Learning Processes ch1

learning

enduring change in the potential to engage in a particular behavior which results from or caused by a prior experience with environmental events specifically related to that behavior

state changes

short-term behavior change; stimulus change, fatigue, motivational change

dualism

mind aware, keeps track of involuntary behavior and initiates voluntary behavior; mind connected to physical body via pineal gland (base of the brain)

nativism

descartes’ philosophy; assumes we are born with innate ideas that control behavior

tabula rasa

mind started out as a clean slate

associations

the connections between two events that we represent in our mind, such that encountering one event will trigger the other

contiguity

“nearness” in time and space; ex: smell of tomato sauce = spaghetti on the plate

similarity

common look (category is the same); ex: sports team jerseys or cats vs. dogs

procedural learning

process of acquiring motor skills, habits, and some cognitive skills through repetition

behavioral psychology

the study oh how environment shapes human behavior, and how to change that behavior through analysis and therapy

free will

the idea that we can play an active role and have choice in how we behave

rene descartes

“mind-body dualism,” which states that the mind and body are separate entities that interact with each other, essentially proposing that the mind (non-physical) is distinct from the physical body, laying the foundation for the study of consciousness and mental processes as separate from purely physical phenomena

cartesian dualism

the view that mind and body are two separate substances; the self is as it happens associated with a particular body, but is self-subsistent. and capable of independent existence

reflex

an involuntary response that happens without conscious effort

voluntary behavior

the type of human behavior that human beings can control and often depend on human wants

reflex arc

the pathway of neural stimulation that occurs to translate a sensation into a physical reflexive response

reflexology

the study of how involuntary responses affect behavior

empiricism

a philosophical belief that states your knowledge of the world is based on your experiences, particularly your sensory experiences

thomas hobbes

believed that mind operates predictably just like an involuntary “stimulus-response” reflex, and voluntary behavior is governed by the principle of hedonism

rules of association

principles that describe how people remember and recall events and experiences; contiguity, similarity

hedonism

the view that all human action is ultimately motivated by desires for pleasure and the avoidance of pain

intensity of stimulus

the strength or magnitude of a sensory input, essentially how strong or powerful a stimulus is

frequency of pairing

the number of times a neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus to create an association