Phases of Learning and Behavior Modification Techniques
Phases of Learning
Cognitive Phase
In the cognitive phase, a greater number of errors is common. There is not much fluidity of movement or accuracy. There is a cognitive abstraction. The teacher is responsible for making the student identify the purpose of the activity and environmental conditions. This phase has a variable duration.
Associative Phase
The associative phase involves greater motor refinement. Fewer errors occur, and frequent errors are eliminated. Greater fluidity and movement coordination are produced. This phase also has a variable duration.
Autonomous Phase
In the autonomous phase, movement is dominated and automated, and the skill is almost completely mastered. Some very specific and serious errors may occur. From the cognitive to the autonomous phase, the student goes from not knowing how to select relevant information to capturing important stimuli for action.
Positive Reinforcement: Example and Definition
Positive reinforcement is used for learning behaviors that do not exist in the subject’s repertoire. It involves reinforcing a behavior through the systematic application of a reinforcing element so that the subject learns to associate it with the desired response.
Example: A child does not like vegetables but loves custard for dessert. The parent tells the child, “If you eat at least half your plate of vegetables, I will let you have the banana pudding I prepared for dessert.”
Overcorrection: Example and Definition
Overcorrection is used when the subject makes an error. It involves the following steps:
- Cessation of the error
- Information about the error
- Alternative behavior
- New professional execution
Example: A skier unexpectedly encounters a flag and falls.
Extinction: Example and Definition
Extinction is a procedure that reduces the rate of a behavior. It involves identifying the reinforcers that maintain the behavior and eliminating them. This reduces the likelihood of the response.
Example: A child refuses to eat. Parents, with good intentions and without realizing it, reinforce this behavior by paying attention to it.
Learning Measurement
To determine whether learning is occurring, it is necessary to measure changes in behavior. For the behavior to be measured, it must be:
- Concrete
- Operational
- Reliable (consistent under the same circumstances)
- Valid (measuring what it is intended to measure)
Sensation vs. Perception
Sensation refers to the immediate basic experiences generated by simple stimuli. Perception includes the interpretation of those sensations, giving them meaning and organization.
Types of Intrinsic Feedback
Intrinsic feedback is the information received by the individual during execution/motion regarding what they are doing.
- Exteroceptive: External information captured by the senses.
- Proprioceptive: Information about posture and movement.
- Interoceptive: Information about the body’s internal state.
Learning Environment: Examples and Definitions
Dominant Perceptual Environment
Example: Tennis, football. The individual’s execution/motor skills are mediated by situational changes that occur in the environment, as they are inherent in the nature of this type of sport. These correspond to the notion of situational sports.
Predominant Common Environment
Example: High jump. Environmental conditions are supposedly stable and predictable for the sportsman.