Acquisition of skills is known as?

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2019

Explanation

Psychomotor learning involves the development of manual or physical skills, such as learning to type or perform a surgical procedure.
This domain focuses on the 'doing' aspect of learning, where physical practice and motor coordination are essential.
It requires the integration of mental processes with physical movements to achieve a desired outcome.
Examples in nursing include learning how to give an injection, change a wound dressing, or insert an IV line.

Option A: Cognitive learning pertains to intellectual skills, such as understanding, remembering, and applying knowledge. It is about 'thinking' rather than 'doing'.
Option B: Affective learning relates to the emotional aspect of learning, including attitudes, values, feelings, and beliefs. It is about 'feeling' and internalizing values.
Option C: Learning by conditioned reflex is a specific type of stimulus-response learning (e.g., classical or instrumental conditioning). It is a mechanism of learning, not one of the three broad domains.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Domains of Learning (Bloom's Taxonomy) as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Proficiency in psychomotor skills is fundamental to safe and effective nursing care. Many nursing interventions are procedures that require skilled hands-on application.
Nursing education heavily relies on psychomotor learning in skills labs and clinical practice to ensure students can competently perform procedures on patients.
Patient education often involves the psychomotor domain, such as teaching a patient with diabetes how to self-administer insulin or use a glucometer.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core concept in the question stem. The key phrase here is 'acquisition of skills'.
Recall the three main domains of learning: Cognitive (thinking), Affective (feeling), and Psychomotor (doing/skills).
Associate the keyword 'skills,' especially in a clinical context, with physical action or 'doing'.
This directly maps to the Psychomotor domain.
Evaluate the other options to confirm your choice. Cognitive is knowledge, Affective is attitude, and conditioned reflex is a specific learning mechanism, not a broad domain for skill acquisition.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 2 p. 133-135

E6 Psychology Applied Sreevani 6e Sem1 p. 142-144

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