Learning Part 3: Cognitive and Social Learning Theories Flashcards
Cognitive Learning
In order to understand learning, we need to put the “mind” back into learning
There are internal cognitive processes, even in non-human animals
Organisms interpret the stimulus before they respond
They are not a “black box”, as the Behaviourists stated, but they actively perceive, anticipate, “think” about stimuli in the world
These cognitive processes strongly contribute to learning
is Edward Tolman (1989-1956) believed cognitive processes play an important role in learning of complex behaviours
Tolman (rats in mazes)
Tolman studied the problem solving strategies of rats in mazes
After several trials of running in the maze, the rat would learn to get the food quickly and with few errors
Tolman suggested, that rats do not simply learn S-R associations, but they build cognitive maps of their environment
A cognitive map is a mental representation of a the spatial characteristics of a familiar environment, such as a maze
This means, the rats could use their maps to reason about alternative routes to the food
Learning in the absence of rewards and punishments
According to behaviourists…
Experiment: three groups of rats in mazes.
Group A: always reinforced (food) (should learn fast)
Group B: never reinforced (no food) (should not learn)
Group C: delayed reinforcement – first no food, then later suddenly food (should only start learning after reinforcement is given)
Group C got better very quickly after onset of reinforcement
However the animals already learned the maze by exploring in the beginning – but they only showed their learning after they got the reward! so group C evidently began learning before reinforcement
Learning by ‘insight’ Wolfgang Köhler (1887-1967)
German Gestalt-psychologist, carried out a series of experiments with chimps during the first world war on Tenerife
He was influenced by Darwin
He was interested in problem solving in primates via “insight”
The chimps got problems to solve, each of which involved obtaining food that was not directly accessible
Learning by ‘insight’ chimps
Rapid learning as a result of understanding all the elements of the problem- sudden ‘insight’
It often took an hour before the chimp obtained the solution
The solution came with recognizing the “problem space”
This learning can not be explained by Behaviourist models of learning
Insight is – by definition – not based on previous reward / reinforcement
Social Learning: Albert Bandura
He is known for his observational learning / social learning theory
The theory states that learning takes place “socially” through observing others
Observational learning is also called vicarious learning or modeling
Observational learning takes place through active judgement and constructive processes, not just mechanical imitation
Role models are important for social learning
Experiment: Imitation of aggressive behaviours in children (Bandura, 1965)
Procedure
4-year-old children watched a short film showing an adult playing aggressively with a Bobo-doll
The adults in video were:
reinforced
punished
nothing/no consequence
After the film each child played alone in a room with several toys, including a Bobo-doll
The children imitated specific behaviour from the adults (verbal abuse, throw doll on floor, bash up with mallet) that they observed before
Experiment: Imitation of aggressive behaviours in children (Bandura, 1965)
Results
Children who observed punishment were much less likely to display aggression towards the doll
- This demonstrates vicarious reinforcement and vicarious punishment (not experienced first hand)
All children were capable of showing aggressive behaviour when asked
The expectation for reinforcement affects the performance
Direct reinforcement is not necessary for learning
Social learning theory advances our understanding of how people learn by demonstrating that humans use their powers of observation and thought to interpret their experiences and those of others when deciding how to act
