Learning is defined as a relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs due to experience or practice. The characteristics of learning are : (i) It involves some relatively permanent change in behaviour, (ii) The change in behaviour is due to experience or practice, (iii) Change in behaviour may be in knowledge or in skill or in muscular movements, (iv) Learning is an inferred process. The main processes of learning are:
(i) Learning by classical conditioning – It was first explained by Ivan Pavlov. It is learning by forming associations and stimulus substitution. In daily life, we learn many things by classical conditioning for e.g. a child is given an injection by the doctor and begins to cry in pain. He soon makes the connection between ‘doctor’, ‘injection’ and ‘pain’ and begins crying as soon as he is taken to a doctor.
(ii) Learning by operant conditioning – Learning by operant conditioning was first explained by B. F. Skinner. He said that learning takes place to gain positive consequences or to avoid negative consequences.