381-C1 - Background & Rationale Flashcards
What were some of Descartes’ influences? (5) which were more influential in the field of learning psychology?
- cartesian dualism (influential)
- the reflex arc (semi-influential)
- mentalism (a BYPRODUCT of descartes, influential)
- reflexology (a BYPRODUCT of descartes, influential)
- Nativism (exacerbated by descartes, influential)
Mentalism
the study of the contents of the mind, often studied by cognitive psychologists. a byproduct of descartes.
Reflexology
the study of the mechanisms of reflexive behaviour, studied by behavioral psychologists. a byproduct of descartes.
cartesian dualism
our behaviours may be voluntary (directed by the mind) or involuntary (directed by reflexes). studied by descartes.
nativism
the philosophy that humans were born with innate ideas. studied by descartes.
empiricism
Philosophy that all ideas in the mind come from experience. the reaction to descartes
empiricism
Philosophy that all ideas in the mind come from experience. the reaction to descartes
what was john locke’s contribution of learning psychology?
that we can learn through experience because our minds were TABULA RASA (clean slates)
what was thomas hobbe’s contribution to learning psychology?
voluntary behaviour is predictable and lawful, guided by hedonism
Association
simple associations combine into complex ideas
Primary Laws of Association
- contiguity (closeness in time and space)
- similarity (sharing similar features)
- contrast (things are opposite)
- the greater these characteristics, the easier associations are learned
secondary laws of association - what are they and who studied them?
studied by thomas brown
1. intensity
2. frequency
3. recency
4. existing associations
- the greater these characteristics, the easier associations are learned
what was hermann ebbinghaus’ contribution to learning psychology?
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
what was the main shortcoming of descartes’ discoveries in learning psychology?
while he was correct in the basic theory of reflex arcs, he was incorrect in the mechanisms to learn them
what was ivan sechenov’s contribution to learning psychology?
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
what was ivan pavlov’s contribution to learning psychology?
new reflexes can be learned through association, through S-R (stimulus-response) unit associations, and regulated by the nervous system?
how can we tell that we have learned/acquired new information?
thorugh the measurement of our behaviour
what is behaviour according to skinner?
anything a person or other animal does that can be measured
what is learning according to domjan
“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”
why is learning important in adaptation?
- environmental changes happen quickly, and defnitely more often than evolutionary changes
- natural selection
- increasing reproductive fitness
why do we use non-human animal experiements?
easier ethics, costs, space
what factors influence the different learning processes of different animals?
- biological capabilities (e.g. colour in different eye systems) may lead to diversity in learned stimuli
- species have different responses (e.g. some birds can’t peck, so we study their hops)
- species learn at different speeds
what are animal models specifically models for?
- human behaviour e.g. the biology of a pig is similar to humans
- general biological processes (e.g. circadian rhythms in flies)
- conservation
what are the three types of regulations in animal research?
- institutional standards
- federal standards
- journal standards
