Lesson 4: Learning and Motivation

Question 1

What is Learning?

Answer 1

Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge and skills. It involves a change of state that makes possible a corresponding change in one’s behaviour.

Question 2

What is learning the result of?

Answer 2

Learning is the result of experiences that enable one to exhibit newly acquired behaviours

Question 3

When does learning occur?

Answer 3

Learning occurs “when one experiences a new way of acting, thinking, or feeling, finds the new pattern gratifying or useful, and incorporates it into the repertoire of behaviours.

Question 4

What can we think of a “skill” as?

Answer 4

When a behaviour has been learned, it can be thought of as a skill

Question 5

What is Workplace Learning?

Answer 5

Workplace learning is the process of acquiring job-related knowledge and skills through formal training programs and informal social interactions among employees.

Question 6

What is an important fact to recognize in terms of how people learn in an organization?

Answer 6

Although the focus of this book is formal training and development programs, it is important to recognize that employees also acquire information and learn through informal interactions with others and from their experiences on the job.

Question 7

What is the 70 - 20 - 10 model?

Answer 7

It is generally recognized that when it comes to workplace learning, about 70 percent comes from on-the-job experiences and assignments, 20 percent from relationships and interactions with others, and 10 percent from formal learning activities and events.

This breakdown is known as the 70–20–10 model.

Question 8

What is Informal learning?

Answer 8

Informal learning is learning that occurs naturally as part of work and is not planned or designed by the organization.

Informal learning is spontaneous, immediate, and task-specific.

Question 9

What is Formal Learning?

Answer 9

Formal learning has an expressed goal set by the organization and a defined process that is structured and sponsored by the organization

Question 10

Table 2.1: Formal and Informal Learning

Answer 10

Question 11

What percent of what employees learn is through informal processes rather than formal programs?

Answer 11

It has been reported that 70 to 90 percent of what employees learn and know about their jobs is learned through informal processes rather than through formal programs.

Question 12

What are some of the reasons for the increase in informal learning?

Answer 12

Some of the reasons for the increase in informal learning are an increase in the need for knowledge transfer, an increased strategic emphasis on informal learning, informal activities being initiated by employees, and increased leadership support.

Question 13

Table 2.2: Differences between formal and informal learning

Answer 13

Question 14

What is an essential part of informal learning?

Answer 14

An essential part of informal learning is informal learning behaviours.

Question 15

What are some examples of things that employees can lean through informal means?

Answer 15

Employees learn about many things through informal means, such as:

• New general knowledge
• Teamwork
• Problem solving
• Communication skills
• New job tasks,
• Computers
• Health and safety
• New equipment
• Politics in the workplace

Question 16

What are some methods of informal learning?

Answer 16

One study found that email was the most-used method for informal learning followed by accessing information from the organization’s intranet.

Other forms of informal learning include Internet searches, communities of practice, voluntary mentoring, and coaching.

Most of the best practices identified involved the use of technology for information exchange (e.g., a social networking site for the company) and creating time for face-to-face interactions (e.g., team lunches and rearranging office layout to facilitate conversations).

Question 17

Strategies for facilitating informal learning in organizations:

Answer 17

Encourage employees to actively foster informal learning opportunities on their own.

Form casual discussion groups among employees with similar projects and tasks.

Create meeting areas and spaces where employees can congregate and communicate with each other (e.g., water cooler, cafeteria).

Remove physical barriers (e.g., office walls) that prevent employees from interacting and communicating.

Create overlaps between shifts so workers on different shifts or from different departments can get to know each other and discuss work-related issues.
Create small teams with a specialized focus on a product or problem.

Allow groups to break from their routines for team discussions.

Provide work teams with some autonomy to modify work processes when they find a better way of doing things.

Eliminate barriers to communication and give employees the authority to take training on themselves.

Condense office spaces and make room for an open gathering area for coffee breaks and socializing.

Match new hires with seasoned employees so they can learn from casual interaction and explicit teaching and mentoring.

Question 18

In what terms can learning be described in?

Answer 18

Learning can be described in terms of domains or outcomes of learning.

