Educational Psychology

Constructivism is a learning theory stating that learners actively construct their own understanding and knowledge through experiences, rather than passively receiving information.

Jean Piaget is considered the founder of cognitive constructivism, emphasizing that children build knowledge through interaction with their environment.

Sensorimotor (0–2 years), Preoperational (2–7 years), Concrete Operational (7–11 years), and Formal Operational (11+ years).

Assimilation is the process of incorporating new information into existing cognitive schemas without changing the schema itself.

Accommodation is the process of modifying existing schemas or creating new ones in response to new information that doesn't fit current understanding.

Equilibration is the self-regulatory process by which learners balance assimilation and accommodation to achieve cognitive stability.

Social constructivism holds that knowledge is co-constructed through social interaction and cultural contexts, building on the ideas of Vygotsky.

Social constructivism emphasizes collaborative learning and cultural tools, while Piaget's cognitive constructivism focuses on individual cognitive development through personal exploration.

Behaviorism is a learning theory that focuses on observable behaviors and the ways they are learned through conditioning, rather than internal mental states.

B.F. Skinner developed the theory of operant conditioning, showing that behavior can be shaped through reinforcement and punishment.

Operant conditioning is a learning process in which behavior is modified by its consequences—reinforcements increase behavior, punishments decrease it.

Positive reinforcement adds a desirable stimulus to increase behavior; negative reinforcement removes an aversive stimulus to increase behavior.