TYPES OF LEARNING AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS (WITH EXAMPLES) - ECONOMÍA - 2025

There are many different types of learning, depending for example on how many repetitions are necessary to acquire the new information, or on what role the learner himself plays in the process. In the human being, a large number of different learning processes are known, which collaborate to create all our knowledge.

Learning is an activity through which a person can acquire new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values ​​or preferences, or modify those that they had previously acquired. It is a common process in all animals, although the mechanisms by which each species carries it out are different.

The study of the types of learning is of great importance for a multitude of different disciplines, among which psychology, therapy, pedagogy and neuroscience stand out. Due to this, since the beginning of the science of the study of human behavior, this has been one of the most important topics within it.

Although the types of learning can be divided in many different ways, in this article we will study some of the most important classifying them based on two criteria: according to the way of teaching, and according to the way of learning.

Types of learning according to the way of teaching

Associative learning

A bell sound (EC) occurs together with the food (EI) and they are associated, the bell being capable of causing salivation or conditioned response (CR). Before food (EI) caused salivation (unconditioned response or IR).

Associative learning is the process by which an individual is capable of generating an association between two stimuli or events. It is the type of learning that is behind phenomena such as classical and operant conditioning, and therefore is one of the most important in the history of psychology.

When associative learning occurs, the person establishes in his mind a relationship between two elements that initially have nothing to do with each other. One of the most famous examples in history is that of Pavlov's dogs, which were conditioned to produce saliva each time they heard the sound of a bell.

Associative learning can occur in basically two ways. On the one hand, the relationship can cause the effects caused by one of the stimuli to be transferred to the other, as was the case in the example we have just given. This is what is known in the world of psychology as classical conditioning.

On the other hand, the person can also associate an action with a reward or punishment, in such a way that the probability that they will perform it again decreases or increases depending on the associative learning that they have carried out on it. This type of learning is known as operant conditioning.

Non-associative learning

The other side of the associative learning coin is non-associative learning. Unlike the first, in this the change in behavior, attitude or thought occurs due to the constant repetition of a single stimulus. Therefore, no relationship is established in the mind of the individual.

Non-associative learning is also a very important part of behaviorism, and relies on two main tools: habituation and awareness. Both forms of learning are present in the majority of animal species, being the most common throughout the world. For example, snails and cockroaches have been shown to be capable of non-associative learning.

Non-associative learning plays a very important role both in our day-to-day life and in specialized contexts. Thus, for example, habituation is one of the most used tools in cognitive-behavioral therapy; and awareness is essential to reduce the probability that we interact with harmful stimuli that can pose a risk to our health.

Habituation

As we have already seen, habituation is one of the two main ways that non-associative learning can occur. This form of knowledge acquisition is based on reducing our response to a stimulus when it is repeated several times, as long as it is not especially relevant for our well-being or survival.

Habituation is one of the tools that most help us to adapt to our environment. Stimuli that initially caused us a lot of discomfort can, over time, become something easily tolerable and what we do not even notice. This happens, for example, in the case of typical noises in big cities, which are initially very annoying but eventually become harmless.

On the other hand, habituation can also work the other way around; that is, make us get used to positive stimuli and cause them to lose their strength over time. This is the basis, for example, of most types of addictions, since the person each time needs a greater dose of a substance to feel a pleasant effect when consuming it.

Sensitization

In many ways, sensitization is the opposite process of habituation. Like the previous type of learning, it is also part of the set of non-associative ones. In addition, it is also one of the main tools of adaptation to the environment that almost all animals have. However, its operation is the opposite of habituation.

In sensitization, the response to a stimulus becomes stronger and stronger as the person is exposed to it. This is generally due to one of two possible causes: either the stimulus is very novel, or it has a very significant relevance to the individual's well-being or survival.

Thus, for example, people with a phobia generally present a process of sensitization towards the stimulus that scares them. This implies that, instead of the discomfort decreasing as the individual is exposed to her phobic stimulus, on the contrary it increases more and more until it becomes intolerable.

