VCE Psychology Unit 3 AOS 2

Learning

the process of acquiring knowledge or skills resulting from experience

Behaviourist approach

an approach to learning that states that behaviours are learned through interactions with the environment

Conditioning

the learning process by which the behaviour of an organism becomes dependent on an event occurring in its environment

Stimulus

any environmental event that triggers a response in an organism

Response

a behavioural reaction to a stimulus

Classical conditioning

a simple form of learning that occurs through repeated associations between two stimuli to produce a conditioned response

Before conditioning

the first stage of classical conditioning, where no learning has occurred

Unconditioned stimulus (UC)

a stimulus that consistently produces a naturally occurring, automatic response

Unconditioned response (UCR)

a response that occurs automatically/ involuntarily when the unconditioned stimulus is presented

Neutral stimulus (NS)

a stimulus (prior to conditioning) that doesn’t produce a response

During conditioning

the second stage of classical conditioning, where learning occurs through association

Acquisition

the process during which an organism learns to associate two events (the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus)

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

a stimulus that was previously neutral but now, as a result of repeated associations with the unconditioned stimulus, produces a conditioned response

Conditioned response (CR)

a learned behaviour that is similar to the unconditioned response and is now triggered by the conditioned stimulus as a result of conditioning

Operant conditioning

a learning process in which the likelihood of a voluntary behaviour occurring is determined by its consequences

Antecedent

the first part of operant conditioning, an environmental stimulus that triggers a behaviour/operant

Behaviour/Operant

the 2nd part of operant conditioning, any observable action by an organism

Consequence

the 3rd part of operant conditioning, something that makes the behaviour more or less likely to occur

Reinforcement

a consequence that increases the likelihood of a behaviour reoccurring

Positive reinforcement

ADDING something GOOD after a desired behaviour to increase the likelihood of it occurring again

Negative reinforcement

REMOVING something BAD to increase the likelihood of the behaviour occurring again

Punishment

an environmental stimulus that decreases the likelihood of the response occurring again

Positive punishment

ADDING something BAD to decrease the likelihood of the behaviour occurring again

Negative punishment

REMOVING something GOOD to decrease the likelihood of the behaviour occurring again

Learner

the individual who observes, remembers and initiates the actions of the model

Model

the individual whose behaviour is observed and imitated by the learner

Observational learning

a type of social learning that occurs when a learner observes a model’s actions and their consequences to guide their future action

Social-cognitive approach

an approach that explains when individuals process, remember and learn information in social contexts to explain and predict their behaviour and that of others

Attention

the first step in observational learning, when the learner actively watches the model’s behaviour and the consequences

Retention

the second stage in observational learning, when the learner stores (retains) a mental representation of the model’s behaviour

Reproduction

the third stage in observational learning, when the learner’s physical and mental capabilities enable them to perform the model’s behaviour

Motivation

in observational learning, the learner’s desire to perform the model’s behaviour

8 ways of Indigenous learning

• Story sharing

• Learning maps

• Non-verbal

• Symbols and images

• Land links

• Community links

• Deconstruct/reconstruct

• Non-linear

Story sharing/Yarning

an Indigenous system of learning that involves continually sharing stories based on real-world experiences

Learning maps

learning by explicitly mapping/visualising processes to picture pathways of knowledge for learners

Non-verbal

learning from skills like dancing, facial expressions, gestures and kinaesthetic skills repeatedly being used to learn without using words

Symbols and images

learning by using images and metaphors to understand concepts and content via art and drawings

Land links

learning drawn from the landscape with profound connections to ancestral and personal relationships with place

Non-linear

learning by thinking laterally or combining systems, putting different ideas together and create new knowledge

Deconstruct/reconstruct

learning by working from wholes to parts

Community links

Learning by applying learning for community benefit and bringing new knowledge home to help our mob

Memory

an information processing system that actively receives, organises, stores and recovers information

