BLP Exam 1

Plato - Nativist

-believed we are all born with all the knowledge we need

-knowledge is innate, brought forth w/ experience

-implies that knowledge is finite

Aristotle - Empiricist

-all knowledge is learned, born tabula rasa blank slates

-we acquire info from senses

-ability to learn present at birth, allows us to to store/encode info

Renee Descartes - Dualism

-the physical body and the consciousness are separate entities

-physical body reflexive machine that follows all laws of nature

-mind is non-physical, can’t be studied, controls the actions of the body through the pineal gland

-invented word reflex to describe robot-like tendencies of body, we can understand reflexes through animals

Sechenov - Reflexology

-all behavior can be explained in terms of reflexes

-voluntary behavior only looks voluntary bc the triggering stimulus is too faint to notice

-cannot explain why behavior changes w/ experience

Julien De Mettrie - Scientific Materialism

-there is no soul, we are all machines of the same kind (animals and humans)

-all behavior can be explained by reflexes

-supported by Darwinism

Lloyd Morgan’s Canon (Occam’s Razor)

When simple explanation works, don’t need complex one

John Locke - Radical Empiricist

-all knowledge is learned/acquired through experience

-infants born w/ basic sensory systems, and mechanism to glue them together

-red, sweet, juicy, round → apple

-sensations associated through experience

British Associationists (Hartley, J. Mill, J. S. Mill)

-philosophers trying to understand how associations form

-if we can understand “glue” we can understand learning

-non-empirical approach, just theories

David Hartley

contiguity, repetition

contiguity

elements happen close together in time and space

repetition

the more 2 things occur together, the stronger the association

James Mill

vividness

vividness

(salience) the rate of learning will depend on how noticeable the stimulus is

John Stuart Mill

similarity, emergent properties

similarity

when 2 things are more similar, more likely to be associated

emergent properties

associative learning may result in behaviors that are different from the elements that created them (H2 + O = water)

principles of association

contiguity, repetition, vividness, similarity, emergent properties

empirical approach - Wilhelm Wundt

drawing conclusions from objective/systematic observations (not logic, reason, and personal experience)

Edward Titchener - Structuralism

systematic study of elements that make up associations

-used systematic introspection

systematic introspection

-subjective, can’t be applied to everyone, not very scientific, not publicly verifiable

John B Watson - Behaviorism

-rejected introspection

-only study what we can verify (the S and R)

-S-R associations represent building blocks of knowledge

-Change in S-R reflexes acquired through Pavlovian/Classical conditioning (general mechanism of learning)

Ivan Pavlov - Classical Conditioning

-experiment w/ dogs

-unconscious, happens w/out knowing

-CS, US, UR, CR

Edward Thorndike

-demonstrated power of changing behavior by manipulating consequences

-Instrumental/ Operant learning

-Cat puzzle box, visible food outside box, press lever to leave

context → behavior → outcome

-the association is between the S and R, O only strengthens/weakens response

-contiguity plays a rol

Differences between Pavlovian Conditioning and Instrumental Learning

Pavlovian:

-experimenter has control of CS and US

-subject is passive

-learning depends on the relationship between stimuli (S-S)

-CR is involuntary

Instrumental:

-subject has control over whether they receive the outcome

-learning depends on contingency

-learning relationship is between the response and the outcome (O strengthens S-R)

-response is voluntary

contingency

“depends on”

-getting food “depends on” pressing lever

response → outcome

no response → no outcome

Clark Hull - Mathematical Deductive Approach

-explain behavior using mathematical formula

Rp = (D*sHr *K * V) – (Ir + sIr )
Rp = Response probability

Conditions of Learning
D = Drive
sHr = habit strength (learning)
K = Motivation
V = Salience (stimulus intensity)
Ir = fatigue

sIr= conditioned inhibition

B. F. Skinner - Radical Behaviorist

-behavior is series of S-R reflexes, animals encode nothing about the outcome

-skinner box

-believed no such thing as free will

Distinguished between Pavlovian and Instrumental Learning
Eliminated the S in the S-R learning paradigm.
Emphasized the idea that we should only study the rate of responding that is modified by rewards and punishments

Edward Tolman - Cognitive Approach

Viewed organisms as more flexible than reflexive machines.
Questioned the current theories.
Animals form expectancies (monkey lettuce vs banana)
Reinforcement is not necessary for learning (rats maze, rate of getting to goal box significantly increased when reward introduced)
Animals can make S1-S2 associations. R not necessary. (pulled rat through water maze, when actual maze, rat made few errors, can learn w/out doing)
First to use a cognitive approach to studying animal learning.

learning

an enduring change in the mechanisms of behavior involving specific stimuli and/or responses that result from prior experiences w/ those specific stimuli/responses

how do we know that learning has occurred?

a change in behavior (but not all changes in behavior are learning)

performance variables

-behavior is impacted by how tired, hungry, wants, etc, not just what is learned

maturation vs learning

changes in behavior due to changes over time

-growing taller, getting cookies by self instead of asking mom

motor fatigue vs learning

changes in behavior due to getting tired, not learning

plasticity/sensory adaptation vs learning

change in behavior because bodies adapt to the environment w/in a certain window

-eyes adjusting to changes in lightg

general process approach

studying learning in many organisms in many contexts

-there are universal rules that govern learning in all organisms

elicited behavior

automatic and predetermined in nature (reflexes)

emitted behavior

voluntary and more flexible in nature

reflex

eliciting stimulus → response

air puff to eye → blink

loud noise → startle

Spinal Reflex Arc

sensory (afferent) neuron → interneuron → motor (efferent) neuron

Modal Action Patterns

reflexive response sequences that are typical of certain species

-needs stimulis

sign stimulus

few essential features that must be present to elicit reflex of MAP (aka releasing stimulus)

Supernormal stimulus

a sign stimulus w/ exaggerated features to elicit a vigorous reflexive response

appetitive behaviors

early components of a behavior sequence that are more flexible and specific to a particular species

-looking around, foraging, hunting, climbing

consummatory behaviors

later components of a behavior sequence that are less flexible, more reflexive, and often similar across species

-eating, chewing, swallowing

habituation

a decrease in response magnitude with each successive stimulus presented

-occurs in the neural pathway

sensitization

an increase or a high level of response magnitude is maintained with each successive stimulus presentation

-happens when arousal level is high

-occurs in the state system

evidence that habituation is not sensory adaptation or motor fatigue

-spontaneous recovery

-dishabituation

-habituation is stimulus specific

spontaneous recovery

if habituation is due to sensory adaptation or motor fatigue,
you would expect the response to recover fully by the next day (but it does not)

dishabituation

if habituation is due to sensory adaptation or motor fatigue, you would not expect a brief distraction to restore responding, but the response does partially return.

opponent process theory (soloman and corbit)

When you do an activity for the first time, it triggers reflex (A process). To return to homeostasis, your body starts B process, which counteracts A process. Over time, as the stimulus is repeated, the B process grows.

-explains drug tolerance/withdrawal

dual process theory (groves and thompson)

Habituation occurs in the S-R (reflex) pathway; Sensitization caused by over-arching State system
-Can explain both sensitization and dishabituation