Ch_01_Introduction_Etc_Learning_Principles_and_Applications

Define the term learning: Understanding learning as a relatively permanent change in behavior potential resulting from experience.
Instincts and Behavior (Functionalism): Describe functionalism in psychology and the role of instincts according to this perspective.
British Empiricists on Associations: Explain how associations are formed in learning theories.
Thorndike's Research on Rewards: Recall Thorndike's experiments showing the effects of rewards on behavior.
Pavlov's Conditioning: Explain how Pavlov demonstrated the conditioning of digestive responses.
Watson and Emotions: Describe Watson's experiments on learned emotions.
Ethical Research Practices: Discuss the ethics related to conducting psychological research with animals and humans.

Suzanne's change of career focus from biology to psychology due to personal experiences with her brother's addiction.
Interest in understanding drug addiction and its therapeutic approaches.
Initial skepticism about the relevance of learning principles in psychology.
Discovery that learning encompasses behavior acquisition necessary for rewards and avoiding punishments.

Definition: Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior potential that results from experience.
Components:
- Reflects change in behavior potential, not immediate behavior change. (Motivation plays a key role.)
- Behavior changes are not always permanent; influenced by new experiences and forgetting.
Changes in behavior can also be due to factors like maturation or motivation rather than direct learning.
Example: Learning a route but choosing not to use it due to a motivational change.

Functionalism emphasizes instinctive origins and adaptive functions of behavior, aimed at survival.
Key Figures:
- John Dewey: Proposed that the mind's evolution replaced reflexive behaviors, facilitating adaptation.
- William James: Argued that humans have a broader range of instincts than lower animals, impacting social behavior and survival positively.
Criticism of the instinct concept from anthropologists highlighting cultural variability in human behavior.
Shift in the 1920s from instinct-centric views to behaviorism, emphasizing learning.

Behaviorism Defined: Emphasizes the importance of learned experiences in shaping behavior.
Aristotle's Influence: Introduced the concept of associations formed as events become linked.

John Locke: Proposed that ideas arise from experience, differentiating between simple (passive impressions) and complex ideas (combinations of simple ideas).
David Hume's Principles: Suggested resemblance, contiguity, and cause-effect as key to forming complex ideas out of simple ideas.

Noted for establishing connections between stimulus and response through rewards.
Puzzle Box Experiment: Studied cats' behaviors in escape situations to analyze learning via rewards.
Law of Effect: Responses followed by satisfying states increase the likelihood of being repeated.
Suggested aspects of associative learning also apply to humans, with a focus on motivation (law of readiness).

Pavlov's research on conditioning digestive reflexes led to the understanding of learned behaviors.
Introduced concepts of unconditioned and conditioned stimuli and responses through his experiments on dogs.
Conditioning Process: Neutral stimuli paired with unconditioned stimuli can evoke conditioned responses.

Watson built upon Pavlov's work, asserting fears could be conditioned.
Conducted the "Little Albert" experiment to demonstrate conditioned emotional responses using fear.

Human Subjects:
- Must follow ethical principles ensuring participant safety, informed consent, confidentiality.
- Subjects have the right to withdraw and must be informed of study risks.

Research on animals established causal relationships in studies that cannot ethically be performed on humans.
Example studies leading to treatments for human psychological issues.
Committees like the IACUC oversee and regulate the humane treatment of research animals.