Question 19

According to Gagné, learning outcomes can be classified according to five general categories.

What are they?

Answer 19

Verbal information
Intellectual skills
Cognitive strategies
Motor skills
Attitudes

Question 20

What is verbal information?

Answer 20

Verbal information:

Facts, knowledge, principles, and packages of information, or what is known as “declarative knowledge.”

Question 21

What are Intellectual skills?

Answer 21

Intellectual skills:

Concepts, rules, and procedures that are known as “procedural knowledge.”

Procedural rules govern many activities in our daily lives, such as driving an automobile or shopping in a supermarket.

Question 22

What are Cognative strategies?

Answer 22

Cognitive strategies:

The application of information and techniques, and understanding how and when to use knowledge and information.

Question 23

What are Moter skills?

Answer 23

Motor skills:

The coordination and execution of physical movements that involve the use of muscles, such as learning to swim.

Question 24

What are Attitudes?

Answer 24

Attitudes:

Preferences and internal states associated with one’s beliefs and feelings.

Attitudes are learned and can be changed. However, they are considered to be the most difficult domain to influence through training.

Question 25

Table 2.3: Learning Outcomes Classification Schemes

Answer 25

Question 26

Kurt Kraiger and colleagues developed a multidimensional classification scheme of learning outcomes that includes some additional indicators of learning. Their classification scheme consists of three broad categories of learning outcomes.

What are they?

Answer 26

Cognitive outcomes
Skill-based outcomes
Affective outcomes

Question 27

What are Cognative outcomes?

Answer 27

Cognitive outcomes:

The quantity and type of knowledge and the relationships among knowledge elements.

This includes:

• Verbal knowledge (declarative knowledge)
• Knowledge organization (procedural knowledge)
• Structures for organizing knowledge or mental models)
• Cognitive strategies (mental activities that facilitate knowledge acquisition and application, or what is known as metacognition).

Question 28

What are Skill-Based outcomes?

Answer 28

Skill-based outcomes - This involves the development of technical or motor skills and includes:

• Compilation (fast and fluid performance of a task as a result of proceduralization and composition)
• Automaticity (ability to perform a task without conscious monitoring).

Question 29

What are Affective outcomes?

Answer 29

Affective outcomes - These are outcomes that are neither cognitively based nor skills based; they include:

• Attitudinal (affective internal state that affects behaviour)
• Motivational outcomes (goal orientation, self-efficacy, goals).

Question 30

What are the three stages of learning according to ACT theory?

Answer 30

According to ACT theory, learning takes place in three stages that are known as

• Declarative knowledge
• Knowledge compilation
• Procedural knowledge or proceduralization

Question 31

What is Resource allocation theory?

Answer 31

Resource allocation theory explains what happens during each stage and recognizes that individuals possess limited cognitive resources that can be used to learn a new task.

Performance of a new task is determined by individual differences in attentional and cognitive resources, the requirements of the task (task complexity), and self-regulatory activities (e.g., self-monitoring and self-evaluation) used to allocate attention across tasks.

Question 32

What is declarative knowledge?

Answer 32

Declarative knowledge:

First stage of learning. It involves the learning of knowledge, facts, and information.

During this first stage of learning one must devote all of one’s attention and cognitive resources to the task of learning. In other words, it is not likely that you would be able to make a phone call, listen to music, or carry on a conversation during this period of learning to drive a car.

In the declarative stage of learning, performance is resource dependent because all of one’s attention and cognitive resources are required to learn the task. Any diversion of attention is likely to affect your learning and lower your performance.

Question 33

What is knowledge compilation?

Answer 33

The second stage of learning is called knowledge compilation.

Knowledge compilation involves integrating tasks into sequences to simplify and streamline the task.

The learner acquires the ability to translate the declarative knowledge acquired in the first stage into action.

During this stage, performance becomes faster and more accurate.

Although the attention requirements during the knowledge compilation stage are lower than in the declarative stage, performance is still somewhat fragmented and piecemeal.

Question 34

What is procedural knowledge or procedurailization?

