S-O-R and the Psychology of Human Learning

Abstract

A frame of reference is presented for describing the empirical laws of human learning and performance in terms of stimulus (S), organismic (O), and response (R) variables. The relationship of experimentation to the discovery of laws and the construction of theories is outlined, and some problems connected with the objective specification of S, O, and R events are discussed. Learning as a systematic concept is treated at two definitional (formal vs operational) and two theoretical (Hull vs Estes) levels. An analysis of the hypothetical associative factor (Hall's H or Estes' x) reveals that it is basically a mathematical transformation of selected independent variables. Finally, a set of criteria is proposed by which the utility of theories of learning and performance may be evaluated.