Behaviorism to Cognition: Key Concepts

Behaviorism dominated into the mid-20th century; learning seen as behavior shaped by reinforcement. Stress responses are automatic (unconditioned) and not under conscious control.
The idea of a blank slate (tabula rasa) faced challenges from ethology (study of non-human behavior).

Animals show complex, instinctive behaviors without extensive reinforcement.
Fixed action patterns: seemingly pre-programmed responses that can be triggered by specific stimuli.
Example: Three-spined stickleback fish attack lures with red underbelly, suggesting instinctive discrimination that doesn’t rely on reinforcement history.
Imprinting and critical periods show time windows where learning is especially effective; learning can be limited or unavailable outside those windows.

Rats appear to have mental maps of space and locations of rewards, not just behavior shaped by reinforcement.
This implies internal representations guide behavior beyond simple conditioning.

Attempting to explain language purely via reinforcement fails to account for abstract grammar and creativity.
Children start with babbling and receive reinforcement for utterances, but abstract linguistic rules (e.g., adjective order like "some delicious Thai food" vs "Thai delicious food") indicate underlying grammar beyond simple reinforcement.
The existence of language patterns not directly reinforced suggests rules or structures are learned, not just conditioned.

Thought relies on mental representations (images, codes, structured concepts) and organizing strategies to recall and manipulate information.

Brenda Milner’s work with a patient showed memory and representation are anatomically and functionally dissociable.
Tasks can be performed or remembered in one domain while others are impaired, highlighting distinct memory systems and brain-based representations.