Human Cognition

Human Cognition

1. Lesson 1

   • Learning
     • Reinforcement
       • When following a response, the increase of likelyhood that the response will occure again.
       • When following a response, the increase of likelyhood that the response will occure again.
     • Definition
       • any relatively permanent change in behavior brought about by experience or practice. Maturation is not learning.
     • classic conditioning
       • Russian Physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936): Classical Conditioning is learning to elict (draw forth) an involuntary, reflex-like response to a stimulus other than the original, natural stimulus that normally produces the response. Salvitatin Dogs! 
       • Unconditioned Stimulus UCS
         • involuntary, natural response like putting food in mouth
       • unconditioned response UCR
         • unlearned, happens bc of genetic wiring in nervous system like salvitation
       • conditioned stimulus CS
         • neutral stimulus (NS , i.e. dish) through repeated pairing with unconditional stimulus causes involuntary response. Learning occured!
           • Aquisition: The repeated pairing of NS and CS
       • conditioned response CR
         • Response to the conditioned stimulus, less strong than unconditioned response like salvitation from metronome sound
       • principles: CS must be before UCS, CS and UCS must come very close in time together, NS must be paired with UCS several or often times, CS must stand out from other stimuli
       • Stimulus generalization:tendency to reakt to stimulus that is similar to original CS
       • Stimulus discrimination: learning to tell the difference between CS and similar stimulus, then reacting only to CS
       • extinction: CS (metronome) present but not UCS (food) Cr died out. But not permanent. Spontanious recovery is brief Cr when CS returns. Weaker and short-lived reaction.
       • Higher Order Conditioning
         • CS paired with NS: Finger Snap, Metronome, Salvation at stage 2, then only finger-snapping to create CR. Food must be presented every now and then to keep higher-order Conditioning.
   • Memory
   • Cognition
   • Inteligence