Chapter 1 - Introduction to learning Flashcards
What is learning?
a relatively permanent change in behavior that results from some type of experience
Learning does not include changes due to _____ (4)
development, changes of physical state, reflexes, innate tendencies
How do we know if learning has occurred?
by observing changes in performance
Epistemology
the study of knowledge
Nativism
assumes that abilities and behavioral tendencies are largely inborn
Which philosopher subscribes to nativism?
Plato
Empiricism
assumes that abilities and behaviors are mostly learned
Which philosopher subscribes to empiricism?
Aristotle
What are Aristotle’s 4 laws of association?
Law of Similarity, Law of Contrast, Law of Contiguity, Law of Frequency
Law of Similarity
when two things are similar, thinking of one can trigger the other
Law of Contrast
when two things are opposite, thinking of one can trigger the other
Law of Contiguity
events that occur together closely in time/space are more easily associated
Law of Frequency
the more often two things occur together, the more strongly they’re associated
Who had the idea of Mind-Body Dualism?
Rene Descartes
Mind-body dualism
a distinction between the material, physical body (reflex), and the non-physical mind (free will)
Was Descartes an empiricist or a nativist?
nativist, believed many concepts we hold are innate
Who were the 3 biggest British empiricists?
John Locke, David Hume, George Berkely
What is “Tabula Rasa”?
idea that humans are born with a mind like a “blank tablet” on which one’s life experiences are written
Compositionality
our ideas are the result of a combination of associations between elements
Structuralism
study attempting to determine the structure of the mind by identifying the basic elements that compose it
Main figures of structuralism?
Wilhelm Wundt, Edward Titchner