What is learning?
A relatively enduring change in the mechanisms of behaviour resulting from experience with environmental events specifically related to that behaviour.
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| What is learning? | A relatively enduring change in the mechanisms of behaviour resulting from experience with environmental events specifically related to that behaviour. |
| What is maturation? | Maturation refers to changes in behaviour that occur due to the natural growth process, not as a result of experience. |
| What is fatigue? | A temporary decrease in behaviour caused by repeated or excessive use of muscles involved in the behaviour. |
| What is performance? | The observable behaviour that may reflect learning but can also be influenced by other factors. |
| What is practice? | Repeated performance with a behaviour, often necessary for learning to occur. |
| How is learning identified at the behavioural level? | By changes in observable actions or responses. E.g., a child learning to ride a bike demonstrates new patterns of coordination, which can be directly seen and measured. |
| How is learning identified at the physiological level? | By changes in bodily processes, such as muscle coordination and hormonal responses. E.g,. learning to play a musical instrument not only changes how you move your fingers but also how your muscles and nerves work together more efficiently. |
| How is learning identified at the neural level? | By changes in the brain and nervous system. E.g., changes in neurotransmitter activity, and even structural changes in brain regions involved in memory and skill. |
| What are the three levels that learning happens on? | (1) behavioural. (2) physiological. (3) neural. |
| How does learning support adaptation? | (1) filters out unimportant information. (2) helps anticipate rewards/dangers and prepare accordingly. (3) improves chances of success in different situations. (4) allows us to adapt to new challenges. |
| True or false, learning is limitless? | False. Innate tendencies and biological factors shape what and how we can learn. |
| What is biological preparedness? | Refers to how some species are biologically predisposed to learn certain behaviours more easily than others. |
| Give an example of biological preparedness? | Animals quickly learn to associate taste with illness (taste aversion), but may struggle to learn behaviours that go against their natural instincts. |
| Why is learning often compared to sculpting wood rather than molding clay? | Because wood has grain and knots that make some changes easier than others, while clay can be shaped in any direction. |
| During the 4th Century BCE, what concept did Aristotle propose? | Associationism. |
| During the 17th Century, what concept did Descartes’ introduce? | Mind-Body Dualism and Reflexes. |
| How did Descartes’ describe reflexes? | As automatic, mechanical responses to stimuli. |
| During the late 19th Century, what prominent experiments did Hermann Ebbinghaus conduct? | The first systematic experiments on memory, testing associationist principles with nonsense syllables. |
| During the early 20th Century, what popular approach to psychology emerged, which was especially influenced by John Watson? | Behaviourism. |
| What concept in psychology did behaviourist John Watson reject? | Introspection, instead he emphasised observable behaviour. |
| In the mid 20th Century, what did B.F Skinner introduce to psychology? | Operant conditioning and the Skinner box. |
| What 'revolution' emerged during the 1950s-1970s? | The Cognitive Revolution, which studied mental processes. |
| What contemporary era of psychology emerged during the 1980s and is still used today? | Connectionism and Neural Networks. |