Learning is defined as a, "relatively permanent change in an organism's behaviour due to experience" (Myers, 2004, p 225). The purpose of this paper is to present a critical analysis of the different theoretical approaches and explanations for learning through an examination of the theories of behaviourism, social learning and cognitive. I will investigate the principles and postulates of each theory, their strengths and their weaknesses. It is my belief that because each theory is best applicable to varying types of learning, it is best that a combination of each is used to provide the most complete learning experience.

Behaviourism is a theory that focuses on objectively observable behaviors, while discounting mental activities. Behaviour theorists thus define learning as an observable or quantifiable change in behaviour through the "universal learning process" known as conditioning. There are two types of conditioning, classical and operant, each of which yield a different behavioral...