Robert M. Gagné published the first edition of The Conditions of Learning in 1965 and the fourth edition in 1985. In that time, the theory evolved significantly from the one that was extensively behavioral to one that is now predominantly cognitive in nature. As it has evolved, Gagné’s theory incorporates three major components:

• A taxonomy of learning outcomes,
• Specific learning conditions required for the attainment of each outcome,
• The nine events of instruction.

Taxonomies of learning existed before and since Gagné’s formulation of his, but none besides his includes all three domains in which individuals are presumed to learn: cognitive, affective and psychomotor. According to Gagné, there are five major categories of learning outcomes:

1. Verbal information
Stating previously learned materials such as facts, concepts, principles and procedures, e.g., listing the seven major symptoms of cancer

2. Intellectual skills

a. Discriminations: Distinguishing objects, features, or symbols, e.g., hearing different pitches played on a musical instrument

b. Concrete concepts: Identifying classes of concrete objects, features, or events, e.g., picking out all the green M&Ms from the candy jar

c. Defined concepts: Classifying new examples of events or ideas by their definition e.g., noting “she sells sea shells” as alliteration

d. Rules: Applying a single relationship to solve a class of problems, e.g., calculating the earned run averages of the San Francisco Giants

e. Higher-order rules: Applying a new combination of rules to solve a complex problem, e.g., generating a balanced budget for a state organization

3. Cognitive strategies
Employing personal ways to guide learning, thinking, acting and feeling, e.g., devising a corporate plan to improve customer relations

4. Attitudes (Affective Domain)
Choosing personal actions based on internal states of understanding and feeling, e.g., deciding to exercise daily as a part of preventative health care

5. Motor (Psychomotor) skills
Executing performances involving the use of muscles e.g., doing a triple somersault dive off the high board

Sources
1. Driscoll, Psychology of Learning for Instruction, 1994