LEARNING

LEARNING

1. Behaviourism / comparative approach

   • Define learning as a change in behaviour due to experience
     • Believes psych = science of behaviour = Watson
   • CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
     • Innate experiences - reflexing response to something
       • unconscious, automatic,involuntary behaviour
         • learning works by associations ie stimulis = reaction
     • PAVLOV
       • Bell + Food = Dogs salivation
         • Learning through association
         • Before conditioning = UCS (Food) - UCR ( Saliva)
           • During conditioning = NS ( Bell)+ UCS (Food) - UCR (Saliva)
             • After conditioning = CS 9Bell) - CR (Salivation)
           • CLASSICAL COND PARADIGM
       • PAVLOV DISCOVERED CERTAIN LAWS OF CONDITIONING
         • GENERALISATION
           • EXTINCTION
             • DISCRIMINATION
               • SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY
     • CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS WITH ANIMALS
       • SYSTEMATIC
     • WATSON
       • LITTLE ALBERT
         • Loud bang (UCS) = Fear (UCR)
           • White rat (NS) + Loud bang (UCS) = Fear (UCR)
             • White Rate (Cs) = Fear ( CR)
     • Applications of CC = Aversion Therapy, Systematic Desensitisation
   • OPERANT CONDITIONING
     • THORNDIKE
       • earlier
     • B.F. SKINNER
       • SKINNER BOX
         • Hungry rat put in BOX with lever, when rat presses lever = receives food pellets.
           • which acts as a reinforcer for the bar behaviour.
             • OPERANT = BEHAVIOUR GIVEN OFF FROM THE ANIMAL. IE = BAR PRESSING LEVER
               • FOOD PELLET - POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
     • focus on voluntary behaviour emitted from organism - human
       • BEHAVIOUR (OPERANT) has an effect on ENVIRONMENT (+ OR - EFFECT)
         • OUTCOMES DEPEND ON ANIMAL/HUMANS BEHAVIOUR
           • USED ANIMALS IN EXPERIMENTS AND GENERALISED TO HUMANS
     • THE LAW OF EFFECT
       • Behaviour thats reinforced = more likely to be repeated
       • POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT - Rewards which ENCOURAGE behaviour = REPEATED
       • NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT - Unpleasant STIMULI causes AVOIDANCE Behaviour
       • PUNISHMENT - Different from NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT - Tries to DECREASE BEHAVIOUR - ONCE THEREAT OF PUNISHMENT TAKEN AWAY BEHAVIOUR RETURNS!
     • OPERANT CONDITIONING = BY REINFORCING GOAL WANTED ANIMALS TAUGHT BEHAVIOUR DESIRED
       • OPERANT CONDITIONING IS BEHAVIOUR SHAPING
         • BEHAVIOUR IS SHAPED BY CONSTANT REINFORCEMENT
       • DISCRIMINATION - RESPONSE TO ONE STIMULUS BUT NOT TO ANOTHER
     • PRIMARY & SECONDARY REINFORCERS
       • PRIMARY - FULFILS BASIC NEED - HUNGER = FOOD
         • SECONDARY - REINFORCER VALUE ASSOCIATED WITH PRIMARY INFORCER
           • EG - TOKEN ECONOMY, MONEY TO BUT WHAT IS WANTED/NEEDED
             • Can be EXCHANGED FOR PRIMARY ENFORCERS
     • USEFUL BECAUSE
       • TOKEN ECONOMY PROGRAMME - SECONDARY REINFORCERS - SHAPES BEHAVIOUR = Tings to BUY what they want OR STICKER CHARTS
         • SCHOOLS USE THESE
           • POSITIVE REINFORCERS = PRAISE
             • NEGATIVE REINFORCERS = NAUGHTY STEP = USED BY SUPER NANNY
     • UNUSEFUL BECAUSE
       • PUNISHMENT = NOT SEEN TO WORK
         • ETHICAL ISSUES WITH PUNISHMENT
     • INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING
   • BEHAVIOUR THERAPIES - BASED ON BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION
     • SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION = PIC OF CARTOON SPIDER, PIC OF SPIDER, SPIDER IN GLASS, HOLD ONE - LESS STRESSFUL THAN AVERSION THERAPY.
       • AVERSION THERAPY = ALCOHOL - EMETIC GIVEN SO WHEN SOMEONE DRINKS ALCOHOL MAKES THEM SICK = ASSOCIATION WITH SICK - ALCOHOL = LESS DRINKING.
         • IMPLOSION THERAPY = EXTREME VERSION OF AVERSION THERAPY
     • USE SUCCESSFULLY FOR PHOBIAS & ADDICTIONS
     • KEY FEATURE = TO STOP UNDESIRABLE BEHAVIOUR & LEARN A MORE ADAPTIVE ONE.
   • NEGATIVES TO BEHAVIOURISM
     • MECHANIC APPROACH
       • TREATMENT ALLIVIATES PROBLEM = NOT TREAT CAUSE
         • ETHICAL ISSUES = ISSUES ON BEHAVIOUR CONTROL & INDIVIDUALS RIGHTS
           • THOUGHT QUESTION = CONSIDER WAYS PEOPLE ARE CONDITIONED EVERYDAY!