Answer 34

The final stage of learning is called procedural knowledge or proceduralization.

During this stage, the learner has mastered the task and performance is automatic and habitual.

In other words, the task can now be performed without much thought.

The transition from knowledge acquisition to application is complete.

At this stage, performance is said to be resource insensitive because changes in attention will not have much of an impact on performance.

Question 35

What are the implications of ACT theory for learning and training?

Answer 35

First, ACT theory recognizes that learning is a sequential and stage-like process that involves three important stages.

Second, it indicates that different types of learning take place at different stages.

And third, motivational interventions might be more or less effective depending on the stage of learning.

Question 36

Table 2.4: Stages of learning

Answer 36

Question 37

What is a Learning Style?

Answer 37

The way in which an individual prefers to learn.

Question 38

What are two of the best-known models of learning style:

Answer 38

David Kolb’s experiential learning theory model and Neil Fleming’s VARK model.

Question 39

What is David Kolb’s learning style?

Answer 39

David Kolb’s learning style has to do with the way people gather information and process and evaluate it during the learning process.

Question 40

What do Learning modes involve?

Answer 40

Learning modes involve:

The way people gather information (concrete experience, or CE, and abstract conceptualization, or AC)

The way people process or evaluate information (active experimentation, or AE

Reflective observation, or RO).

It is the combination of these “learning modes” (the way a person gathers information and the way a person processes information) that results in a learning style.

Question 41

What is the CE learning type?

Answer 41

People who prefer to gather information through direct experience and involvement are CE types (feeling).

Question 42

What is the AC learning type?

Answer 42

Those who prefer to gather information by thinking about issues, ideas, and concepts are AC types (thinking).

Question 43

What is the RO learning type?

Answer 43

If you prefer to process information by observing and reflecting on information and different points of view, you are an RO type (watching).

Question 44

What is the AE learning type?

Answer 44

If you prefer to process information by acting on it and actually doing something to see its practical value, you are an AE type (doing).

Question 45

Table 2.5: Learning styles

Answer 45

Question 46

What is a converging learning style?

Answer 46

A converging learning style combines abstract conceptualization and active experimentation (thinking and doing).

People with this learning style focus on problem solving and the practical application of ideas and theories.

Question 47

What is a diverging learning style?

Answer 47

A diverging learning style combines concrete experience and reflective observation (feeling and watching).

People with this orientation view concrete situations from different points of view and generate alternative courses of action.

Question 48

What is an assimilating learning style?

Answer 48

An assimilating style combines abstract conceptualization and reflective observation (thinking and watching).

These people like to process and integrate information and ideas into logical forms and theoretical models.

Question 49

What is the accommodating learning style?

Answer 49

An accommodating learning style combines concrete experience and active experimentation (feeling and doing).

People with this learning style prefer hands-on experience and like to learn by being involved in new and challenging experiences.

Question 50

What is the Learning Cycle?

Answer 50

A learning cycle in which people use each of the four modes of learning in a sequence.

The learning cycle begins with concrete experience (learning by experience),

followed by reflective observation (learning by reflecting),

then abstract conceptualization (learning by thinking),

and finally active experimentation (learning by doing).

This kind of learning cycle has been shown to improve learning and retention as well as the development of behavioural skills. Learning is most effective when all four steps in the learning cycle are part of the learning experience.

Question 51

What is Flemings VARk learning style?

Answer 51

Fleming’s learning style is an individual’s preferred ways of gathering, organizing, and thinking about information. It has to do with the different ways that individuals take in and give out information. There are four different perceptual preferences for how people prefer to learn. VARK

Question 52

What does VARK mean?

Answer 52

VARK is an acronym for the four different perceptual preferences or learning styles:

V = Visual
A = Aural/Auditory
R = Read/Write
K = Kinesthetic

Question 53

How do each of the VARK catagories prefer to learn?

Answer 53

Individuals who prefer to learn through the visual modality like to learn from charts, maps, graphs, diagrams, and other visual symbolic devices.

Those who prefer to learn through the aural/auditory modality like to learn from talking, explaining, and discussing things such as in lectures and group discussions.

