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
Recommended