Learning Processes Through Adult Development and Learning Models
Learning Processes through Adult Development and Learning Models
What is adult development? Adult development is a branch of developmental psychology. Adult development can be divided into six parts: hierarchical complexity, knowledge, experience, expertise, wisdom, and spirituality. There are also several approaches to adult development and their related implications for instruction. "Theories serve as a lens through which we view the life course; that lens illuminates certain elements and tells a particular story about adult life." (Clark and Caffarella, 2000) The four lenses through which adult development will be seen are: behavioral/mechanistic, cognitive/psychological, contextual/socio-cultural, and integrative.
The Behavioral/Mechanistic Approach
According to the mechanistic approach, people are machines whose response to external forces results in development. This approach asserts that “past behavior predicts future behavior
and that people 's machine-like minds do not construct knowledge but instead absorb existing knowledge.” (Miller, 1993) Development can therefore be measured quantitatively. Behaviorism exemplifies the mechanistic approach. It is a science interested in predicting and controlling human behavior. “People learn behaviors by responding to stimuli and by receiving positive or negative reinforcement or punishment. Positive reinforcement increases the likelihood that the immediately preceding behavior will be repeated.” (Shaffer, 1994) For example, if a girl receives praise (an example of positive reinforcement) for helping her sister, she is likely to repeat the action. In contrast, negative reinforcement occurs when a desired action results in the cessation of an unpleasant stimulus. Punishment is a third kind of reinforcement; instead of preceding the response as in the case of negative reinforcement, it follows the response and decreases the chance of the behavior recurring. Scolding is an example of punishment.
What is adult development? Adult development is a branch of developmental psychology. Adult development can be divided into six parts: hierarchical complexity, knowledge, experience, expertise, wisdom, and spirituality. There are also several approaches to adult development and their related implications for instruction. "Theories serve as a lens through which we view the life course; that lens illuminates certain elements and tells a particular story about adult life." (Clark and Caffarella, 2000) The four lenses through which adult development will be seen are: behavioral/mechanistic, cognitive/psychological, contextual/socio-cultural, and integrative.
The Behavioral/Mechanistic Approach
According to the mechanistic approach, people are machines whose response to external forces results in development. This approach asserts that “past behavior predicts future behavior
and that people 's machine-like minds do not construct knowledge but instead absorb existing knowledge.” (Miller, 1993) Development can therefore be measured quantitatively. Behaviorism exemplifies the mechanistic approach. It is a science interested in predicting and controlling human behavior. “People learn behaviors by responding to stimuli and by receiving positive or negative reinforcement or punishment. Positive reinforcement increases the likelihood that the immediately preceding behavior will be repeated.” (Shaffer, 1994) For example, if a girl receives praise (an example of positive reinforcement) for helping her sister, she is likely to repeat the action. In contrast, negative reinforcement occurs when a desired action results in the cessation of an unpleasant stimulus. Punishment is a third kind of reinforcement; instead of preceding the response as in the case of negative reinforcement, it follows the response and decreases the chance of the behavior recurring. Scolding is an example of punishment.
References: Clark, M., & Caffarella, R. (eds.) (2000), An Update on Adult Development Theory: New Ways of Thinking about the Life Course. (New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 84.) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Daloz, L. (1999). Mentor: Guiding the Journey of Adult Learners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Miller, P. (1993). Theories of Developmental Psychology (3rd ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman. Perun, P., & Bielby, D. (1980). "Structure and dynamics of the individual life course." In K. Back (ed.), Lifecourse: Integrative Theories and Exemplary Populations (pp. 97-120). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Shaffer, D. (1994). Social and Personality Development (3rd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks and Cole. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.