Individuals who prefer the read/write modality like to learn from printed material and readings such as books, reports, manuals, and note taking.

Those who prefer the kinesthetic modality like to learn from direct practice, demonstrations, and experience such as simulations, role plays, and case studies. These people prefer to learn by actually doing something.

Question 54

What does the VARK questionair indicate?

Answer 54

An individual’s score indicates their learning style preference as well as the strength of their learning style.

This is because in addition to a single learning style preference, it is possible to have a combination of two, three, or four learning style preferences.

The VARK questionnaire provides a profile of a person’s scores on the four modalities. While some people might have one primary learning style, others might have multiple learning styles (two, three, or four) or what is known as a multimodal learning style.

Question 55

Learning styles have several implications for training. What are they?

Answer 55

First, they recognize that people differ in how they prefer to learn. This means that a person’s comfort, motivation, and success in training will depend on how well the training (e.g., its design, content, methods, and delivery) matches their learning style.

Second, trainees can also benefit from an awareness of their VARK learning style so that they can focus on their primary style(s) when learning, and make informed choices regarding training programs and opportunities to attend.

Third, training programs should be designed with each learning mode and style included and as part of a sequence of learning experiences in accordance with Kolb’s learning cycle (CE-RO-AC-AE).

Question 56

What does the psycologist B. F. Skinner define learning as?

Answer 56

The famous psychologist B. F. Skinner defined learning as a relatively permanent change in behaviour in response to a particular stimulus or set of stimuli.31 Skinner and the behaviourist school of psychology believe that learning is a result of reward and punishment contingencies that follow a response to a stimulus.

“The Conditioning Theory.”

Question 57

Figure 2.1: Conditioning theory

Answer 57

Question 58

What does the conditioning process involve? What three connected concepts can this be accomplished through?

Answer 58

The conditioning process involves linking desired behaviour to pleasurable consequences.

This is accomplished through three connected concepts:

• Shaping
• Chaining
• Generalization

Question 59

What is Shaping?

Answer 59

Shaping refers to the reinforcement of each step in the process until it is mastered, and then withdrawing the reinforcer until the next step is mastered. Shaping is extremely important for learning complex behaviour.

Question 60

What is Chaining?

Answer 60

Chaining is the second concept and involves the reinforcement of entire sequences of a task.

During shaping, an individual learns each separate step of a task and is reinforced for each successive step.

The goal is to learn to combine each step and perform the entire response. T

his combination is what chaining involves, and it is accomplished by reinforcing entire sequences of the task and eventually reinforcing only the complete task after each of the steps have been learned.

Question 61

What is generalization?

Answer 61

Generalization, which means that the conditioned response occurs in circumstances different from those during learning.

Thus, while a trainee might have learned a task through shaping and chaining, he or she might not be able to perform the task in a different situation or outside of the classroom.

To achieve generalization, the trainer must provide trainees with opportunities to perform the task in a variety of situations.

Question 62

What is social cognative theory and social learning?

Answer 62

The central premise of social cognitive theory is social learning, which involves learning through interactions with others.

Social learning can be either formal (e.g., mentoring programs) or informal (e.g., collaborative work).

According to social cognitive theory, people learn by observing the behaviour of others, making choices about different courses of action to pursue, and managing their own behaviour in the process of learning.

Question 63

Social cognitive theory involves three key components. What are they?

Answer 63

Observation
Self-efficacy
Self-regulation

Question 64

What does learning by observation look like?

Answer 64

Learn by observation.

They observe the actions of others and the consequences of those actions.

If the person being observed (the role model) is credible and knowledgeable, their behaviour is more likely to be imitated.

Question 65

Four key elements are critical for observational learning to take place. What are they?

Answer 65

Four key elements are critical for observational learning to take place:

attention
retention
reproduction
reinforcemen

Question 66

What does Self-efficacy refer to?

Answer 66

Self-efficacy refers to beliefs that people have about their ability to successfully perform a specific task.

Self-efficacy is a cognitive belief that is task specific, as in the example of the skier’s confidence that he can ski down a steep hill.

