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An Introduction To Learning [AP Psychology Unit 4 Topic 1]

Introduction to Learning

  • Learning is the acquisition of information, abilities, or behaviors following changes in knowledge or behavior due to experiences.

  • Differentiates learning from normal maturation which assigns new abilities purely to age.

  • Learning manifests in changed behaviors, thought processes, and actions driven by experiences.

Types of Learning

Learning by Association

  • Learning via connections between items or experiences based on their sequence.

  • Example: Associating lightning and thunder due to their occurrence during storms; leads to anticipatory reactions.

  • John Garcia's Research: Advanced the understanding of learning by association, focusing on

    • Taste Aversion: A negative association with a food due to past illness (e.g., feeling sick after eating bad fish leads to a long-term aversion to fish).

Observational Learning

  • Coined by Albert Bandura, learned through watching others.

  • Bobo Doll Experiment:

    • Setup: Children viewed videos of adult behavior towards toys (aggressive vs. non-aggressive).

    • Findings: Children exposed to aggression exhibited similar behaviors towards the Bobo doll, demonstrating learning through observation.

Latent Learning

  • Learning not immediately evident; material learned is applied later.

  • Example: Hearing about climate change incidentally and recalling information in a relevant conversation later.

  • Edward Tolman's Study: Rats in a maze showed knowledge retention without rewards, demonstrating latent learning.

Insight Learning

  • Solving problems through mental processing without trial and error.

  • Example: Recognizing and applying solutions after careful consideration, rather than random attempts.

  • Opposed by Thorndike's Trial and Error Learning: Random attempts until a successful solution is found.

Social Learning

  • Learning through interactions and mimicking behaviors in social contexts.

  • Example: People unconsciously mimic body language or behaviors of those around them, seen often in social media influences.

Learning in Stressful Situations

  • Stressful events can lead to adaptive responses or learned helplessness.

  • Learned Helplessness:

    • Martin Seligman's Experiment with Dogs: Dogs conditioned to expect shocks did not attempt escape even when opportunity presented itself, demonstrating a belief in their inability to change outcomes.

    • Connection to students in educational situations where they might give up due to repeated failures despite potential for success.

Accidental Reinforcement of Behavior

  • Involves associating positive outcomes with unrelated behaviors (e.g., superstitions).

  • Example: Using a good luck charm or wearing a specific jersey believing it influences outcomes, despite having no actual relation.

Conclusion

  • Various methods of learning illustrate the complexity of acquiring knowledge and behaviors:

    • Association, observation, latent learning, insight, social learning, and behavioral reinforcement.

  • Future discussions will delve deeper into these learning methods.

  • Encouragement to engage with quiz questions provided for practice and resources available for further study.