It is generally accepted that learning theory began with the psychologist Ivan Pavlov’s famous experiments in which dogs were conditioned to responses around eating. He has been followed by a long list of distinguished psychologists who first focused their attention on tests and measurements of human intelligence but more recently have turned to development of learning theories and therapy dealing with mental health problems. John B. Watson was the first of this group to emphasize strongly the importance of environment and the facts that all behavior is learned and that only observable and testable facts are significant.

In a one- to two-page paper (excluding title and reference pages), create an outline containing the framework for the Learning Theory. The outline should describe how learning theory fulfills the genetic, social, and individual factors that create a total personality in addition to the following:

The theory’s origin and principles

An assessment of the theory’s validity and utility

How the theorist might have been influenced by his or her culture, ethnicity, gender, and social status

An explanation of why you feel this theory works best for your personal approach to the helping profession