Psy
342 Learning and Memory
Ch. 1 An Introduction to the Field
I.
The Origins of the Study of Learning
A. Epistemology (philosophical study of how we come to have knowledge)
Nature vs. Nurture
2 Influential Philosophers:
1. Descartes--We learn, but there are other sources of knowledge that do NOT depend on experience
Nativism
Rationalism
Early psychologists were asking whether various perceptual capacities, such as depth perception, were innate or acquired
2. John Locke--Origin of ALL knowledge is IN EXPERIENCE, as provided to the mind through the senses—EMPIRICISM.
CONTIGUOUS—We associate objects/events together when they occur close together in time or space. Therefore, their ideas are also contiguous in our minds.
Frequency—we associate ideas that are OFTEN contiguous
Similarity—we associate ideas that are similar
Contrast—we associate ideas that are opposite
Scientific methods investigated association learning (Pavlov, Thorndike, Ebbinghaus )
B.
Evolution
Darwin (1859) On the Origin of Species
Theory of evolution--anatomical changes over time as a means of adapting to the
environment
The capacity to learn evolved as an adaptive specialization
Psychologists emphasized learning as a means of adapting within the organism’s lifetime
Different species share a common evolutionary history
II.
Defining Learning
Learning—the acquisition of knowledge (informal, nonscientific)
The scientific definition--Relatively permanent observed change in behavior (repertoire) that occurs as a result of experience This definition has several components:
(A) An observed change in behavior
Need objective evidence of learning
Quantifiable
Making progress with direct observation
Most learning and remembering processes are undetectable
Learning
and memory are therefore treated as intervening variables. We must then infer
learning based upon observable behaviors.
What kind of behavior can we use to measure learning?
(B) Learning involves changes in behavior OR behavioral repertoire
Not all learning is immediately evidenced by overt behaviors
Potential vs. Actual changes in behavior
(C) Learning occurs as a result of experience
Excludes changes in behavior that are not due to experience
Maturation, for example
(D) Learning is said to be relatively permanent.
Excludes transient changes in behavior
Some variables cause temporary changes in responding (e.g., arousal, fatigue, or motivation)
Learning---yes or no?
The acquisition of language in children.
Ethel stays up late the night before the October GRE administration and consumes large quantities of various pharmacological agents. Her combined (verbal plus quantitative) score is 410. The night before the December GRE administration, she goes to bed early after a wholesome dinner and a glass of milk. Her score increases to 1210. Is the change in scores due to learning? Is the change in pretest regiment due to learning?
MYCIN is a computer program that does a rather good job of diagnosing human infections by consulting a large database of rules it has been given. If we add another rule to the database, has MYCIN learned something?
After
pondering over a difficult puzzle for hours, Jane finally figures it out.
From that point on, she can solve all similar puzzles in the time it takes
her to read them.
***Two gray areas that don’t fit precisely within the formal definition of learning**
Short-term Memory
Maturation vs. Learning
III. Relationship between Learning and Memory
A. The terms “learning” and “memory” have , over the years, referred to different processes.
B. The term “Learning” has be used in reference to:
1. Conditioning and reinforcement tasks
2. Non-human animal subjects
3. Skills requiring repeated trials for acquisition
4. The unconscious conditioning of specific behaviors
C. The term “Memory” has been used in reference to:
1. Verbal recall tasks
2. Studies of human subjects
3. Material presented for study just once
4. The conscious recollection of previous experiences
D. A more specific approach to learning and memory would be to say that
“Learning” refers to the acquisition of knowledge, whereas “Memory” deals with retaining and recalling the acquired knowledge.
1. Learning tends to be illustrated by learning curves.
2. Memory tends to be illustrated by forgetting curves.
E. Since learning and memory seem to be dependent on one another, some have suggested that the effectiveness of learning is revealed by the level of retention that one exhibits.
IV. Conceptual Approaches to Learning
A. Functional approach focuses on how learning and memory ability can aid in one’s survival.
1. Understanding how different stimuli are associated can be used to successfully navigate one’s environment, whereas lacking such knowledge could possibly interfere with the ability to survive.
B. Behavioral approach emphasizes the relationship between observable behaviors, the antecedent conditions that precede them, and the consequences that follow them.
C. Cognitive approach takes a computer-based perspective toward the study of learning, arguing that internal representations are used to guide behavior.
D. Neuroscience approach seeks to determine the underlying biological bases of learning and memory. Several researchers made early contributions in this regard.
1. Lashley’s lesion studies
2. Penfield’s stimulation studies
3. Hydén’s RNA studies
4. Modern brain imaging procedures (e.g., PET scans)