The novice skier might have low self-efficacy to ski down the hill but very high self-efficacy that he can get an “A” in a training course!

Question 67

Self-efficacy is influenced by four sources of information.
What are they?

Answer 67

In order of importance, they are:

Task mastery
Observation
Verbal persuasion and social influence
One’s physiological or emotional state

Question 68

What is Self-Regulation?

Answer 68

Self-regulation involves managing one’s own behaviour.

Self-regulation not only enables people to function effectively in their personal lives, but it also helps people acquire the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in education and in the workplace.

Question 69

What does Self-regulated learning Involve?

Answer 69

Self-regulated learning involves the use of affective, cognitive, and behavioural processes during a learning experience to reach a desired level of achievement.

Self-regulation is a goal-oriented cyclical process in which trainees set goals and establish a plan for learning, develop learning strategies, focus their attention on learning, monitor their learning outcomes, and modify their behaviours over time.

Question 70

What does the internal process of Self-learning involve?

Answer 70

These internal processes involve

Observing and monitoring one’s own behaviour (self-monitoring) as well as the behaviour of others.

Setting performance goals (goal setting),

Practising and rehearsing new and desired behaviours.

Keeping track of one’s progress and performance, comparing performance with one’s goals (self-evaluation).

Rewarding oneself for goal achievement (self-reinforcement).

Question 71

What are Self-regulation prompts?

Answer 71

Self-regulation prompts ask trainees questions about their learning, goals, and their goal progress to encourage self-regulation during training.

Question 72

What is Adult Learning Theory?

Answer 72

A final theory of learning that is important for training and development is adult learning theory which is based on the differences between adults and children and the implications of these differences for learning.

Question 73

What are some characteristics of Adult Lerners?

Answer 73

Adults have acquired a great deal of knowledge and work-related experience that they bring with them to a training program.

Adults like to know why they are learning something, the practical implications of what they are learning, and its relevance to their problems and needs.

Adults are problem centred in their approach to learning and prefer to be self-directed.

They like to learn independently and they are motivated to learn by both extrinsic and intrinsic factors.

Question 74

What is Andragogy and Pedagogy?

Answer 74

Andragogy refers to an adult-oriented approach to learning that takes into account the differences between adult and child learners.

By contrast, the term pedagogy refers to the more traditional approach of learning used to educate children and youth.

Pedagogy assigns full responsibility to the instructor for making decisions about what, how, and when something will be learned and if it has been learned.

Question 75

What are the six core assumptions about the adult lerner that Andragogy makes?

Answer 75

Need to know
Learner self-concept
Learner’s experience
Readiness to learn
Orientation to learning
Motivation to learn

Question 76

Table 2.6: Teaching Children Vs Adults

Answer 76

Question 77

Adult learning theory has important implications for learning throughout the training and development process.

What are they?

Answer 77

First, adult learners should be involved in the planning of training and development which should be a collaborative process.

Second, the design and instruction of training programs should be the joint responsibility of the trainer and trainees and based on trainees’ self-assessment of their needs.

Third, the training climate should be conducive for learning which means that it should be collaborative and supportive, and include self-directed learning as well as experiential learning techniques.

Question 78

What is Motivation?

Answer 78

Motivation refers to the degree of persistent effort that one directs toward a goal.

Motivation has to do with effort, or how hard one works; persistence, or the extent to which one keeps at a task; and direction, or the extent to which one applies effort and persistence toward a meaningful goal.

Question 79

What idea is Goal-setting theory based on?

Answer 79

Goal-setting theory is based on the idea that people’s intentions are a good predictor of their behaviour.

Question 80

What is a Goal?

Answer 80

A goal is the object or aim of an action.

According to goal-setting theory, goals are motivational because they direct people’s efforts and energies and lead to the development of strategies to help them reach their goals.

Question 81

For goals to be motivational, however, they must have a number of characteristics.

What are they?

Answer 81

First, goals must be specific in terms of their level and time frame. General goals that lack specificity tend not to be motivational.

