PSY 381 Introduction to Learning Notes PDF

Psy381-Hande Kaynak 5.10.2023 Examples... 2 Introduction to Learning 1 PSY 381– FALL 2023 A s s o c . P r o f . Ha n d e K A Y N A K , P h . D . w e b o n l i n e . c a n ka y a . e du . t r  Turning off the lights when leaving the room.  Dancing  Taking photos  Playing a piano  Not get un...

Psy381-Hande Kaynak 5.10.2023 Examples... 2 Introduction to Learning 1 PSY 381– FALL 2023 A s s o c . P r o f . Ha n d e K A Y N A K , P h . D . w e b o n l i n e . c a n ka y a . e du . t r  Turning off the lights when leaving the room.  Dancing  Taking photos  Playing a piano  Not get undressed outside  Riding a bicycle  Locking a door. Definition: Learning is… 3  A change in behavior as a result of experience or practice. Learning is based on... 4 Behaviors  A process by which behavior is changed, shaped or controlled. Experience Repetitions a relatively permanent change in behavior brought about by experience Learning is not always a permanent change. Permanent changes What can be learned can be unlearned. 1 Psy381-Hande Kaynak 5.10.2023 Definition: Learning is… So, how do people learn? 5 6  Not explained by temporary states, maturation, or innate response tendencies. Changes also occur for other reasons such as maturation, motivation.   reflex or effects of drug or because of fatigue (temporary) natural maturation (not experience)  Learning is not uniquely human – all living things learn  Easy answer: We don’t know for sure.  Difficult answer: We have multiple theories that provide glimpses of an answer from many different perspectives. These stem from psychologists, philosophers, sociologists, anthropologists, evolutionary biologists, linguists, neuroscientists…  Learning is about ideas and concepts, attitudes and values  Learning is about behaviors and skills  Learning evolved as an adaptation for promoting survival. Learning occurs over time. Plato (428-347ish B.C.E.) Aristotle (470–399 BCE) 7 8  Truth is found within ourselves (nativist-  Truth is found outside of ourselves nature)  Knowledge innate—in place at birth  Knowledge “drawn out” when teacher asks questions; help students recall fundamental insights they possess (self reflection)  Emphasizes on memory.  Learning: passive process using our senses (Empiricistnurture)  Developed a scientific method of gathering data to study the world around him.  “There’s nothing in the intellect that wasn’t previously in the senses”  Nature vs. nurture debate 2 Psy381-Hande Kaynak 5.10.2023 Aristotle’s laws of association (linking 2 things) Nature vs nurture 9  The nativist position, as exemplified by the Greek philosopher ___________, emphasizes the role of (learning/heredity) ______________.  The empiricist position, as exemplified by the Greek philosopher _______, emphasizes the role of (learning/heredity) __________. 10  The Law of Similarity: Events that are similar to each other are readily associated.   E.g. cars and trucks are similar in appearance (wheels, doors) & functions (both are used to carry passengers and materials).  The Law of Contrast: Events that are opposite from each other are readily associated.   Nativist is to (nature/nurture) _____________ as  empiricist is to (nature/nurture ___________. Aristotle’s laws of association (linking 2 things) E.g. the word black often brings to mind the word white, the sight of your unwashed car readily reminds you of how nice it would look if you washed it. Aristotle’s laws of association (linking 2 things) 11 12  The law of _______ states that we readily associate events that are  **The Law of Contiguity (closeness): Events that occur in close proximity to each other in time or space are readily associated with each other. E.g. Thunder and lightning  ** The Law of Frequency: More frequently two items occur   together, the more strongly they are associated.   E.g. associate a friend with a certain perfume the more frequently you smell that perfume. you will more strongly associate a term (such as the law of frequency) with its definition the more frequently you practice saying that definition whenever you see the term (as when using flash cards to help learn basic terminology).    opposite to each other, whereas the law of ___________ states that we readily associate events that occur in close proximity to each other. According to the law of _______________, we readily associate events that resemble each other. According to the law of ________, the more often two events occur together, the stronger the association. According to the law of ____, animals that have fur, four legs, a tail, and can bark should all quickly be perceived as belonging to the same species. The fact that the words full and empty are readily associated with each other is an example of the law of ____________. According to the law of _______, the more often one practices a particular move in wrestling, the more likely one is to perform that move in a real match. After once encountering a snake in her garage, Lisa is now quite nervous each time she is in the garage. This is an example of Aristotle’s law of _____. This is also an example of (classical/operant) _____ conditioning 3 Psy381-Hande Kaynak 5.10.2023 John Locke (1632-1704) 13 Plato is wrong, Aristotle is right. “Tabula rasa” or “blank slate” theory of learning. ‘Let us suppose the mind to be … white paper.’ believes in ‘acquisition.’ experiencing environment through senses. Behaviorism  Behaviorism 14  Emphasis on experience. focuses on the study of environmental influences on observable behavior. John B. Watson  Based on Aristotle’s idea of the association of ideas/events.  In order for 2 ideas to become associated, they must be paired together in time (temporally). “Forget the mind…” Psychology should based on observable behavior (1878–1958) All reference to internal processes such as thoughts and feelings should be ignored! Watson argued that psychology needed to become a n_____ science (like biology, chemistry, and physics) based solely on the study of directly ob________ events. How do we learn? Association 15 We connect events that occur in sequence… like a dog hearing his master say “Sit,” his sitting then receiving a biscuit from the master… Association: linking two events or stimuli that occur together in space or time. Early theories of learning were based on principles of association.   Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning 4