3.2-learning and memory

Behavioursit appraoches to learning (theres two key theories)

Behaviourism epxlains learning as relatively permant change in behaviour due to experience. Learning occurs through association between stimuli and responses or through consequences of behaviour

Classical conditioning

Learning process through asssociation in which a neutral stimulus becomes capable of triggering a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally produces that response

Unconditioned stimulus

Stimulus that naturally triggers a response without prior learning

Example-food, salivation

Unconditioned response

Natural reflex to the unconditioned stimulus

Eg-Salivation when food is presented

Neutral stimulus

Intially doesn’t trigger target response

Eg-Bell before conditoning

COnditioned stimulus

Previously neutral stimulus that triggers conditioned response after learning

Eg-Bell after being paired with food

Conditioned response

Learned response to conditioned stimulus

Eg-Salivation to bell alone

Phases of classical conditoning (Before conditioning)

Stimulus are not associated

Unconditoned stimulus-unconditoned response

Neutral stimulus-no response

Eg-Food (UCS)-Salivation (UCR)

Bell (NS)-No salivation

During conditoning

Neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with unconditoned stimulus

NS+UCS-UCR

Bell (NS) + Food (UCS)-Salivation (UCR)

after conditioning

Neutral stimulus becomes a conditoned stimulus

Response now occurs without orginal UCS

CS-CR

EG-Bell (CS)-Salivation (CR)

Operant conditoning

Learning through consequneces of behaviour

-Behaviour is strengthened or weakned depending on outcome

-Learning occurs through 3 term contingency

Phases of operant conditoning (Antecedent)

Environmental sitimulus that occurs before behaviour

Eg-Teacher asks question

Phases of Operant conditioning (Behaviour)

The observable action performed by the indiviudal

Eg-Student answers the question

Phases of Operant conditoning (Consequence)

The outcome that follows the beahviour, which determines whether behaviour will increase or decrease.

Eg-Teacher praises student

Reinforceent

Increases likelihood of a behaviour being repeated

Positive reinforcement

Adding a pleasent stimulus after behaviour

Example-Praise, rewards, good grades

EG-Student studies-receives praise-receives more

Negative reinforcement

Removing an unpleasent stimulus after behaviour.

Behaviour increases because soething unpleasent is removed

Example-Seatbelt alarm stops when seatbelt is fastened

Punishment

Decreases lileihood of behaviour occuring again

Positive punishment

Adding an unpleasent stimulus after behaviour

Eg-Student talks-teacher gives detention

Negative punsihemnt

Removing pleasent stimulus

Eg-Phone taken away for breaking rules

Social cognititve appraoch to Learning (Albert Bandura)

Approach empahsises learning through observing others

-Learning occurs through observational learning (modelling)

Observaational learning

Watching behaviour of others and consequence of that behaviour

EG-Child learns aggression after watching aggresive model

Five processes of Observational Learning (attention)

Leaner must notice the behaviour

-Factors influencing attention: Attractiveness, status, similarity, emotional signficance

Five proccesses of Observational learning (retention)

Leaner must remmeber the observed behaviour

Memory is stored as: Visual images, verbal coding

Five proccesses of Observational learning (Reproduction)

Leaner must have ability to perfom behaviour

Reuqires: physical capability, rpactice

Five proccesses of Observational learning (Motivation

Leaner must want to reproduce the behaviour.

-Depends on expected outcomes

Five proccesses of Observational learning (Reinforcement)

Increases liklihood of imitaiton.

Types: Direct reinforcement

-vicarious reinforcemnt

-self-reinforcemnt

Appraoches to learning within a system (aborginal and Toress strait islander ways of knwoing)

Learning is viewed as embedded within relationships and cutlure rather than occuring individually

Key features-Learning is relational

Knowledge is built through relationships between:

-People

-Community

-Ancestors

-Land (country)

Learning occurs through exeprience

-Knowledge is passed through:

-Storytelling

-Observation

-Participation

-Cultural pracitces

Multimodal knowledge system

Learning uses multiple modes including:

-Visual

-Oral

-Spatial

-Movement

-Music

Patterned on country

Country refers to:

-Land

-Waters

-Animals

-Plants

-spiritual connections

COuntry acts as a living knowlegde system

Pscyhobioloical process of memory

Memory involves encoding, storage and retirev of info in the brain

Atkinson-Shiffrin Multi-Store Model of Memory

This model explains how info moves through 3 memoery stores

Memory processes

Encoding-Transfroming info into a form that can be stored.

Types: Visual, acoustic and semantic encoding

Storage

Retaining encoded info over time

Retireveal

Accessigns tored info when needed

Three memory stores (Sensory memory)

First stage of memory-stores raw sensroy info

Capacity-very large

Duration-0.3-3 seconds

Encoding-Raw sensory form

Types of sensory memory

Iconic memory (visual)

Echoic memory (auditory)

Info is transferred to STM if attention is paid

Short term memory (STM)

Temporary working memory.

Capacity-7 ± 2 items

Duration-18-30 seconds

Encoding-Most acousting

-Info is transfered to LTM through rehearsal

Long term Memory (LTM)

Relatively permanent storage.

Capacity-Unlimted

Duration-Potentially lifetime

Encoding-Mostly semantic

Hippocampus

located in medial temporal lobe

-Consolidates new memory

-Forms explicit memories

-Transferring memories to neocortex

Damage results in aterograde amnesia.

Amygdala

Processes emotional memories

Important for: fear conditoning, emotional learning

Neocortex

Largest part of cerebal cortex.

-Storage of long term memories

-Higher cognitve processing

Basal Ganglia

--Procedural learning

-Habit formation

Part of implict memory system

Cerebellum

Responsible for motor learning, classical conditioning of reflexes.

Eg-conditoned eye blink

Explicit memory (declarative)

Conscious recall of info.

Explict memory types (episodic memory)

Memory of personal events.

Eg-your last bday

Explicit memory types (semantic memory)

Memory of facts and knowlegde

Eg-Paris is capital of france

Implict memory (non-declarative)

Unconsciosu memoru.

Examples: skills, habits, conditioned responses,

Episodic and Semantic memory in imagining the future

Episodic memory is used to imagine future events.

The brain reconstructs past experiecne to simulate further scenarios.

Brain imagine shows: hippocampus activation, default mode netqork activitiy

Evidence from Alzheimers disease

Causes: hippocampus degeneration

-Memory loss

-Impaired episodic recall

Evidence comes from: brain imagine studies

-Post mortem brain examinations

Aphantasia

COndition where indiviudals cant form mental images.

-inability visualise scenes

-difficulty imagining memories visually

-This demonstrates indiviudal differences in metal imagery

Mnemonics

Memory strategies that improvre encoding, storage and reitreval

Acrostics

Sentence where the first letter of each word represnets info

Acronnymd

A word from the first letters of items

Method of loci

Memory technique involving visualsing items in famialr locations.

Steps:

1-Imagine famialr place

2-Associate items with locations

3-Mentally walk through location to recall

Mnemonics in oral cultures

Oral cultures use story, music, and rhythm to remmebr info.

Examples: sung narratives

-Rhythmic storytelling

Sognlines (aborginal culture)

Songlines are oral maps of country enocded in songs.

Functions: navigation, cuiltural knowledge transm,sision, ecological storage.

They act as memory systems connecting knowledge to landsape