Polytechnic University of the Philippines

College of Accountancy and Finance

Sta. Mesa, Manila

Learning and
Human Abilities.
Submitted to:
Ms. Geraldine Santos
Submitted by:
Baluyot, Gency Joyce
Coronado, Eunice
Dela Cruz, Silayan
Gonzales, Ivy
Lozano, Earl Valentin
Reyes, John Wilfred
BSA 1-11

Learning and Human Abilities.

A. The Meaning and Nature of Learning

Learning is the:
Permanent modification of behavior which results from activity, special training and
observation (Munn)
Permanent change of behavior as the result of practice (Hilgard)
Concept describing changes in behavior, which results from reinforced practice(Edwards)
Common to most definitions of Learning:

Changes in behavior which are relatively permanent

Practice or past experience
Concept of reinforcement

It is difficult to observe learning directly. There may be changes in behavior but we

cannot say conclusively that learning alone counts for the change in behavior. Other factors like
motivation, adaptation and fatigue may also lead an organism to show changes in behavior.
Learning may be apparent and be deliberate as in working through a difficult
mathematical problems; it may be subtle and unnoticed as in the gradual assimilation of culture.
Learning is a lifetime process. For as long as one is alive, we keep on interacting with
forces of the environment and we are driven by varied motivations. The person who says that his
learning has ceased with schooling reveals the paucity of his understanding.

B. Steps in the Learning Process

Miller and Doltard aptly express the essential aspects of learning thus, In order to learn,
one must want something, notice something, do something and get something.. Dashiells
diagram of readjustment behavior illustrates the learning process.

Fig. 1 Dashiells Readjustment Behavior Diagram

(1) Motivated individual encounters an (2) obstacle that blocks his goal and the
satisfaction of his motives. He makes (3) exploratory responses, until (4) he gets around the
obstacle to the (5) goal.
Viewpoints regarding the learning process are varied. We can summarily group these
viewpoints into two:
1. Associative Learning (Habit Formation)
According to this viewpoint, behavior is learned through habit formation by associating S
(Stimulus) and R (Response), i.e., when we are asked the name of a wearing apparel, we answer
dress. This viewpoint can be illustrated in the experiments on a) Classical Conditioning, b)
Operant Conditioning, c) Multiple-Response learning, and in d) Escape and avoidance learning.

a) Classical Conditioning (stimulus substitution) is the method of substituting

another stimulus for an original one to elicit a response.