Which of the following learning is placed on the lowest level in Gagne's…
2019
Which of the following learning is placed on the lowest level in Gagne's Hierarchy of Learning?
- A.
Concept learning
- B.
Verbal learning
- C.
Signal learning
- D.
Chain learning
Attempted by 6 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Robert Gagné's Hierarchy of Learning (also called the Eight Types of Learning) arranges learning into eight levels of increasing complexity, from the simplest involuntary response to a stimulus up to solving complex problems using multiple rules; each level is a prerequisite for the one above it.
The eight levels, from lowest to highest, are:
Level 1: Signal Learning — an involuntary, generalized response to a signal, based on classical (Pavlovian) conditioning.
Level 2: Stimulus-Response Learning — a precise, voluntary response is linked to a specific stimulus, based on operant conditioning.
Level 3: Chaining — a sequence of previously learned stimulus-response links is joined into an ordered chain of actions.
Level 4: Verbal Association — a verbal label or response is linked to a stimulus; a special case of chaining using language.
Level 5: Discrimination Learning — the learner distinguishes among many similar stimuli and responds differently to each.
Level 6: Concept Learning — the learner responds to a class of stimuli in terms of a common abstract property, such as shape or position, rather than to individual objects.
Level 7: Rule Learning — the learner combines two or more concepts into a rule (an if-then relationship) that governs behaviour.
Level 8: Problem Solving — the learner combines several rules to generate a new capability that solves a previously unencountered problem.
Concept learning (level 6), verbal learning (level 4), and chain learning (level 3) all sit well above signal learning (level 1) in this sequence. Since signal learning is level 1, it is confirmed as the lowest of the four options offered.