Second, goals must be challenging to be motivational. Goals should not be so easy that they require little effort to achieve, and they should not be so difficult that they are impossible to reach.

Third, goals must be accompanied by feedback so that it is possible to know how well one is doing and how close one is to goal accomplishment.

Finally, for goals to be motivational, people must accept them and be committed to them.

Question 82

Although specific and challenging goals have been found to be motivational, the effects of goals on learning and performance depend on the type of goal that is set. Two important distinctions are:

Answer 82

Whether a goal is proximal or distal and whether the goal is a performance goal or a learning goal.

Question 83

What is a distal goal?

Answer 83

A distal goal is a long-term or end goal, such as achieving a certain level of sales performance.

Question 84

What is a proximal goal?

Answer 84

A proximal goal is a short-term goal or sub-goal that is instrumental for achieving a distal goal.

Proximal goals involve breaking down a distal goal into smaller, more attainable sub-goals.

Proximal goals provide clear markers of progress toward a distal goal because they result in more frequent feedback.

Question 85

What is Goal orientation?

Answer 85

Goal orientation is a dispositional or situational goal preference in achievement situations.

Goal orientation has been found to be a stable individual difference.

Individuals differ with respect to their goal orientation and the goals they will pursue in learning situations.

Question 86

What is learning goal orientation? (LGO)

Answer 86

learning goal orientation (LGO), which means that they are most concerned about developing competence by acquiring new skills and mastering new tasks.

Individuals with a performance goal orientation are more concerned about their task performance and focus on either demonstrating their competence by seeking favourable judgments from others or avoiding negative judgments.

Question 87

What is a Prove performance goal orientation? (PPGO)?

Answer 87

Individuals who are most concerned about favourable judgments about their performance and demonstrating their capabilities to others have a prove performance goal orientation (PPGO)

Question 88

What is an Avoid preformance goal orientation (APGO) ?

Answer 88

Individuals who are most concerned about avoiding negative judgments from others about their performance have an avoid performance goal orientation (APGO)

Question 89

What is Training motivation?

Answer 89

Training motivation (also known as motivation to learn) refers to the direction, intensity, and persistence of learning-directed behaviour in training contexts.

Research has found that training motivation predicts learning and training outcomes, and it is influenced by individual and situational factors.

Question 90

What is Locus of Control?

Answer 90

Locus of control refers to people’s beliefs about whether their behaviour is controlled mainly by internal or external forces.

Persons with an internal locus of control believe that the opportunity to control their own behaviour resides within themselves.

Persons with an external locus of control believe that external forces determine their behaviour.

Thus, internals perceive stronger links between the effort they put into something and the outcome or performance level they achieve.

Persons with an internal locus of control tend to have higher levels of training motivation.

Question 91

What is achievement motivation?

Answer 91

Achievement motivation - the desire to perform challenging tasks

Question 92

What is conscientiousness?

Answer 92

conscientiousness (responsible and achievement-oriented)

Question 93

What is Job involvement?

Answer 93

job involvement—or the degree to which an individual identifies psychologically with work and the importance of work to their self-image

Question 94

There are several things that trainers and managers can do to ensure that trainees’ training motivation is high.

What are they?

Answer 94

First, they can assess trainee personality to determine whether trainees are high on the personality factors that are related to training motivation (e.g., locus of control).

Second, they can assess trainee motivation prior to a training program to ensure that trainees are motivated to learn, and select those trainees with high training motivation to attend a training program.

Trainers should also consider influencing some of the factors that predict training motivation in an effort to increase trainees’ motivation to learn.

Finally, trainers should consider situational factors that influence training motivation and ensure that supervisors and peers provide trainees with support and that there is a positive climate for learning and training.

Question 95

What is Cognative ability?

Answer 95

Cognitive ability is similar to intelligence. It reflects an individual’s basic information-processing capacities and cognitive resources. It refers to the knowledge and skills an individual possesses and may include cognitive skills and psychomotor skills.

Examples of cognitive skills include basic numeracy and literacy, the intelligence to learn complex rules and procedures, and so on.

