Understanding Learning Concepts

Learning

• Learning is the acquisition of knowledge and skills through experience
• It involves changes in behavior, physiology, or neural responses to environmental events
• Living beings adapt and respond to their environment, unlike inanimate objects

Learning in Humans vs. Animals

• Human learning is the primary focus
• Animal learning is studied to understand human learning principles

Motor Learning Example

• Techball (a mix of table tennis and football) is an example
• Operant conditioning (like pigeons playing table tennis and being rewarded with food) provides further examples

Artificial Agents Learning

• Artificial agents learn using principles from early 20th-century psychologists
• Learning is relevant to computational aspects

Learning Concepts

What is Learning?

• Learning is the ability to adapt to the environment
• It's associated with lasting changes in behavioral, physiological, or neural responses

Different Aspects of Learning

• Behavioral: Strategy and technique changes are involved
• Physiological: Muscle development and coordination are crucial
• Neurological: Changes in neurochemistry play a key role

Non-Associative Learning

• Adjusting to environmental stimuli without forming new associations
• Habituation: Decreased response to a repeated, non-threatening stimulus
• Sensitization: Increased response to repeated stimuli, often due to significance or potential threat

Associative Learning

• Forming associations between stimuli and responses
• Examples include associating rustling bushes with danger or training a dog using food rewards

Summary of Learning

• Learning is a process of adaptation which involves lasting changes
• Non-associative learning focuses on habituation and sensitization
• Associative learning involves creating links between stimuli and responses

Habituation and Sensitization Details

• Habituation: Decreased response to repeated stimuli. This response is specific to the stimulus. Low intensity stimuli typically cause habituation. Habituation typically reduces response over time but can be reversed by new stimuli.
• Sensitization: Increased response to repeated stimuli, particularly strong or noxious stimuli. Such increases may generalize to other similar stimuli. Responses tend to occur rapidly, sometimes persisting longer than habituation, especially with significant stimuli.

Habituation and Sensitization Mechanisms

• Habituation: Gradual decrease in responsiveness. Example: Ignoring background noise after a while.
• Sensitization: A process involving an increase in responsiveness. Example: Becoming more alert to potential danger after a startling event

Experimental Evidence

• Infant studies show different responses to simple vs. complex stimuli. Simple stimuli prompt quicker habituation.

Key Concepts of Habituation and Sensitization

• Habituation - Decrease in response to a repeated, non-threatening stimulus
• Sensitization - Increased response to a repeated, significant or threatening stimulus.

Sensory Adaptation vs. Habituation

• Sensory adaptation is a physiological process where receptors become less responsive to a constant stimulus (e.g., constant light causing receptors to fatigue).
• Habituation is a psychological process where response decreases due to repeated exposure to a stimulus (e.g., becoming accustomed to background noise).

Integrating Habituation and Sensitization

• Habituation and sensitization are separate processes, not opposing forces. Both can interact
• The net response depends on the stimulus and context.
• They are important for managing and responding to our environment

PTSD and Sensitization

• PTSD triggers involve associative learning, where neutral stimuli are increasingly linked to traumatic events. Sensitization in PTSD amplifies responses to certain stimuli.

Neurodiversity and Sensory Processing

• Neurodiversity acknowledges individual differences in brains, including variations in sensory processing.
• Individuals with certain conditions (e.g., Autism or ADHD) may experience sensory responses differently, potentially experiencing stronger or muted responses to stimuli.

Motor Learning

• Motor learning involves acquiring, retaining, and transferring motor skills through practice.
• Key features of motor learning are the acquisition of skills through practice, retention of these skills over time, and their application in various situations.
• Practice methods include massed (short practice intervals with little rest) and spaced (longer practice intervals with rest)

Other Learning Concepts

• Performance variables: Fatigue, arousal, motivation, and attention influence short-term performance outcomes.
• Learning variables: Practice, feedback, error correction, and transfer of learning impact long-term learning outcomes.
• Types of learning tasks: Discrete tasks (like a forehand shot in tennis) are different from continuous tasks (like studying for a driving test).
• Methods for evaluating learned motor skills: Retention tests assess the ability to retain; transfer tests assess its application in new contexts.