PSYC 340 1st Edition Lecture 1Nature of Learning Discussed the syllabus and how to succeed in classI. Come to class! II. Make friends with someone with good notes!III. Study for the exams and read the textbook! IV. Check out Dr. Grau’s website: A. http://graulab.tamu.edu/Default.htmlV. Check out the Facebook page for our class! Nature of Learning – an Introduction I. Learning is an evolutionary advantageA. Allows you to adapt to your environment B.Learning makes the system more sophisticated II. Sometimes it is better to have an innate response rather than a learned oneA. Should organisms have to learn that boulders roll downhill, or should that just beinnate?1. Let it be innate! Otherwise you would have a lot of flat animals… Nature vs. Nurture – a Societal Debate I. “Nurturists” A. Everything is learnedB. Advocate for education changes 1. Start it early! This is a huge advantage C. “All men are created equal”1. Nurturistic response to nativist logic II. “Nativists” A. You are born with all you will ever need to know B. Advocate for: 1. Healthcare 2. Prisons 3. EugenicsC. But wasn’t this like the Holocaust? 1. Weed out the “weak?” These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Why do we study learning in simpler creatures? I. To understand an engine, you would take apart and try to understand your lawnmower first, not your dad’s expensive Lamborghini.A. It is easier to understand! Then we can continue on to look at how it works in more complex creatures like us! B. However, we have to make an assumption of biological continuity 1. Brains have to be similar 2. Means we have to make implicit assumptions that these simpler creatures experience pain, emotion,
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