Learning & Ethology: Challenges to Conditioning Flashcards
EL Thorndike
Conducted series of experiments to prove that problem solving is best explained by law of effect
Puzzle Box Experiment
A cat was placed in a cage with a bowl of food outside of it. The cat was able to press the correct lever to open the box and thus problem solving is a trial and error approach
Wolfgang Kohler
The cofounder of Gesltalt Psychology. He believed that the Puzzle Box experiment forces animals to trial-and-error learn versus learning by insight.
Insight
The perception of the inner relationships between factors that are essential to solving problems.
Edward Tolman
Believed that the brain created cognitive maps to best problem solve.
Biological Contraints
The idea that each species has different inborn predispositions that affect both classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
John Garcia
Conducted a rat experiment that lead to idea of preparedness
Preparedness
The idea that animals are prepared to learn connections between certain stimuli.
Instinctual Drift
Instinctual ways of behaving are able to override behaviors learned through operant conditioning.