Encoding

converting sensory information into a useable from that can be processed by the brain

Storage

retaining information over time

Iconic memory

visual sensory memory
capacity: unlimited
duration: 0.5 seconds

Retrieval

accessing information that has previously been stored

Capacity

the amount of information held within a memory store

Duration

the length of time information is held within a memory store

Sensory memory

a memory store that receives and stores an unlimited amount of incoming sensory information for a brief time

Echoic memory

auditory sensory memory

capacity: unlimited

duration: 3-4 seconds

reinforcement

in observational learning, receiving a reward that increases the likelihood that of learner reproducing the behaviour in future

Explicit memory

information that can be consciously retrieved and stated, also known as ‘declarative memory’

Semantic memory

the explicit memory of facts or knowledge about the world

Episodic memory

the explicit memory of personal experiences or events

Implicit memory

memory not requiring conscious or intentional retrieval, also known as non-declarative or memory without awareness

Procedural memory

memory of motor skills or actions that were learned previously

Classically conditioned memory

Conditioned responses to conditioned stimuli, usually fear or anger

Cerebral cortex

a thin, outer layer of the brain; involved in sensory processing and voluntary movements

Hippocampus

a structure in the temporal midbrain (under cerebral cortex); involved in formation of long term explicit memories and their transfer to the cerebral cortex for storage

Consolidation

the process by which a temporary memory is transformed into a more stable, permanent form

Amygdala

a structure located deep in the temporal midbrain; involved in regulating emotional reactions and formation/retrieval of implicit emotional memories relating to fear

Neocortex

the top layer of the cerebral cortex that is involved in high-order mental processes and stores long term explicit memories

Basal ganglia

a group of structures deep within the cerebral hemispheres; involved

in motor movement, procedural memory and habituation

Habituation

the process of growing accustomed to a situation or stimulus

Cerebellum

a cauliflower-shaped structure at the base of the brain; coordinates timing and fluency of movements; encodes and temporarily stores implicit memories of simple conditioned reflexes

Autobiographical memory

a memory system consisting of episodes recollected from an individual's life, based on a combination of episodic and semantic memory

Reconstruction

the combining of stored information with other available information to form what is believed to be a more coherent, complete or accurate memory

Episodic future thinking

projecting yourself forwards in time to pre-experience an event that might happen in your future

Mental time travel

the capacity to mentally reconstruct past personal events and imagine possible future scenarios

Mnemonic

any technique used for improving or enhancing memory

Written culture

a culture in which stories and information are shared and preserved through the processes of reading and writing

Method of Loci

a mnemonic system that commits a familiar location or sequence of locations to memory, then visually links them with information that needs to be recalled

Acronym

an abbreviation formed from the first letter of each word and pronounced as a single word

Acrostic

a phrase (or poem) in which the first letter of each word functions as a cue to help with recall

Oral culture

a culture in which information and stories are communicated by word of mouth

Sung narrative

a story told through singing, music and sometimes dance usually related to a specific location in landscape

Songline

a sequence of of short sung narratives associated with specific locations that are linked by a physically walked, or imagined path through Country.

Alzheimer’s disease

a neurodegenerative disease characterised by the progressive deterioration of brain neurons, causing memory loss, decline in cognitive and social skills and personality changes

Lesion

a damaged or abnormal area of the brain that may appear like a scar or wound

Amyloid plaques

an abnormal build-up of beta-amyloid proteins between the synapses of neurons that interfere with communication

Neurofibrillary tangles

an abnormal build-up of protein inside a neuron that is associated with cell death

Brain atrophy

a loss of neurons within the brain

Anterograde amnesia

the inability to form new explicit long- term memories after an amnesia-causing event

Retrograde amnesia

the inability to retrieve previously stored memories after an amnesia- causing event

Physiological changes in Alzheimers

• Amyloid plaques

• Neurofibrillary tangles

• Lack of acetylcholine

• Brain atrophy