Significant learning

Meaningful learning is a process of acquiring knowledge in which the person is able to retain new information because he associates it with that already present in his brain. In doing so, both old and new data are modified and rebuilt, influencing each other in the process.

Meaningful learning theory is found within constructivist psychology, and was first proposed by psychologist David Ausubel. According to this expert, the new learning will depend on the mental structures that already existed previously, which in turn are modified based on the new information that has been acquired.

Since the creation of this theory, most educational systems throughout the Western world have tried to focus on creating the conditions necessary for meaningful learning to occur in their students. This is because in theory information acquired in this way is retained in memory for longer and can be used more easily.

Experiential learning

As its name indicates, experiential learning is one that occurs through direct experience of the individual, and on the reflection that he carries out on his own actions. It is the opposite process in many ways from memory-based knowledge acquisition, which is the most widely used in traditional educational settings.

In experiential learning, the student takes the leading role because their own actions will determine the quality of the knowledge they acquire. In this way, this form of learning is related to others such as active, cooperative or situated.

Traditionally, this type of learning has been applied above all to the acquisition of specific skills, usually related to physical movements and body management. For example, learning to drive is achieved primarily through the individual's own experience.

However, some modern educational models propose using experiential learning in more theoretical subjects, with the aim that the knowledge acquired can be better established in memory than they do with other less practical approaches. Despite the fact that this method is not yet widespread, its popularity continues to grow over the years.

Responsive learning

Unlike in experiential learning, within receptive learning the fundamental role is that of the teacher or educator. This is in charge of transmitting to the students a series of knowledge that is already verified, elaborated and processed, in such a way that the students only have to memorize them. Generally this is done through repeated exposure to them.

Receptive learning is the most widely used within traditional educational systems, and continues to be of great importance even today. Teaching based on this type of learning is present in practically all colleges, institutes and universities in the world.

However, studies on receptive learning suggest that it is one of the least efficient ways to acquire new knowledge. This is because, because students do not have to process the information that comes to them externally, it is much more difficult for them to memorize it and keep it in mind in the long term.

As we have already mentioned, receptive learning is based above all on pure memory, in such a way that students are not expected to elaborate the information they receive or to reflect on it.

Cooperative learning

Collaborative learning is a theory that aims to turn the process of acquiring habitual knowledge into a social experience in which students collaborate with each other to achieve more complicated goals and carry out tasks that they could not achieve alone.

Collaborative learning is based in part on the theory of the zone of proximal development proposed by Lev Vygotsky. This Russian psychologist affirmed that there are certain learning that we can only carry out if we have the help of another person. Other more modern thinkers, such as John Dewey, expanded this theory and made it the one we know today.

Proponents of meaningful learning believe that the acquisition of traditional knowledge is based on independence. On the contrary, this new way of learning has to do with interdependence; that is, the collaboration in which the sum of the parts is greater than these separately.

Some of the most important ideas in meaningful learning theory are group formation, the presence of positive interdependence, equitable participation, and the importance of individual responsibility for each of the students.

Collaborative learning

Collaborative learning is a form of cooperative learning in which students work in small groups made up of students with different levels and abilities. In this way, they can reinforce each other to achieve goals that they could not achieve otherwise.

In collaborative learning, each student is responsible not only for their own learning but also that of the other members of their group. A process of this type is only considered completed when everyone has successfully completed the proposed task.

Vicarious learning

Vicarious learning theory is based on the idea that people can acquire new knowledge, ideas, or attitudes simply by observing other individuals. For example, by observing the reinforcements and punishments that someone suffers when they carry out a particular behavior, we can modify the probability with which we will carry it out in the future.

Emotional learning

Emotional learning is based on the idea that ideas, experiences and skills are best stored in memory when they have a great impact on our emotions. This theory has great scientific support that supports it, and is closely related to others such as meaningful learning.

According to the theory of emotional learning, those experiences that make us feel very positive or very negative emotions have a much greater impact on our mind. Because of this, it is easier for us to memorize and access them. Often times, if an experience is intense enough, we only need to repeat it once to learn from it.

