Learning part 1 Flashcards
What is the definition of learning?
Learning is an enduring change in behavior mechanisms due to experience with specific stimuli and/or responses.
Example:
If a person learns to drive a car, their brain adapts to control speed, recognize traffic signals, and react to obstacles.
What is Learning?
Learning is the process that leads to a change in behavior due to experience.
Think of it like upgrading your brain software—each time you learn, you update your “programming” to adapt better to life.
How can we achieve learning?
By experience (trial and error).
By observation (watching others).
By formal teaching (school, training, books).
Do all behaviors involve learning?
No! Some behaviors are innate (natural)—like babies crying or birds migrating.
Learned behaviors develop through practice and experience—like playing an instrument or speaking a language.
What’s the difference between learning and performance?
Learning is a change in mental mechanisms due to experience.
Performance is the actual observable action at a specific moment.
Example:
A basketball player learns how to shoot three-pointers through practice.
However, during a big game, their performance might be affected by stress, fatigue, or crowd pressure, even though they have learned the skill
What is an example of classical conditioning?
A child gets stung by a bee and later develops a fear of bees because they associate bees with pain
Can Learning Mean Unlearning?
Yes! Learning isn’t just about gaining new behaviors—it’s also about stopping old ones.
Example:
You learn not to cross the street when the light is red.
A dog learns to stop jumping on guests when trained properly.
This means learning helps us both gain new responses and suppress unnecessary ones.
What is an example of operant conditioning?
A student studies more after getting an A on a test because the good grade reinforces the behavior.
Why is fatigue not considered learning?
Fatigue causes temporary behavior changes but does not create lasting changes in behavior mechanisms.
Example:
A runner slows down in the last lap not because they forgot how to run, but because they are exhausted.
What’s an example of behavior change due to physiological states?
Running faster when hungry, not because of learning but motivation.
Maturation: Growing Up ≠ Learning
Maturation refers to physical and biological growth—it changes behavior, but it’s not learning.
Example: A baby doesn’t “learn” to walk—their muscles and nervous system develop to make walking possible.
Is Drug-induced behavior learning?
Drug-induced behavior changes aren’t learning because they don’t last permanently.
How do children learn outside of school?
By observing parents, exploring their environment, and through trial and error.
Example: A child learns how to use a phone by watching parents, not by being taught.
How does learning help animals and humans adapt?
Learning helps organisms adapt by:
Finding new food sources.
Avoiding dangers from past experiences.
Recognizing family members (e.g., birds identifying their chicks).
Example:
A person moving to a new country learns the language, cultural norms, and best places to shop.
How can learning occur without formal instruction?
Learning happens through daily experiences and social interactions, not just in school.
Examples:
A child learns to open doors by watching adults, without being explicitly taught.
Animals learn by trial and error—a puppy learns not to chew shoes after being scolded.
What is a learned response?
A learned response is a behavior that develops through experience rather than being innate (natural).
Examples:
Brushing your teeth—nobody is born knowing how, but we learn it early in life.
A dog learns to sit when given a treat (Operant Conditioning).
A person learns to feel anxious when seeing a spider if they had a bad experience with one before (Classical Conditioning).
What are the two types of behavior according to Descartes?
Involuntary behavior (reflexes) – Automatic responses controlled by the nervous system.
Voluntary behavior – Actions driven by free will and controlled by the mind.
Example:
Involuntary: Pulling your hand away from a hot stove without thinking.
Voluntary: Choosing to drink water because you feel thirsty.
How Reflexes Work (The Reflex Arc)
The process of a reflex happens through five key steps:
Stimulus – An external event triggers the reflex (e.g., touching something hot 🔥).
Sensory Receptor – The body detects the stimulus and converts it into a signal (e.g., nerves in your skin feel heat).
Afferent Pathway (Sensory Nerve) – The signal travels to the spinal cord or brain.
Integration Center – The spinal cord or brain processes the information and decides how to respond.
Efferent Pathway (Motor Nerve) – The response signal is sent to muscles or glands to carry out the reflex action (e.g., pulling your hand away).
Why did Descartes think the pineal gland was important? Seat of the Soul
He believed it was the “seat of the soul” where the mind and body interacted. physical (body) and non-physical (mind/soul).
Example:
Descartes thought that when you decide to move your hand, the pineal gland sends the command to your muscles.
In reality, this process happens through the nervous system, not the pineal gland.
Descartes’ View on Animals vs. Humans
Animals only have reflexive behaviors (no free will).
Humans have both reflexes and voluntary actions (free will).
What’s the difference between mentalism and reflexology?
Mentalism = Focuses on thoughts, consciousness, and free will.
Reflexology = Focuses on automatic behaviors and reflexes.
Example:
Mentalism: Studying why people feel motivated to achieve goals.
Reflexology: Studying why people blink automatically when something gets close to their eyes.
What does the “blank slate” (tabula rasa) mean?
It means people are born with no knowledge—everything is learned through experience.
Example:
A baby is not born knowing how to use a smartphone but learns by watching adults.
A child learns to say “thank you” after being told many times, not because they were born knowing it.
What is a reflex arc?
A reflex arc is the pathway through which a reflex action occurs, involving five main components:
Stimulus – Triggers a response (e.g., touching a hot stove).
