381-C1 - Background & Rationale

Question 1

What were some of Descartes’ influences? (5) which were more influential in the field of learning psychology?

Answer 1

1. cartesian dualism (influential)
2. the reflex arc (semi-influential)
3. mentalism (a BYPRODUCT of descartes, influential)
4. reflexology (a BYPRODUCT of descartes, influential)
5. Nativism (exacerbated by descartes, influential)

Question 2

Mentalism

Answer 2

the study of the contents of the mind, often studied by cognitive psychologists. a byproduct of descartes.

Question 3

Reflexology

Answer 3

the study of the mechanisms of reflexive behaviour, studied by behavioral psychologists. a byproduct of descartes.

Question 4

cartesian dualism

Answer 4

our behaviours may be voluntary (directed by the mind) or involuntary (directed by reflexes). studied by descartes.

Question 5

nativism

Answer 5

the philosophy that humans were born with innate ideas. studied by descartes.

Question 6

empiricism

Answer 6

Philosophy that all ideas in the mind come from experience. the reaction to descartes

Question 7

empiricism

Answer 7

Philosophy that all ideas in the mind come from experience. the reaction to descartes

Question 8

what was john locke’s contribution of learning psychology?

Answer 8

that we can learn through experience because our minds were TABULA RASA (clean slates)

Question 9

what was thomas hobbe’s contribution to learning psychology?

Answer 9

voluntary behaviour is predictable and lawful, guided by hedonism

Question 10

Association

Answer 10

simple associations combine into complex ideas

Question 11

Primary Laws of Association

Answer 11

1. contiguity (closeness in time and space)
2. similarity (sharing similar features)
3. contrast (things are opposite)
   - the greater these characteristics, the easier associations are learned

Question 12

secondary laws of association - what are they and who studied them?

Answer 12

studied by thomas brown
1. intensity
2. frequency
3. recency
4. existing associations
- the greater these characteristics, the easier associations are learned

Question 13

what was hermann ebbinghaus’ contribution to learning psychology?

Answer 13

he studied his own learning pace in memorizing nonsense syllables, discovering in the process:
1. forgetting curve
2. learning curve
3. spacing effect
and more

Question 14

what was the main shortcoming of descartes’ discoveries in learning psychology?

Answer 14

while he was correct in the basic theory of reflex arcs, he was incorrect in the mechanisms to learn them

Question 15

what was ivan sechenov’s contribution to learning psychology?

Answer 15

The intensity/level of an input of a stimulus ≠ Output intensity/level of a behaviour

• therefore, thoughts and behaviour can be influenced by inconscpicuous or faint stimuli
• this explains freezing behaviour in many animals

Question 16

what was ivan pavlov’s contribution to learning psychology?

Answer 16

new reflexes can be learned through association, through S-R (stimulus-response) unit associations, and regulated by the nervous system?

Question 17

how can we tell that we have learned/acquired new information?

Answer 17

thorugh the measurement of our behaviour

Question 18

what is behaviour according to skinner?

Answer 18

anything a person or other animal does that can be measured

Question 19

what is learning according to domjan

Answer 19

“An enduring change in the mechanisms of behaviour involving specific stimuli and/or responses that results from prior experience with those or similar stimuli and responses”

Question 20

why is learning important in adaptation?

Answer 20

1. environmental changes happen quickly, and defnitely more often than evolutionary changes
2. natural selection
3. increasing reproductive fitness

Question 21

why do we use non-human animal experiements?

Answer 21

easier ethics, costs, space

Question 22

what factors influence the different learning processes of different animals?

Answer 22

1. biological capabilities (e.g. colour in different eye systems) may lead to diversity in learned stimuli
2. species have different responses (e.g. some birds can’t peck, so we study their hops)
3. species learn at different speeds

Question 23

what are animal models specifically models for?

Answer 23

1. human behaviour e.g. the biology of a pig is similar to humans
2. general biological processes (e.g. circadian rhythms in flies)
3. conservation

Question 24

what are the three types of regulations in animal research?

Answer 24

1. institutional standards
2. federal standards
3. journal standards