Learning is the process of acquiring new, relatively enduring information or behaviors through experience.
Defining Learning: Process of acquiring new skills, information, or behaviors.
Types of Learning:
Habituation: Adapting to unchanging stimuli through repeated experience.
Evolution vs. Learning: Contrast between genetic adaptations over generations and individual experiences.
Behaviorists:
Focus on observable behaviors rather than internal processes.
Emphasize that knowledge is learned through interactions with the environment.
Definition: Learning occurs by associating environmental stimuli with behavioral responses.
Key Concept: Learning happens when one event predicts another event.
Pavlov's Contribution: Ivan Pavlov’s experiments laid the foundation of classical conditioning.
Components of the Experiment:
Tube for collecting saliva from dogs to measure response.
Harness to restrict movement of the subjects.
Unconditioned Stimulus (US): Meat powder that naturally triggers salivation (Unconditioned Response - UR).
Neutral Stimulus (NS): Initially, a tone that does not elicit salivation; paired with US to form association.
Repeated Pairing: NS (tone) paired with US (meat powder) leads towards UR (salivation).
Conditioned Stimulus (CS): The tone that now elicits salivation alone, showing the association is learned.
Conditioned Response (CR): Salivation in response to the CS (tone).
Before Conditioning:
US (food) leads to UR (salivation).
During Conditioning:
NS (tone) does not lead to salivation.
After Conditioning:
NS becomes CS when it leads to salivation, establishing a CR.
Types of Conditioning:
Forward Conditioning: CS precedes UCS.
Delayed Conditioning: CS precedes UCS and remains present during UCS.
Simultaneous Conditioning: CS and UCS occur at the same time.
Backward Conditioning: UCS precedes CS.
Acquisition: Initial learning of the conditioned response.
Extinction: Gradual weakening of the conditioned response when the CS is presented without the US.
Spontaneous Recovery: Reappearance of the conditioned response after a pause.
Stimulus Generalization: Responding to stimuli similar to the original CS.
Stimulus Discrimination: Ability to differentiate stimuli based on specific characteristics.
A neutral stimulus can be made into a CS by being paired with an existing CS.
Creates complex associations beyond the initial CS.
Phobias can be acquired through classical conditioning principles.
Ethical concerns arise in methods used to create phobias in humans (e.g., Watson's experiments).
Demonstrated classical conditioning in humans by associating a fear response with a previously neutral stimulus.
During Conditioning: US (loud noise) produces UCR (fear), paired with CS (white rat).
After Conditioning: CS alone (white rat) elicits CR (fear).
Systematic Desensitization: Gradual exposure to anxiety-inducing stimuli combined with relaxation techniques.
Aversive Conditioning: Pairing negative experiences with unwanted behaviors to reduce those behaviors.
Albert Bandura: Studied the impact of learning through observation.
Cognitive Processes in Learning:
Attention: Focusing on models.
Retention: Remembering observed behaviors.
Reproduction: Physically replicating the behavior.
Motivation: Desire to perform the learned behavior.
Media influences (e.g., violent video games) can lead to aggressive behaviors.
Consideration of the effects of various types of media consumption on behavior.
Positive modeling behaviors, such as parenting and helping behaviors, can be taught and reinforced.
Summary of learning types and their applications, illustrating the complexity and depth of human learning processes.