Class Discussion on Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructiviism

Our class discussion about Peggy Ertmer's article was very helpful. The time spent talking of the major tenets of each learning theory to build a knowledge base really shed light on the material and things made more sense (this probably proves that verbal learning is one style of learning that works best for me). With the base of knowledge in place, the examples given by both the presenting group and members of class helped take the material to a pratical level and cement the learning experience for me. At one point, the point was made that maybe students have been conditioned to find out what is expected and perform to those expectations. I must admit that I felt like a lab rat. Have I allowed myself to be conditioned to perform to an expected level? Is there any hope for an older student to learn to learn at a higher level? Does anyone have advice or experieces that would help me?