桑代克:成人学习心理学的开创者

Thorndike:The Pioneer of the Psychology of Adult Learning

20世纪20-30年代,美国著名心理学家桑代克基于科学的实验研究,开创了成人学习心理学研究这一新领域。桑代克关于成人学习心理研究的主要成果体现在《成人的学习》和《成人的兴趣》两部著作中。《成人的学习》对成人学习能力和性质的变迁及影响因素进行了深入研究。《成人的兴趣》则对兴趣的作用、机制、控制及青少年与成人在兴趣与态度方面的差异进行了系统研究。桑代克充分肯定成人不仅有学习的可能,而且学习的兴趣并不弱于儿童和青年。桑代克关于成人学习心理的相关研究成果对于专门化的成人教育学知识的形成奠定了重要基础,为发展成人教育、促进终身学习提供了科学依据,对于指导各种成人教育、各行业职业技术教育与培训及个人自学等至今仍具有重要的参考价值。

From 1920s to 1930s,Thorndike,a famous American psychologist,initiated a new field of adult learning psychology based on scientific experimental research. Thorndike ’s main achievement on adult learning psychology is embodied in the two books of Adult Learning and Adults’ Interests. Adult Learning carries on a thorough research on the adult learning ability and the nature change and the influence factors. Adults’ Interests is a systematic study of the role,mechanism and control of interests as well as the differences in interests and attitudes between adolescents and adults. Thorndike fully affirms that adults not only have the possibility of learning but also are no less interested in learning than children and the youth. Thorndike’s related research results of adult learning psychology lay the important foundation in the formation of specialized adult pedagogy knowledge,provide a scientific basis for the development of adult education and the promotion of lifelong learning,and still have important reference value for guiding all kinds of adult education,industry vocational and technical education and training as well as self-study,