Learning Processes
Behavioural approach is based on the foundation that learning has occurred when there are observable changes in behaviour. The basis of conditioning is that a reward following a desirable response acts as a reinforcer and increases the likelihood that the desirable response will be repeated. Once a desired behaviour is established an intermittent reinforcement will maintain the behavior. In counselling, behaviourist approaches are frequently used in weight loss, smoking cessation, assertiveness training, and anxiety-reduction programs. In CAAP 631, we learned the importance of regularly and consistently rewarding desired behaviours with no further delay and not rewarding undesirable behaviours.
Cognitive approach views learning an internal process in which information is integrated into one’s cognitive structure. For example, in the first phase of learning (cognitive phase), clients learn the overall picture of what the task is and the sequences involved. In the second phase of learning ( fixation learning phase), clients begin to to gain skill in performing the task. For example, when working with newcomers learning how to navigate the barriers they encounter in their new chosen country, they need to learn how to adapt to the new social, economic and political environment. In the last phase of learning, (automatic phase), clients gain increasing confidence and competence in performing the tasks they have been already practicing on.
The basic premise of the humanist approach is that learning is a function of the whole person and it cannot take place unless both the cognitive and affective domains are involved. For one of my assignment in the Health Psychology course, I used the humanistic approach with clients diagnosed with chronic pain in order to regain a sense of personal control over their health care management.
The brain based approach is based on the structure and function of the brain.
The core principles of brain-based learning state that
A few other tenets of brain-based learning include:
Source http://www.funderstanding.com/theory/brain-based-learning/brain-based-learning
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Excerpts from CAAP 613 Assignments on the Executive Function (EF) of clients with ADHD
Excerpt #1: Counsellors must understand the development of EF abilities as relates to brain maturation in order to adapt their counseling style to suit their clients’ developmental state. Support for the position that delayed maturation in brain development is characteristic of ADHD comes from a study published by McAlonan, et al. (2009). The goal of this study was to map the brain areas that correlate to EF in ADHD and determine age-related changes in reaction times and brain volumes.
Excerpt #2: Counsellor must be cognizant of the influences of social factors on the development of EF skills. Two social factors that facilitate the development of EF skills and that I want to touch on are culture and socioeconomic status. Studies by Lewis et al. (2009) suggest that children from an Oriental background demonstrate more self-control in regards to their actions than children from a Western background due to cultural differences in relation to the “demands [that] parents make in terms of filial duty” (p.81). Additionally, the socioeconomic impact on EF is exemplified by Noble, McCandliss, and Farah’s (2007) study that suggests that family socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with children’s neurocognitive EF. They found that SES disparities were associated with disparities in higher order EF such as the ability to adapt cognitive processing to new and unexpected condition in the environment, and the ability to block irrelevant information, capacities that are relevant for everyday functioning. Hence, counsellors must examine the development of executive functions within the social and cultural context in which their clients function in order to provide them with the most needed counselling support
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Behavioural approach is based on the foundation that learning has occurred when there are observable changes in behaviour. The basis of conditioning is that a reward following a desirable response acts as a reinforcer and increases the likelihood that the desirable response will be repeated. Once a desired behaviour is established an intermittent reinforcement will maintain the behavior. In counselling, behaviourist approaches are frequently used in weight loss, smoking cessation, assertiveness training, and anxiety-reduction programs. In CAAP 631, we learned the importance of regularly and consistently rewarding desired behaviours with no further delay and not rewarding undesirable behaviours.
Cognitive approach views learning an internal process in which information is integrated into one’s cognitive structure. For example, in the first phase of learning (cognitive phase), clients learn the overall picture of what the task is and the sequences involved. In the second phase of learning ( fixation learning phase), clients begin to to gain skill in performing the task. For example, when working with newcomers learning how to navigate the barriers they encounter in their new chosen country, they need to learn how to adapt to the new social, economic and political environment. In the last phase of learning, (automatic phase), clients gain increasing confidence and competence in performing the tasks they have been already practicing on.
The basic premise of the humanist approach is that learning is a function of the whole person and it cannot take place unless both the cognitive and affective domains are involved. For one of my assignment in the Health Psychology course, I used the humanistic approach with clients diagnosed with chronic pain in order to regain a sense of personal control over their health care management.
The brain based approach is based on the structure and function of the brain.
The core principles of brain-based learning state that
- The brain is a parallel processor, meaning it can perform several activities at once, like tasting and smelling
- Learning engages the whole physiology
- The search for meaning is innate
- The search for meaning comes through patterning
- Emotions are critical to patterning
- The brain processes wholes and parts simultaneously
- Learning involves both focused attention and peripheral perception
- Learning involves both conscious and unconscious processes
- We have two types of memory: spatial and rote
- We understand best when facts are embedded in natural, spatial memory
- earning is enhanced by challenge and inhibited by threat
- Each brain is unique
A few other tenets of brain-based learning include:
- Feedback is best when it comes from reality, rather than from an authority figure.
- People learn best when solving realistic problems.
- The big picture can’t be separated from the details.
- Because every brain is different, educators should allow learners to customize their own environments
- The best problem solvers are those that laugh
Source http://www.funderstanding.com/theory/brain-based-learning/brain-based-learning
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Excerpts from CAAP 613 Assignments on the Executive Function (EF) of clients with ADHD
Excerpt #1: Counsellors must understand the development of EF abilities as relates to brain maturation in order to adapt their counseling style to suit their clients’ developmental state. Support for the position that delayed maturation in brain development is characteristic of ADHD comes from a study published by McAlonan, et al. (2009). The goal of this study was to map the brain areas that correlate to EF in ADHD and determine age-related changes in reaction times and brain volumes.
Excerpt #2: Counsellor must be cognizant of the influences of social factors on the development of EF skills. Two social factors that facilitate the development of EF skills and that I want to touch on are culture and socioeconomic status. Studies by Lewis et al. (2009) suggest that children from an Oriental background demonstrate more self-control in regards to their actions than children from a Western background due to cultural differences in relation to the “demands [that] parents make in terms of filial duty” (p.81). Additionally, the socioeconomic impact on EF is exemplified by Noble, McCandliss, and Farah’s (2007) study that suggests that family socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with children’s neurocognitive EF. They found that SES disparities were associated with disparities in higher order EF such as the ability to adapt cognitive processing to new and unexpected condition in the environment, and the ability to block irrelevant information, capacities that are relevant for everyday functioning. Hence, counsellors must examine the development of executive functions within the social and cultural context in which their clients function in order to provide them with the most needed counselling support
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