Chapter 4: Psychological foundations of Instructional Design

Goal:

To provide an overview of concepts and principles associated with learning theories and their influence on instructional design practices.

Learning:

Persistent change in human behavior/performance potential which can be demonstrated over time, not resulting from growth or maturation.

Behavioral Learning Theory advocated by B. F. Skinner

Learning occurs with explicit change in behavior resulting from an individual’s response to environmental antecedents and consequences with no consideration of mental processes.

It contributed concepts such as reinforcement, feedback, learning objectives.

Cognitive Information Processing Theory

Similar to Behavioral Learning theory, Information processing theory lays importance on environment and behaviors for learning to occur, taking into account the information processing in the brain.

Information passes through stages such as sensory memory (few mili-seconds) short term memory (5sec to 1min) and finally stored in long term (ever after) memory.

Processes such as attention, encoding and retrieval are assumed to act on information as it is received to store for later recall and use.

Feedback from Information Processing perspective serves two functions: 1) Correctness of response 2) Corrective Information.
It also emphasizes on the role of prior knowledge in learning.

Schema Theory and Cognitive Load Theory

Brain stores knowledge in packets of information (schemata). Schemata organize information in categories which are linked systematically.

Cognitive load occurs when learners do not posses enough of contextual prior knowledge or appropriate automated schemata to access.

Situated Learning theory

Learning occurs when an individual participates in a community practice and shares a common goal. Situated Learning Theory does not take into account individual learning but instead relies heavily on cultural and social aspects of learning.

Gagne’s Theory of Instruction

It takes into account both learning and teaching aspects and have 3 important components:

1)Taxonomy of learning outcomes - learning outcomes can be categorized in five major categories.

        * Verbal Information
        * Intellectual skills
	* Intellectual skills
	* Cognitive Strategies
	* Attitudes
	* Motor skills

2)Concept of Learning Hierarchies - A subordinate skill has to be acquired first to attain a higher level task and also different condition of learning is required for different learning outcomes.

3)Nine events of Instruction – Conditions and concepts for learning to occur.

Constructivism

Learning occurs when individual constructs meaning of the surrounding environment. Unlike other learning theories, learning is supposed to occur from inside out