1st Edition

A Cognitive Theory of Learning Research on Hypothesis Testing

By Marvin Levine Copyright 1975

    First published in 1975, A Cognitive Theory of Learning provides a history of hypothesis theory (H theory), along with the author’s research from the previous decade. The first part introduces the reader to contributions of some major learning theorists. It traces the history of H theory, reviewing the confrontation with conditioning theory, with the stress on the emergence of H theory which came to predominate. The second part describes the author’s work, presented as it emerged over time. It shows how the outcome of one experiment typically led to the next theoretical development or experiment. Originally part of The Experimental Psychology Series this reissue can now be read and enjoyed again in its historical context.

    Preface.  Part I: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Hypothesis Theory  1. The Beginning  2. The Reaction  3. The Transition: Conditioning Theory in the Fifties  4. The Transition: Foreshadowings in the Fifties  5. The Renaissance: Mathematical Learning Theories in the Early Sixties  Part II: Visit to a Small Laboratory  6. The Analysis of Response Patterns by Human Adults  7. Probing for Hypotheses  8. Further Applications of Blank Trials  9. The Start of the Child Program  10. When S Fails to Learn  11. The Transfer Hypothesis  12. Summing Up.  Epilogue.  Appendix.  References.  Subject Index.

    Biography

    Marvin Levine