Tolman: There Is More Than One Kind of Learning

Question 1

Overview

Answer 1

*Tolman emphasizes the importance of bringing together theoretical, learning, and clinical psychologists

There are six kinds of learning:
cathexes, equivalence beliefs, field expectations, field-cognition modes, drive discriminations, motor patterns

There is a lack of empirical evidence for acquisition, de-acquisition, and forgetting

Question 2

Cathexes

Answer 2

Attachments of specific types goal-object [or negative “disturbance-object”] to basic drives

Positive cathexis – attachment of a type of positive goal to a positive drive

Question 3

Acquisition

Answer 3

Occurs through trying out objects in finding out whether or not they work to reduce the corresponding drive – this is reinforcement

Tolman agrees with Hull in the efficacy of need-reduction, however, there is no experimental evidence to prove this

Question 4

De-acquisition

Answer 4

Failure of reinforcement that weakens cathexis

Question 5

Negative Cathexis

Answer 5

Attachment of a type of disturbance-object to a negative drive

Acquisition occurs through negative reinforcement

De-acquisition through ERP

Question 6

Equivalence beliefs

Answer 6

Connection between a cathected goal type to a subgoal

Question 7

Field Expectations

Answer 7

“sign-gestalt-expectations”

Gestalt principles of learning and forgetting [not associationistic principles], are of prime importance in the acquiring and forgetting the field expectancies

When an organism is repeatedly presented on successive occasions with an environmental setup, it acquires an apprehension of not only each group of immediate stimuli, but also a “set”

When the organism comes into contact with the first group of stimuli, it is prepared for the stimuli to come

These sets make latent learning possible
and for organisms to make shortcuts
e.g. cognitive maps

Question 8

Field-Cognition Modes

Answer 8

Innate modes or manners of functioning of perception, memory, and inference

Important for field expectancies

Though innate, experience also contributes

Question 9

Drive Discriminations

Answer 9

rats can learn to discriminate thirst from hunger

However, there is no data on how we learn, unlearn, or forget drive discriminations

Question 10

Motor Patterns

Answer 10

Motor patterns are acquired through simple conditioning, without reinforcement [He agrees with Guthrie on this point]

However, learning of motor patterns is a necessity for larger goal-directed activity

This is something Guthrie didn’t emphasize

For Tolman, cats learn “stereotype” behaviors because of their larger goal of getting out of the box

Question 11

Summary

Answer 11

Reinforcement is probably valid for the acquisition of cathexes and equivalence beliefs

Reinforcement per se is not valid for the acquisition of field expectancies
Gestalt principles of learning and forgetting [not associationist principles], are of prime importance in the acquiring and forgetting the field expectancies

No laws available yet for the acquisition, de-acquisition and forgetting of the field-cognition modes of perception, memory, and inference

No laws for drive discriminations

Motor patterns are acquired through simple conditioning