Learning Ability

Term Paper # 100579

Education
Psychology

Learning Ability

An overview of the factors that influence learning ability.

833 words () | 2 sources | MLA | 2006

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how learning is acquiring knowledge or developing the ability to perform new behaviors. It is common to think of learning as something that takes place in school, but much of human learning occurs outside the classroom, and people continue to learn throughout their lives. In particular, it looks at how a variety of factors determine an individual's ability to learn and the speed of learning.

Outline:
Factors That Influence Learning Ability
Age
Motivation
Prior Experience
Intelligence
Learning and Developmental Disorders

From the Paper:

"Learning is usually most efficient and rapid when the learner is motivated and attentive. Behavioral studies with both animals and people have shown that one effective way to maintain the learner's motivation is to deliver strong and immediate rein-forcers for correct responses. However, other research has indicated that very high levels of motivation are not ideal. Psychologists believe an intermediate level of motivation is best for many learning tasks. If a person's level of motivation is too low, he or she may give up quickly. At the other extreme, a very high level of motivation may cause such stress and distraction that the learner cannot focus on the task. "