Module 3 (Empiricism + Rationalism)

Integrate + Fire Neurons

Neuron adds up all incoming signals + fires an AP if threshold is hit

Ex. If thresh is 3; 1 + 1 = 2 → Dont fire

Ex. If thresh is 4; 1+1+2 = 4 → Fire

There can also be a -1

Empiricism

Mind learns from experience + outside world (interaction with the outside world); All knowledge comes from experience

Tabula Rosa

General learning mechanism; Nurture side

Tabula Rosa

Blank slate; Humans mind before any experience is a blank slate

Mind prior to learning is this

Empiricism

Rationalism

Said your experience of the outside world is flawed (your senses can lie); Your own reasoning is how you learn (internal reasoning process)

Mind draws knowledge by internal reasoning + you cant interpret sensory signals without internal reasoning

Domain specific innate model; Nature side

Associationism

Experience help you make associations; Idea that knowledge comes from these associations

Formation of associations among sensory inputs; Forms habits

Ex. Slimy + tentacles + in the sea = octopus, ive seen this before

Nurture side

Behaviorism

School of psych influenced by associationism; Says all behav is based on past experience

All learning is conditioned response to stim

Ex. if reinforced, you will keep doing it + vice versa

Cognitivism

There is an internal machinery in mind altering our perception of our experiences

Learning is an active mental process (not automatic like most empiricism theories that emphasize parallel)

Based on nativism; Nature side

Stim Response Psych

Psych is the study of the relationship between stim + resp

Behaviorism; Wanted to focus only on observable

All learning is conditioned resp to stim

Stim/input → Black Box → Resp/Output (cant look inside box)

Connectionism

We can model brain as a neural network in which each neural connection represents a particular association

Fires for small details to identify

Ex. Firing for edges, lines, etc

Learning is a result of a connection between a stim + resp

Empiricism

Mental Map

Internal representation of something; An internal model of an external phenomena

Ex. Like a maze for the rats in experiments (not just reinforcement; they memorized path)

Toleman’s Rat Experiment Def

Rats trained on one maze + placed in another

Ran straight to right location even tho not reinforced to do so

Toleman’s Rat Experiment Implication

Animals are not black boxes + have an internal mental representation of world

Evidence against Pure Associationism

1. Species Specific Association

2. Critical Periods

Suggest innate aspects of our brain play an important part in learning → nativism

Species Specific Association

Dif species are better are learning certain things

Ex. if rats get sick from water they wont drink there again

Critical Periods

If you dont learn something within a certain time it is rly hard to learn later

Arguments against Behaviorism

1. Stim resp pairings were insufficient to explain complexities of cog

2. Animals + ppl are not blank slates

3. Learning 1 topic not necessarily like learning another topic

New model → Computer

Result → Cog Psych

Object Concept

Idea that objects have continued existence + properties over time

Empiricist + Obj

Assume that ppl’s knowledge of obj is based on experience with obj

Rationalists + Obj

Assume that some obj knowledge is inate

Prob with dif theories + obj

Even newborn chicks who have never experienced occlusion know that objects complete behind occludes (obj permanence)

Areas of Cog that are Innate

• Physics (ideas of mass + soliditiy)

• Math (basic concept of #’s, +/-

• Bio (naïve notions of life + growth)

• Psych aka Theory of Mind

Theory of Mind

Other ppl have minds, including intentions + goals