Psychology of Learning PSY211 Introduction, Stimuli & Responses

B. Charles Tatum

The Three Domains of Psychology

Cognitive Theory
COGNITION EMOTION

Freudian Theory

BEHAVIOR

Definitions
Learning: A hypothetical process which produces a relatively permanent change in behavior, cognition, or emotion as a result of experience Relatively permanent (not fatigue) Behavior change (observable) Cognitive or emotional change (not observable) Experience (practice, repetition, not maturation) Hypothetical (inferred from external stimuli and responses) Stimulus: Energy that contacts a sensory organ (e.g., eye, ear, skin) and produces a physiological or behavioral reaction in an organism 5 Distal 5 Proximal 5 Perceived Response: An organisms reaction (e.g., neural, glandular, muscular, skeletal) to a stimulus

Epistemology and the Types of Stimuli

Perceived = Pragmatist (Ain't nothin til I call em) Proximal = Idealist (Call em as I see em)

Distal = Realist (Call em as they are)

Perception: Attaching Meaning to Sensory Stimuli

5 Sensation versus Perception Sensation: Physical energy acting on a sense organ (e.g., skin pressure, auditory tones) Perception: Interpretation (meaning) of sensory input (e.g., identifying object by touch, hear melody from separate notes) 5 Perception and the real world Stimulus filtering (e.g., electromagnetic spectrum) Selective perception Illusions Hallucinations Five perceptual (not sensory) systems Haptic (exploratory) Auditory Savory (gustatory and olfactory) Orientation Visual

Nervous System
Central Nervous System (CNS) Brain Spinal Cord Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) Somatic (voluntary) Autonomic (involuntary)  Sympathetic (stress)  Parasympathetic (peace)
CNS

PNS SOMA.

BRAIN SPINE AUTO.

PARA.

SYMP.

Common Types of Responses/Behaviors

5 Involuntary Responses: Mediated by the autonomic nervous system Reflex: Automatic reaction to a specific stimulus (e.g., knee jerk, sneeze, sucking, salivation, startle)  Sensitization: Enhanced sensitivity to other stimuli (e.g., pseudo-conditioning)  Habituation: Reduced sensitivity through repeated stimulation Fixed Action Pattern: Series of interrelated responses (instincts) produced by a releaser stimulus  Bird Migration  Web spinning  Maternal instinct (animal versus human)  Courtship and mating (animal versus human) Inherited Behavior Traits: General inherited response tendencies produced by a variety of stimuli (e.g., aggression, hyperactivity, sexual orientation, depression, extroversion) Voluntary Responses: Mediated by the somatic nervous system (e.g., bodily orientation, approach, avoidance, cooperation)

Stimulus and Response Mediated by Brain, Mind, and Emotion

Brain Physiology (e.g., neurons firing, autonomic arousal)

S
(e.g., violent video games)

Cognitive Mental Process (e.g., violent thoughts)

R
(e.g., aggressive behavior

Emotional Reaction (e.g., anger, frustration)

Cognitive versus Behavioral Approaches to Learning

Behavioral: What we do Association between stimuli and responses Study observable behavior  Radical Behaviorism: Ignore conscious experience and internal processes  Methodological Behaviorism: Infer internal events from behavior (e.g., attention, implicit attitudes, dreams) Cognitive: What we know Mind versus Brain (software versus hardware) Mental Processes: Conscious and unconscious internal operations (e.g., feelings, thoughts, imagination, knowledge) Issues Do animals have minds? Can they learn language? Can computers have minds? Can they think? What is consciousness?

Behavioral versus Cognitive Learning: Learning what to do (behavior) versus learning where to go (cognition)

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