learning

learning

1. principle

   • concerned with observable behaviour not internal behaviour like emotions and thinking
     • can be objectively and scientifically measured
   • no free will
     • environment determines behaviour
   • all behaviour is learnt from environment
     • operant
     • classical
   • little difference between the learning in human vs. other animals
     • research can be carried out on humans + animals

2. nurture

   • refers to influence of our environment on out characteristics
     • e.g. poor diet as a child
     • influence of relationship with our parent

3. nature

   • behaviour caused by biological make-up
     • genes affect or brain and nervous system
     • e.g genes we inherit from parents
       • e.g if our parents are intelligent then we may inherit the genes for intelligence

4. classical conditioning

   • definition
     • unconditioned stimulus
       • a feature that causes a natural reflex action
       • air blown in eyes = involuntary blink
     • neutral stimulus
       • beforehand conditioning does not elicit a response
     • classical
       • ns + ucs = new cr +cs
     • unconditioned response
       • response is reflex action
       • born with it
         • not learnt
       • knee jerk reaction when presented with stimulus of tap on knee
     • conditioned stimulus
       • has a response through association w/ us
       • originally produced no reflexive response
       • pavlov's dogs learned to salivate to bell
     • conditioned response
       • behaviour elicited by the c.s
       • savlivation when the bell rings
     • extinction
       • dying out of a CR by breaking the association between the CS and UCS
     • spontaneous recovery
       • return of a CR (in a weaker form) after a period of time
       • e.g. when Pavlov waited for a few days then rang the bell once more the dog salivated again
     • generalisation
       • when a stimulus similar to the CS also elicits a response
       • initially Pavlov's dog salivated at the sound of any bell not just the food bell