Sensory receptor – Detects the stimulus (e.g., pain receptors in your skin).
Afferent pathway (sensory nerve) – Sends signals to the spinal cord or brain.
Integration center (spinal cord/brain) – Processes the signal and decides the response.
Efferent pathway (motor nerve) – Sends a signal back to muscles to react.
Example:
You touch a hot stove → Your hand pulls away before you even think about it.
Your knee jerks when a doctor taps it with a hammer (simple spinal reflex).
What is hedonism? Thomas Hobbes’ View
Hedonism is the idea that human behavior is motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain.
Example:
People eat desserts because they taste good (pleasure).
Someone wears a seatbelt to avoid getting a ticket or injured (pain avoidance).
A student studies hard to get praise and good grades (pleasure) or to avoid failing (pain
What is an Association?
The connection between two things in our mind.
Example:
You hear the word “car,” and you immediately think of:
Its shape.
The feeling of sitting inside.
The sound of the engine.
These memories are linked through past experiences.
What are the three primary rules of association? (Aristotle)
Contiguity (Time & Space) – Events happening close together are linked.
Similarity – Similar things are connected.
Contrast – Opposites can be associated. (Modern research knows this is not true!)
Example:
Contiguity: The smell of popcorn reminds you of the cinema because they always happen together.
Similarity: Seeing a golden retriever reminds you of your friend’s Labrador because they look alike.
Contrast: Thinking of day when you hear night because they are opposites.
What did Ebbinghaus discover about memory?
Closer words in a list = stronger association.
Meaningful words are easier to remember than nonsense words.
Repetition strengthens memory.
Example:
If you study “apple, banana, grape” together, you will recall them as a group instead of as separate words.
“DOG” is easier to remember than “XER” because it has meaning.
What are the three rules of primary association? (aristotles principle)
Contiguity – Events that happen together become linked.
Example: The smell of cookies reminds you of your grandma’s house.
Similarity – Similar things get associated.
Example: A lion reminds you of a tiger.
Contrast – Opposites are linked.
Example: Thinking of “night” when hearing “day.”
What are the secondary rules of association? (Thomas Brown’s Additions)
Intensity – Stronger experiences form stronger associations.
Example: A loud alarm grabs attention more than a soft one.
Frequency – The more often two things occur together, the stronger the connection.
Example: Hearing a song every day makes you remember the lyrics faster.
What did Ebbinghaus discover about memory?
Words that appear close together in a list are easier to remember.
Meaningful words are remembered better than nonsense words.
Repetition strengthens memory.
Example:
“DOG” is easier to remember than “XER” because it has meaning.
How did Descartes explain reflexes?
He believed stimuli triggered “animal spirits” that flowed through hollow nerves to produce movement.
Example:
He thought a hot flame would cause reflexive movement by sending fluid through nerves, like water pressure in a fountain.
What discovery disproved Descartes’ reflex theory?
Scientists found that reflexes happen through electrochemical signals, not fluid movement.
Example:
Your body reacts to pain because nerve signals travel to your brain and back to your muscles, not because of liquid flowing through tubes.
Do reflexes always depend on stimulus strength?
No, a small stimulus can cause a big reaction, and repeated exposure can weaken reflexes.
Example:
A tiny speck of dust can cause a big sneeze.
A person who hears gunshots daily might not flinch at loud noises anymore (habituation).
What did Sechenov discover about reflexes?
Reflexes can be blocked or inhibited by the brain.
Example:
A student raising their hand in class might hesitate (inhibition) if they feel nervous about answering.
What did Pavlov’s experiment with dogs show?
New reflexes can be learned through association (Classical Conditioning).
Example:
A dog learns to salivate at the sound of a bell because it was always followed by food.
How did reflex research influence psychology?
It led to Behaviorism, the study of learning through observable behaviors.
Example:
Behaviorists study how phobias, habits, and addictions form through learned reflexes.
What are the three major areas of modern learning research?
1️⃣ Comparative Psychology – Studying animals to understand human learning.
2️⃣ Functional Neurology – Exploring how the nervous system affects learning.
3️⃣ Developing Animal Models – Using animal experiments to test learning theories.
Example:
Studying rats in mazes to understand human memory.
What is comparative psychology?
he study of how animal learning helps explain human learning.
Example:
Observing how birds learn to sing can explain how humans learn language.
What did Pavlov’s Principle of Nervism state?
All learning and behavior are controlled by the nervous system.
Example:
If someone has brain damage, their ability to learn new skills might be affected.
Why do scientists study learning in animals?
✅ Easier to control experiments.
✅ Similar nervous systems to humans.
✅ Ethical concerns prevent some human experiments.
Example:
Testing addiction treatments on rats before human trials.
How did Darwin’s theory influence learning research?
It showed that:
🔹 The human mind evolved from simpler animal minds.
🔹 Animals share cognitive abilities with humans.
Example:
Chimpanzees use tools, showing problem-solving skills similar to early humans.
What are the ethical concerns about using animals in learning research?
Is it justifiable to cause discomfort in animals for scientific knowledge?
Do animals deserve similar rights as humans?
Example:
Medical testing on monkeys helped develop vaccines, but some argue it’s unethical.
