Commentaries

Commentary 3 The To look to the way in which a psychologist both define and study learning. This chapter look at— ·         the comparative approach  which uses the behaviourist  perspective ·         the cognitive perspective ·         the socio-cultural perspective THEORY – ·         the different perspectives can lead t to different theories that allow  insights into an issue. ·         These perspectives and theories can complement each other, conflict with one another or coexist together.  Coexistence is particularly important learning, and offers different that die in the process of learning. ·         Different perspectives  and theories give a variety of ways of providing their findings  to  day to day issues   METHODS – ·         Both behaviourist and cognitive perspective use the most common psychological method – experimentation. Where a behaviourist would use it to explain behaviour, a cognitive psychologist would use them to inferences about mental processes. ·         That comparative approach looks at the way humans are similar or different to other animals. The behaviourist perspective on learning it assumes that learning can be generalised , at least across vertebras and some time’s other animals  too. THEMES – ·         The idea of change is central to learning. Unlike evolution, learning takes place you’re during  the life time of an individual. Humans can learn things either on a subconscious level or a conscious level. Thinking about theory Choosing and using perspectives and theories due –  It can be difficult to decide on ways of studying and learning and the skill is required when even defining it in ways it could be investigated. Different perspectives focus on different questions, but turning this around psychology is so complex perspectives may be looked at in many different ways, with the definition of the subject matter demanding a different perspective for investigation and understanding. One perspective may be understood in different ways – What happens when different theories seem to explain the same topic? -          Some may be discarded as they are not supported by evidence -          But sometimes after a lot of research,  different theories can  come into being, often done very different perspective.   How can these theories be viewed? -          Sometimes they are complementary  of each other, each enriching understanding, and there is a sometimes in opportunity of synthesis between them -          They can also conflict with one another -          they might coexist with know what little communication between those who subscribe to them and minimal communication on how or how or not they relate to each other. All 3 learning theories could be understood as a coexisting (offering  different but not necessarily conflicting insight into learning. What we learn from animal observation maybe it was alongside what we they think we know about human learning.  And sociocultural conditional that facilitate learning may provide picture learning as a  broader topic. It may be that some theories coexist as there has been no communication between psychologists on either side but despite this they could be conflicting. Behaviourists and cognitive psychologists conflict barrage – Behaviourist – it must be observable! Cognitive psychology – what goes on in the mind? Applying psychological knowledge— 3 c’s also considered here Usefulness -          To change the world in a beneficial way- Skinner and behaviourism – Operant conditioning which can be used in the clinical setting ( mental health), studying for exams, children with SEN. -          Mercer – Collaborative work in school Mapping traditions – Have their roots in different historical traditions Behaviourism was once dominant, but this is no longer the case. An outsider’s view point is important in this perspective, no understanding  of the way we think. A psychologist today wouldn’t call himself or herself a behaviourist.   The cognitive revolution – dates back to the 1960s when psychologist is wanted to understand what goes on in the mind. But it actually began much earlier than this PURPOSES and REPRESENTATIONS exist in some form in the mind. This concern came to be considered a a move away from behaviourism towards cognitive psychology that the cognitive perspective was also influencing other areas of psychology   Before behaviourism. So it could be argued that cognitive psychology existed before behaviourism.   Look at examples in the book The second cognitive revolution – Sociocultural perspective – learning is affected by the culture in which it takes place and simultaneously cognitive, social, emotional, and part of developmental processes.  Comparative method Behaviour gives them uses its own method, comparng the behaviour of different animals They assumed that all animals will be the same THINKING ABOUT THE THEMES Fixity and change Learning is about change in life, but on the other hand skills are also passed down Changing  environment  - adaption Conscious and subconscious. Curiosity.

  THEORIES psychologists develop a theoretical constructs to make the issues raised they study clearer and build testable theories. In cognitive psychology the mind is thought of as a machine. Metaphors of are often with computers. Think about Conway's model on this. METHODS most studies on perception and attention are found in experimental cognitive psychology. Although they have been diversified to include neural psychology as well as brain imaging. An outsider's perspective is taken most of the time, that the exam poll behavioural and biological data. But traditionally introseption, an insider's view point has also been used( this has also importan)t. As attention and perception are so complex, and is so based in real world it can be difficult to study them in in the lab setting(ecological validity). Themes although most biological structues after this, I would perception can be chained through experience and because of moment by moment changes in sensory cues. Perception can be thought of as as a result of lifelong interactions between biology and an individual's experience of the world. Thinking about theory we spend most of our waking lives perceiving whether it be visually, or aurally, or through oter senses. Although this is often done effortlesly, this is extremely psychologically complicated. What sort of starting point to psychologists use to develop their theories? Defining and building theoretical constructs what are the building blocks of this? ATTENTION. PERCEPTION AND SENSATION. All words in common usage although they are also theoretical constructs in PSI. These allow ideas to be extended. Having 3 constructs allow psychologists these allow psychologists to propose and test possible relationships between them. The focus is sometimes on the seperalty and sometimes on the interactions between them. The focus has some times been on the cognitive aspects as a whole (this is usually perception). Phemenological view was possessed during - this can provide us with an intimate experience of the world. This is holistic. Percievers intentionaliy Theoretical constructs are element that build up theories, and do not actually exists. They are ideas. Without the ideas of sensation, attention and perception -- it would have been difficult to identify change blindness. Individuals hold different perceptions (bottom-up and top down information). PRACTICAL PROBLEMS AND THEORISTS OWN INTERESTS - Historocal and contextual starting points - based in practical problems can occur at different time periods. The mind is a machine, the brain imaging and neuroscience. The use of metaphor the metaphor is important in cognitive psychology.. The cognitive psychologist at what goes on inside the head. Behaviour is observed although it isn't just observed behaviour that that gets studied. Cognitive psychologists must be inventive and have very clear predictive models to be able to choose between competing hypotheses on the basis of empirical finding. the brain is made up of biological tissue, with chemicals and electrical discharges. It can be difficult to span the gap between the nervous system and brain, and hence metaphors are handy. The concept of information processing is itself a metaphor. They are also other metaphors -- channels, pool of resources, filters and so on. The thinking about method an important part of this research involves experiments. The diversity of data material date is often used to studysensation into more and more now biological methods, material data and case study accounts have been used to form neuropsychogical and have developed neuroscience. An insider's view point is very important in perception. Wulnt and James i ntrosption and consciousness. The philosophy was also important in this field. As in what was embedded in the intentiality of the perceiver. Look at the illusions in the book. Perceptual phenomena. Perception as part the experimental cognitive psychology tradition An outsider view point sometimes taken. however as mental processes can't be seen, behaviour is used as data. Process rather than studying people holistically - Makes study easier - although this can have unwanted implications (ecological validity). Lab research and everyday experiences in a lab study variables can be controlled, but are often far ecologically valid - Stroop. Cognitive psychologists have diversified their methods (simulation and sometimes moving about the lab). It is important that the stimuli are controlled in these conditions, so it still may differ from day to day life. This kind of study may be beneficial for day to day life. Drivers may be differntly in a simulator compared to being on the road. Although ecologically valid studies have problems too.. Neither is perfect for studying perception and attention. The complex link between nature and nurture -- biology and experience in environments sensation, attention and perception all need biological structures and experience of the world. Biology can sometimes be seen as what is their already -- this can both be constraining and enabling. Nurture - the impact of the environment there is a continuous interactions between nature and nurture. Enabled as well as constrained by them what we our tend to and what we perceive relate to our past and present, our motives into social context in which we are perceiving. The properties of objects also influences behaviour.

3 approaches to learning

Perception and attention