Cognitive ability (verbal comprehension, quantitative ability, and reasoning ability) determines how much and how quickly people learn; it is related to the ability to learn and to succeed on the job.

Question 96

Figure 2.2: Model of Training effectiveness

Answer 96

Question 97

What are Core self-evaluations (CSE)

Answer 97

core self-evaluations (CSE) which represents an individual’s self-appraisal of their worthiness, competence, and capability as a person. It is a broad personality variable that consists of four specific traits:

General self-efficacy,
Self-esteem
Locus of control
Emotional stability

Question 98

An additional factor that can influence learning is trainees’ attitudes. Three attitudinal variables that are important for learning are…

Answer 98

Job involvement, Job satisfaction, and Organizational commitment.

Question 99

What is Transer of training?

Answer 99

Transfer of training (see Chapter 9) and refers to the application of learning on the job. Employees must first learn and retain training content in order to change their behaviour and improve their job performance.

Question 100

What is the path between individual behavior and prrformance and organizational effectiveness?

Answer 100

The final path in the model is between individual behaviour and performance and organizational effectiveness which was first introduced to you in Chapter 1 (see Figure 1.2). This path indicates that employees’ behaviour and job performance will influence organizational effectiveness. In other words, more effective employee behaviours and higher job performance result in a more effective organization.

Question 101

How does our brain percive events?

Answer 101

Our brain perceives events through the five senses–the sense of sight, the sense of smell, the sense of touch, etc.

Once we recognize something as familiar or we can compare it to something else in our brain we begin to organize the information in some way, and that helps us to remember it and that helps us to attend to the stimulus.

If something is so unique that we’ve never felt it or sensed it before, we also, that’s another way that we organize information; we start to create new categories of events and perceptions that we’ve never had before.

Question 102

How do educational psychologists define “Stimulus”?

Answer 102

A stimulus is any information that comes to us through the five senses that could be the sense of touch, the sense of smell, the hearing, the sight and then the brain processes those stimuli in a way that organizes them either based on what we already know or based on the novelty, the new information, that we strive to reconcile with what we already know.

Question 103

How do educational psychologists define “Practice”?

Answer 103

Educational psychologists define practice as the rehearsal, the repetition of information that we are trying to commit to memory, and we do that in many ways.

Question 104

How do mental stimuli and practice fit into education?

Answer 104

Any stimulus becomes information in our brain and the point of classroom instruction is to help learners to memorize to commit things to long-term memory; whether those are procedures, the way that we do something or that could be what we call declarative knowledge, things that we know, things that we say “Abraham Lincoln was the President during the Civil War”.

So that mental stimulus becomes well-set in memory once we’ve repeated it, and practiced it and/or rehearsed it many times.

Question 105

How do educational psychologists define “Memory”?

Answer 105

Memory is the storage of information in the brain–or in the mind as some would say–that’s there for retrieval later on.

Question 106

How is memory involved in the educational process?

Answer 106

All learning will ultimately involve long-term memory.

We want learners to store new information, useful information, in their long-term memory, which means it has little chance of fading away or being forgotten.

To do that is really a long and complicated process for human beings and is really the reason we have school.

Question 107

What conditions stimulate learning?

Answer 107

When a person is satiated or not hungry, a person or organism tends to explore more.

In all when a primary need is met or fulfilled, a person will search for others to explore.

Question 108

How do educational psychologists define “boredom”?

Answer 108

Boredom is basically a term that people use, or learners use, to describe why they didn’t stay interested in a particular task or a particular stimuli.

There are two sides to boredom, one is when a task is too easy, and one is when a task is too difficult.

Question 109

How do educational psychologists define “motivation”?

Answer 109

Motivation is an internal drive.
Motivation is often described as the amount that we’re invested or interested in the task, how much value it has to us, whether we want to learn to do it, try to do it, and it’s also related to whether we think we can do it or not.

Question 110

How do educational psychologists define “attention span”?

Answer 110

Attention span, simply, is the ability to fixate or to focus on the features of a new stimulus; meaning: to continue to explore any novel parts of that stimulus, anything new.