Learning Flashcards
What is learning?
Learning is an enduring change in the mechanisms of behavior involving specific stimuli and responses that result from prior experience.
How can we observe evidence of learning?
Through behavior change—either the appearance of a new response or the suppression of a previous response.
Example:
- A child learning to read (new response).
- A person learning to stop biting their nails (suppression of response).
What is the learning-performance distinction?
Learning is a change in the mechanism of behavior, while performance is an organism’s actions at a particular moment, influenced by factors like fatigue, motivation, or hunger.
Example:
-A student may learn a math concept but fail to perform well on a test due to anxiety.
What are some factors that change behavior without learning?
Fatigue: Temporary decline in behavior (e.g., running slower after exercising for a long time).
Maturation: Developmental changes (e.g., a child reaching a shelf due to growth, not learning).
Physiological/Motivational States: Hunger, drug effects, or hormonal changes influencing behavior.
What are the two types of behavior according to Cartesian Dualism?
1.Involuntary behavior (reflexes) – Automatic responses to stimuli.
2.Voluntary behavior – Controlled by conscious intent and free will.
Example:
•Reflex: Sneezing when exposed to dust.
•Voluntary: Deciding to raise your hand in class.
What is the reflex arc?
A pathway consisting of five components:
1.Stimulus
2.Sensory receptor
3.Afferent pathway (sensory nerve)
4.Integration center (brain/spinal cord)
5.Efferent pathway (motor nerve)
What is nativism? (Descartes)
The idea that some knowledge is innate (e.g., the concept of God, self, and geometry).
What is empiricism? (John Locke)
The belief that knowledge is acquired through experience.
“Tabula rasa” (blank slate) – The mind starts without content and gains knowledge through sensory experiences.
Eg.
Learning a new language through exposure rather than being born with knowledge of it.
What is hedonism? (Thomas Hobbes)
The idea that behavior is motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain.
Eg.
A child touches a hot stove (pain) and avoids touching it again.
What are Aristotle’s three primary rules of association?
1.Contiguity – Events occurring together become associated.
Eg.Smelling tomato sauce makes you think of spaghetti.
2.Similarity – Similar things are associated.
Example: Seeing a black cat reminds you of your own black cat.
3.Contrast (debunked) – Opposites are associated (e.g., short/tall).
-Modern research does not support this.
What are secondary rules of association (Thomas Brown)?
1.Intensity – More intense stimuli form stronger associations.
2.Frequency – Repeated exposure strengthens associations.
What did Sechenov propose about reflexes?
Reflex responses are not always automatic; they can be influenced by inhibition or weak stimuli.
Eg.
A weak stimulus (a small noise) may not always cause a strong startle reflex.
What did Pavlov contribute to reflex studies?
He demonstrated that new reflexes can be created through association (classical conditioning).
Eg.
A dog salivates at the sound of a bell because it associates it with food.
What did Darwin suggest about cognition?
The human mind evolved from simpler forms, meaning animals have intelligence, memory, and curiosity.
Eg.
Chimpanzees using tools shows problem-solving ability.
What is Pavlov’s principle of nervism?
All major physiological functions (including learning) are governed by the nervous system.
Why are animal models used in learning studies?
- Easier to control than human studies.
- Help develop treatments for human conditions (e.g., cognitive decline in aging).
- Allow study of fear and phobias ethically.
