PSYC 356 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Reflex Arc, Contiguity, Neurology
Chapter 1
Lecture Overview:
● General learning definition
○ History
○ Modern viewpoints
● Formal Learning Definition
○ Considerations
○ Causal mechanisms
General Definition for Learning
● Learning- a biological process that facilitates adaptations to one’s environment
○ Basic physiological functions (ie. breathing, digestion) are accomplished without
much environmental interaction
○ Adaptive functions (ie. predator evasion, finding food, mating) require behavior
adjustments over time
● Learning can be:
○ 1. The acquisition of new behaviors…. Examples?
○ 2. A change in frequency of previous behaviors… Example?
History of Learning
● Learning theory is rooted in philosophy
● Rene Descartes (1596-1650):
○ Pre- descartes, all human behavior was considered FREE WILL
○ Descartes observed many behaviors seemed Involuntary
○ Unable to abandon Free Will, he maintained some behaviors were VOluntary
○ Thus, dualism
●Reflex: involuntary behaviors that consist of automatic reactions to external stimuli
● Thus, the sensory input is “reflected” in the response
● Descartes suggested most behavior consists of mental
reflexes
(fig)
Descartes’ reflex arc: most behaviors consist of automatic mental reactions that “reflect” sensory
input
Involuntary human and all animal behaviors—-> reflexes
Voluntary human behaviors—-> Free Will (Nativism)
The Rise of Empiricism (17th Century)
● John Locke (1623-1704)
○ Took umbrage with the concept of “Free Will”
○ Believed all ideas were acquired through experience after birth (Tabula Rasa
-
clean slate)
● Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679):
○ Accepted Voluntary vs Involuntary, but believed that the mind operated
predictably
○ Hedonism- the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain
Document Summary
Learning - a biological process that facilitates adaptations to one"s environment. Basic physiological functions (ie. breathing, digestion) are accomplished without. Adaptive functions (ie. predator evasion, finding food, mating) require behavior much environmental interaction adjustments over time. Pre- descartes, all human behavior was considered free will. Unable to abandon free will, he maintained some behaviors were voluntary. Reflex : involuntary behaviors that consist of automatic reactions to external stimuli. Thus, the sensory input is reflected in the response. Descartes suggested most behavior consists of mental reflexes (fig) Descartes" reflex arc: most behaviors consist of automatic mental reactions that reflect sensory input. Took umbrage with the concept of free will . Believed all ideas were acquired through experience after birth ( tabula rasa - clean slate) Accepted voluntary vs involuntary, but believed that the mind operated predictably. Hedonism - the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. Empiricists believed all ideas originate from sense experiences.
