Learning Theories Flashcards

A student reads 'distribute 10 identical balls into 4 boxes' and immediately thinks 'stars and bars.' Which theory explains this quick recognition?

Answer: Schema theory

Schema theory explains how organized knowledge structures let learners recognize problem types and recall methods.

In Kolb's experiential learning cycle, a student takes a mock AMC and then reflects on their errors. Which stage comes next?

Answer: Abstract conceptualization

Kolb's cycle goes experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, then active experimentation.

A student watches a teammate solve a problem with a clever symmetry argument and later uses the same technique. Which theory describes this?

Answer: Social learning theory

Bandura's social learning theory says people learn by observing and modeling others.

Students who struggle with a hard combinatorics problem before being taught the method often understand it more deeply. What is this called?

Answer: Productive failure

Kapur's productive failure shows that struggling before instruction can deepen conceptual understanding.

After reading a solution, a student explains aloud why each step is valid and how it links to earlier ideas. Which strategy is this?

Answer: Self-explanation (elaboration)

Self-explanation is a form of elaboration that connects new steps to prior knowledge and improves understanding.

Thorndike's law of effect says which of the following?

Answer: Responses followed by satisfying outcomes are more likely to recur

Thorndike's law of effect holds that satisfying consequences strengthen the link between a stimulus and a response.

A student feels anxious whenever they hear a timer beep because it was always paired with stressful timed tests. Which learning process explains this?

Answer: Classical conditioning

In Pavlov's classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus paired with a stressful one comes to trigger the same response.