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Fall 2011 Copyright 2011 PSYCHOLOGY 110 PROFESSOR MINOR SET 1 September 22 2011 II What is learning FUNDAMENTALS OF LEARNING BASIC CONCEPTS Prediction of behavior A Source of variance II Def of learning A Common sense B Scientific III Heuristics A Clark Hull B Neisser vs Garcia C Systems Analyses D Evolution IV Structure of Behavior A Reactions B Actions I Source of variance One example of this would be picking a trait and mapping it to find the distribution Like IQ A Common sense definition process of acquiring storing and utilizing knowledge To test this you would have to set up an experiment Step one for this could be manipulating the environment People didn t do that for a long time they would just sit around and think about how they think William James wrote a number of books on psychology even though he never did an experiment He had really good insights Edward Thorndike was his student He started experimental psychology in this country B Scientific Definition Thorndike and James came up with it Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of experience this is done through experience interactions with the environment Behavior is how we measure learning Non associative not learned Associative learning Experience Thorndike says we need to vary experience and study the changes in behavior He argues that there are only 3 FUNDAMENTAL TYPES OF EXPERIENCE Variance genes environment g e error GE on phenotype Associative Learned Nonassociative unlearned like aging effects How do you learn think of a problem then take naps The little man in your head homunculus tells us how to do things while we nap it s unconscious 1 Present you with a stimulus and record the behavior habituation and sensitization S 2 Present you with a sequence of stimuli classical Pavlovian conditioning S1 S2 3 Wait until you respond and then present a stimulus that relies on that response instrumental Thorndikian conditioning R S 2 CATEGORIES OF BEHAVIOR 1 Reactions innate