L4 - Early Learning Theory Flashcards
2 separate scientific traditions in the study of behaviour are….. and name one believer of each
Natural History - Darwin
- observational, evolutionary, function
Physiological - Pavlov
- experimental, reflex theory, application
Pavlov
His research focused on studying dogs.
“Psychic reflexes”
Later became known as conditioned reflexes.
Everything controlled by the nervous system.
Why did Pavlov shift from studying digestion to association?
The discovery of a hormone (secretin) that partly controlled digestion undermined his theory of neural control. Wolfsohn acid vs meat experiment
List four of Pavlov’s contributions to psychology
- the vocabulary of conditioning: CS, CR, etc.
- the method by which associative learning is studied
- conditioned reflex, including the principle of stimulus substitution (S-S learning)
- discoveries such as extinction, spontaneous recovery
List three of Pavlov’s limitations
- monolithic theory: he thought all learning was due to conditioned reflexes
- his understanding of neurophysiology was outdated
- his theories about individual differences were highly speculative
Reflex Theory
Pavlov
Unconditioned response paired with a unconditioned stimulus, becomes connected and becomes conditioned therefore it starts eliciting a similar response seen in the unconditioned response.
Monolithic Theory
A limitation to Pavlov.
Claimed that all learning (including instrumental learning) consists of conditioning of reflexes
How was American research similar to, and different from, Pavlov’s? (3 points)
- Pavlov provided the theoretical framework for researching associative learning
- Rather than Pavlov’s paradigm (conditioned salivation), American researchers used rats in mazes and Skinner boxes.
- the US paradigms were instrumental, not Pavlovian procedures
How did Hull seek to make psychology more scientific?
He wanted to formulate a general theory of psychology with quantitative laws, analagous to Newton’s Laws of Motion in physics.
How is the Hull-Spence S-R-Rft theory different from Watson’s S-R theory?
While accepting reinforcement stamps in the S-R connection, Hull conceptualised reinforcement as a reduction in a drive.
Drive reduction theory
Not just about learning, but also about motivation
Reinforcement is reduction of one of a limited number of drives
habit and strength as a function of drive states and number of reinforcers (maths)
In what major way did Tolman’s ideas differ from Watson’s and Hull’s?
Included references to mental constructs such as purpose, expectancy and cognitive maps - latent learning
How did Tolman’s view of reinforcement differ from Watson or Hull’s?
Behaviour is goal directed (i.e. purposive). Shared Hull’s idea that behaviour is goal directed (drive, motivation).
BUT Reinforcement isn’t need for learning: it provides incentive to perform
Distinction between learning and performance
How did Tolman show learning could occur in the absence of reinforcement?
He showed that rats who had spent time in a maze without reinforcement were capable of navigating the maze more quickly when reinforcement was provided, showing they had learnt even when reinforcement was not present.
You can learn it without performing to the max, given reinforcement you perform your learnt material to the max.
How did Tolman show a cognitive map model better explained his results than a S-R model?
He showed that once rats had explored a maze, they could navigate around blocks using the quickest path, showing awareness of layout rather than simply reproducing reinforced responses.