2. COGNITIVE / MENTAL PROCESSES

   • COGNITIVE APPROACHES = MENTAL, ATTENTION, PERCEPTION,
     • CONCEPT FORMATION, LANGUAGE AND THOUGHT, PROBLEM SOLVING
       • LEARNING IS VIEWED AS - ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE = CHANGE IN MENTAL PROCESSES
         • FOCUS - INFORMATION PROCESSING
           • EXPERIMENTAL METHOD USED TO INVESTIGATE LEARNING
   • COGNITIVE APPROACH
     • BELIEVES CAN DESCRIBE WHATS IN THE MIND AT:
       • A FUNCTIONAL LEVEL
         • PROCESS LEVEL - WHAT THE MIND DOES
     • CATEGORY LEARNING
       • LEARNING THAT HAPPENS WHEN
         • PEOPLE REALISE CERTAIN THINGS BELONG IN GROUPS/CATEGORIES
           • HYPOTHESIS - EXPLANATION FOR A SET OF
             • OBSERVATIONS THAT MAY/MAY NOT
               • BE SUPPORTED
       • BRUNER ET AL
         • BRUNER FOUND - PEOPLE USED DIFFERENT STRATERGIES
           • TO LEARN DIFFERENT CATEGORIES
             • LEARNING HAPPENS THROUGH HYPOTHESIS TESTING
               • DIFFERENT STRATERGIES TO USE THS
                 • WHEN STIMULI ARE MEANINGFUL =
                   • PARTICIPANTS MAY USE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE TO
                     • CONSIDER ONLY THE CATEGORIES THAT MAKE SENSE
                       • THIS INFLUENCES THE SEARCH TECHNIQUE USED
       • -'S
         • ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY
           • USE OF ARTIFICIAL STIMULI
             • AND CONTROLLED CONDITIONS
       • -'S
         • ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATIONS
           • ARE CATEGORIES LEARNT/ DO WE HAVE INNATE CAPACITY FOR CAT LEARNING
       • ALTERNATIVE VIEWS
         • MURPHY
           • MURPHY - MEANINGFULNESS IMPORTANT FOR CAT LEARNING
             • PEOPLE LEARN CAT BY LOOKING TO ADD THE SIMILAR
               • THINGS TO ALREADY EXISTING KNOWLEDGE
         • CHOMSKY & FODOR
           • CAT CANNOT BE LEARNT
             • CONCEPTS AND IDEAS ABOUT CATEGORIES
               • MUST BE INNATE

3. SOCIO CULTURAL

   • SOCIO CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING OF LEARNING IS :
     • USE OF CULTURAL TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES
       • SOCIO THEORISTS ARE INTERESTED IN =
         • INTERPERSONAL & INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT OF LEARNING
   • FOCUSES ON SOCIAL INTERACTION
     • KEY FEATURES OF SOCIO CULTURAL LEARNING
       • LEARNING EMPHASIZES USE OF PHYSICAL TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES WITHIN SOCIAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT
         • LEARNING IS CHARACTERISED AS = A PROCESS OF ENCULTURISATION
           • SOCIO CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE OF LEARNING =
   • - WHERE PEOPLE ADOPT SPECIFIC CULTURAL PRACTICES
     • AND ACT IN ACCORDANCE TO CULTURAL NORMS
     • ENCULTURATION
   • LEARNING IS -
     • SEEN AS BEING MEDIATED BY PHYSICAL TOOLS = COMPUTERS
       • PSYCHOLOGICAL TOOLS - LANGUAGE
     • CHARACTERISED AS PROCESS OF ENCULTURISATION
   • SOCIO CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE ON LEARNING =
     • BOUNDARIES DRAWN BETWEEN SUBJECT MATTER OF
       • OF COGNITIVE PSYCH & SOCIAL PSYCH ARE INAPPROPRIATE
   • METHOD USED - OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES
   • APPROPRIATION
     • MAKING SOMETHING YOUR OWN
       • TOOLS ARE NOT SOMETHING WE PICK UP AND PUT DOWN
         • BUT BECOME PART OF HOW WE CONSTRUCT THE WORLD
           • APPROACH PROBLEMS AND APPROACH OTHERS
     • LIGHT AND LITTLETON
       • APPROPRIATION INVOLVES
         • NOT JUST USING TOOLS BUT
           • IT INVOLVES TAKINGS SOMETHING FOR ONES OWN USE
     • EXAMPLE OF TOOLS WE MAKE OUR OWN = MOBILE PHONE
   • LANGUAGE IS IMPORTANT IN SOCIO CULTURAL INTERACTION
     • LEARNERS INTERACTION & TALK WITH OTHERS = MEDIATION BETWEEN WORLD TO LEARN ABOUT AND LEARNER
     • MERCER
       • NATURAL OBSERVATION
         • HOW CHILDREN USE LANGUAGE TO LEARN ABOUT COMPUTERS

4. Conditioning

   • Stimulus - Response (S-R) Psych
   • looks at input - output (mental processes not observable)