Learning by discovery

Discovery learning is a type of meaningful learning in which the student has to investigate on their own about the different topics that are proposed. In this way, he takes a much more active role in his own acquisition of knowledge, the teacher being only a guide who can answer questions or support the student when necessary.

Discovery learning has proven to be much more effective than more traditional teaching methods, but at the same time it is considerably more expensive to carry out.

Rote learning

The teaching method opposed to discovery learning is one based entirely on memory. In the contexts in which it is used, the person is expected to store large amounts of information using repetition as the main tool.

In rote learning, the student does not have to relate his new knowledge with what he already knew, but is expected to be able to store pure data without any relevance to him. Although it is the most common method in the educational system, it has also been shown to be one of the least effective.

Implicit learning

The term "implicit learning" encompasses all those types of learning that are carried out without a conscious effort on the part of the person, and without the application of specific techniques, strategies or plans of action. Sometimes this type of knowledge acquisition is also called unconscious learning.

In implicit learning, the person is not aware at any time that he is modifying his ideas, abilities or capacities. Therefore, it generally does not occur in a regulated teaching context, but rather occurs in everyday life and in more informal situations. However, educators can also make use of it on certain occasions.

An example of implicit learning would be the acquisition of mother tongue. Children are not aware that they are learning, but nevertheless by listening to the adults around them when they speak, they are storing a lot of new information that they can later apply.

Explicit learning

In contrast to implicit learning, explicit learning is that which occurs when the person is fully aware that they are acquiring new ideas, skills or attitudes. It occurs mainly in traditional educational contexts, but we can also find it in many other situations.

For example, a child who is learning to ride a bicycle is aware of what he is doing, so this process would be an explicit form of learning. The same would happen in the case of a student who is studying for exams, or a person who is preparing to pass a language test.

Types according to the way of learning

In addition to the different types of teaching that can be used, learning also varies depending on the main strategy used by the student to acquire new knowledge. In this section we will see some of the most important.

Visual

The vast majority of people use predominantly visual thinking to carry out their learning. This is why techniques such as reading, watching videos, making diagrams or observing are so useful for learning a new skill or retaining information more easily.

A visual learning is anyone who relies mainly in this regard. In this way, a teacher using a slide presentation to give her class would be using a form of teaching aimed at this strategy.

Verbal

In contrast to visual learning, verbal learning is based primarily on words and hearing. People who learn more easily when listening to an audiobook or podcast, or in a master class in which the teacher only uses his voice, would be mainly using this learning strategy.

Verbal learning is far less common than visual learning, but it is also very important within traditional educational systems.

Musical

Musical learning is one that is related to all the processes of learning and teaching the art of music. It is used both within the traditional educational system, and in other areas such as regulated artistic teachings or even during our daily lives.

Musical learning is closely related to verbal learning, since both are based mainly on hearing. However, in this case the most important elements when acquiring new knowledge are those that configure the music, such as tone, rhythm, timbre or harmony.

It has been found that people with a greater facility for learning music tend to also have more developed skills in other areas that require listening, such as mastery of a new language.

Logical

Logical learning is one that is based mainly on the relationship between ideas, concepts and theories, and their application in new contexts. Generally, this requires more effort than simply using memory, but the knowledge it produces is more durable and can be used more flexibly.

Logical learning is mainly used in all areas that have to do with science and mathematics. For this reason, people who master this skill often occupy positions in research, engineering or technological development.

Social

Social learning is one that takes place within a group. People who mainly use this way of acquiring knowledge tend to have a high degree of interpersonal intelligence, and are generally very outgoing. Their main disadvantage is their difficulty in working alone when they don't have a group available.

Lonely

In contrast to social learning, the solitary is one that occurs without the presence of other people. Those who prefer this method of acquiring knowledge often find it difficult to collaborate on projects, and feel that others get in the way when they are trying to master a new skill.

Individuals who learn primarily alone tend to be more introverted than average and have good levels of intrapersonal intelligence.

References

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