Ann Von Glinow, Radha R Sharma, Organizational Behavior, Tata McGraw - Hill Publishing Company Limited, III Edition