Learning Theory in School Situations

Authors:

Esther J. Swenson, George Lester Anderson, and Chalmers L. Stacy
Introduction by T. R. McConnell

This monograph includes abstracts of three doctoral dissertations on the psychology of learning. In his introduction Professor McConnell refers to Hilgard’s Theories of Learning (reviewed in this Journal, 62, 1949, 453-456), which divides theories of learning “broadly into two main families--association theories, on the one hand, and field theories on the other. “ The point of the three investigations (”Organization and generalization as factors in learning, transfer, and retroactive inhibition” by Swenson; “Quantitative thinking as developed under connectionist and field theories of learning” by Anderson; and “The law of effect in the retained situation with meaningful material” by Stacey) was to test the validity of these two kinds of theory. After careful analysis, the results favor the ‘field’ over the ‘association’ family. -Madison Bentley, Stanford University

- JSTOR: The American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 63, No. 1 (Jan 1950). pp. 120-122

Esther J. Swenson was a Professor Emerita of elementary education at the University of Alabama.

G. Lester Anderson was a professor of education at the University of Minnesota and a Professor Emeritus at Pennsylvania State University and at State University of New York-Buffalo.

Chalmers L. Stacey was a professor of psychology at Syracuse University.

This monograph includes abstracts of three doctoral dissertations on the psychology of learning. In his introduction Professor McConnell refers to Hilgard’s Theories of Learning (reviewed in this Journal, 62, 1949, 453-456), which divides theories of learning “broadly into two main families--association theories, on the one hand, and field theories on the other. “ The point of the three investigations (”Organization and generalization as factors in learning, transfer, and retroactive inhibition” by Swenson; “Quantitative thinking as developed under connectionist and field theories of learning” by Anderson; and “The law of effect in the retained situation with meaningful material” by Stacey) was to test the validity of these two kinds of theory. After careful analysis, the results favor the ‘field’ over the ‘association’ family. -Madison Bentley, Stanford University

- JSTOR: The American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 63, No. 1 (Jan 1950). pp. 120-122