learning theory

• learning theory is a set of theories from the behaviourist approach in psychology which propose that all behaviour is learnt, rather than being innate
• when a child is born, they are ‘tabula rasa’ – latin for ‘blank slate’
• everything a child becomes can therefore be explained in terms of their interactions with, or experiences gained from the environment
• classical conditioning is the idea that we learn via association
• the unconditioned stimulus produces an unconditioned response
• if the unconditioned stimulus is paired enough times with a neutral stimulus, then over time the neutral stimulus will become the conditioned stimulus and a conditioned response will happen