Robert Gagne's hierarchical learning theory categorizes learning into five types: intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, verbal information, attitudes, and motor skills. Intellectual skills are further divided into eight subcategories that increase in complexity: signal learning, stimulus-response learning, chain learning, verbal association learning, multiple discrimination learning, concept learning, rule/principle learning, and problem solving learning. These categories build upon each other, with higher-order skills requiring mastery of lower-level skills and more previous learning.

1. Robert Gagne’s
Hierarchical Learning Theory

2. Introduction
• The classification of learning according to Robert Gagne includes five
categories of learned capabilities:
intellectual skills,
cognitive strategies,
verbal information,
attitudes, and
motor skills.

3.  Out of these five categories of learning outcomes, intellectual skills
are the only category that is divided into sub-categories.
 Gagne distinguished eight different classes of intellectual skills in
which human beings learn in terms of the degree of complexity of the
mental processes involved.

4. He identified eight basic types, and arranged these in the hierarchy.
 According to Gagne, the higher orders of learning in this hierarchy
build upon the lower levels, requiring progressively greater amounts
of previous learning for their success.

5. The lowest four orders tend to focus on the more behavioural aspects
of learning.
While the highest four focus on the more cognitive aspects.
They are -

6. Robert Gagne’s Hierarchical Learning Theory
Signal Learning
Stimulus-Response Learning
Chain Learning
Verbal Association Learning
Multiple Discrimination Learning
Concept Learning
Rule/Principle Learning
Problem Solving Learning

7. Signal learning
oThe first one is straightforward conditioning in which we learn to
make a standard response to a stimulus or signal.
oFor example, when a car sounds the horn as we are crossing the road,
our eyes turns towards the source of the noise and we quicken our
steps.
oSimilar to Classical conditioning.

8. Stimulus-response learning
• The second form of association is stimulus-response learning in which we
learn to change our response by discriminating between stimuli.
• For example, we stopped at the signal when it turned red and started
walking when it turned Green. That means we are responding differently to
different stimuli.
• We learn to respond in a particular way by being rewarded or getting
favourable results.
• Operant conditioning.

9. Chain learning
It is the process of connecting together a number of learnt responses
into a sequence.
Gagne describes two kinds of chaining. The first is motor chaining –
learning a skill such as riding a bike.
Complex operant conditioning.

10. Verbal association learning
 The second is verbal chaining – rote learning a regulation or a saying
or a time table.
 Verbal chaining is one of the key processes in the development of
language skills.
 Creation of associations using verbal connections.

11. Discrimination learning
The next type of learning in the hierarchy is discrimination learning.
This is the process in which we learn to discriminate between similar
phenomena.
The stimuli may resemble each other but we learn to identify the
differences and respond differently to each one.
So we learn to distinguish between a square and rectangle.
Learning of responding different to different stimuli.

12. Concept learning
This type of learning describes the ability to classify and link together
similar phenomena or occurrences.
This involves developing the ability to make a consistent response to
different stimuli that form a common class or category of some sort.
It forms the basis of the ability to generalise, classify etc.
Individual friends are individual phenomena and friendship is a concept.
Learning a general response to a class of stimuli.

13. Rule learning
oRule learning describes the ability to respond to a class of stimuli with a
class of performances.
oThis is a very-high-level cognitive process that involves being able to learn
relationships between concepts and apply these relationships in different
situations, including situations not previously encountered.
oIt forms the basis of the learning of general rules, procedures, etc.
oAn example of rule learning would be when we can demonstrate the ability
to write nouns in the plural.
oA rule is a chain of two or more concepts.

14. Problem solving learning
Involves developing the ability to invent a complex rule or procedure
for the purpose of solving one particular problem and other problems
of a similar nature.
Analytical thinking is involved in this type of learning.
Application of previously learned rules and concepts to new
situations.

15. REVIEW
 Signal learning - (classical conditioning)
 Stimulus-response learning - (operant conditioning)
 Chaining learning - (complex operant conditioning)
 Verbal association learning - (creation of associations using verbal
connections)
 Discrimination learning - (learning of responding different to
different stimuli)
 Concept learning - (learning a general response to a class of stimuli)
 Rule learning - (a rule is a chain of two or more concepts)
 Problem solving learning - (application of previously learned rules
and concepts to new situations)