Studied by 1 person
define tabula rasa
- means blank slate
- this is a fundamental cornerstone of behaviorism, the environment writes itself upon your personality
- Locke coined this term
define empiricism
- your learning comes through experience and data
- formation of assosciation (Aristotle)
define structuralism
wanting to study what makes up the way you think
define functionalism
wanting to study the usefulness of psychological function
example - using facial symmetry to find someone attractive
define nativism
all knowledge is inborn; introduced by Plato
Neuroplasticity
the brain's ability to change its structure and function in response to experience or damage
synaptic pruning
"use it or lose it" principle; the deletion of old or unused neural connections
3 main structures in the brain where learning occurs
- frontal lobe: "higher functions" (planning, abstract reasoning, motivation, making choices, attention)
hippocampus: binding, creating, consolidating of memory,
- amygdala - emotional significance
behaviorism
- founded by John Watson
- learning involves a change in behavior
classical conditioning + Pavlov
- a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events
- Ivan Pavlov
- studied digestion in dogs
- measured saliva when dogs are given powdered meat
- dogs salivated at the anticipation of the food
operant conditioning
- believes in the principle of ecopotentionality, they they can be conditioned the same
- creates personality, intelligence, differently
- coined by Edward Thorndike
define reinforcer
behavior that is trying to get you to do something
what are the conditions for operant conditioning
- the reinforcer/punishment should follow the response
- ideally, the reinforcer/punishment should follow immediately
- the reinforcer/punishment should be contingent on the response
define punishment
any stimulus designed to decrease an organisms behavior
differentiate between classical and operant
- classical conditioning associates an involuntary response and a stimulus
- operant conditioning associates a voluntary action with a consequence
define systematic desensitization
- more popular and effective
- definition: gradual, slow exposure to the stimulus
factors influencing brain development and learning
- heredity (nature + genetics)
- environmental factors
- experience
- physical exercise
- laterality of function (means that the two hemispheres process differently)
Synaptogenesis
formation of synapses, neurons
myelination
the formation of a fatty sheath around the axons of a neuron
brain myths
- left-brained: we use both sides, they may process a little differently, but they are getting the same stimulus
- brain-training: brain training makes you better at the activities you are "training" but there is no good evidence that proves it helps developed the brain outside of that one task
- we only use 10% of our brain - we use all of our brain!
define premark principle
- coined by David Premack
- def: a desirable activity, can be used to reinforce a less desirable one
define shaping
- rewarding successive approximations
- slowly reinforcing toward a target behavior
define ratio schedules
- about the number of responses
- fixed ratio: reinforcement given after action completed a set number of times
- variable ratio: vary to change; reinforcement after the action is completed a varying amount of time
define interval schedules
- fixed interval: reinforcement given after a set time if action is completed
- variable interval: reinforcement is given after varying periods of times if action is completed
define primary reinforces
- biological necessity, have to have them in order to be alive
secondary reinforcers
not required for survival, often used to access primary reinforcers
