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Summary Notes on Learning
Summary notes on chapter 7
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Chapter 7 – Learning: the role of experienceWe learn through experiences, what we see, what we hear and the influence this obtained
knowledge has on us. Someone in a car crash would have an irrational fear of cars, people who
watch violent shows may continue the behaviour in real life etc.
Learning is a process of obtaining knowledge and ideas, through perception, communicating and
analysing/interpreting things around them, which in turn affects their behaviour, due to the adaptive
changes opening up new paths. Didactic approaches are more imperative and get across a more
mandatory message that students follow to attain information, Socratic is more engaging with
questions and answers and an important approach/method is pedagogy, which encourages a
positive relationship between a teacher and student, where they produce work and learn together
Having to eat something is more of a drive reduction idea, rather than learning to eat, as it is part of
our instincts rather than a concept we have to pick up on through hearing someone speak about an
anecdote; the behavioural act performed is the performance of someone, but the acquisition of the
behaviour and the concept behind the behaviour is learning
Adapting to the environment
Learning is specific to certain species, like humans ordering food and lions roar. The behaviour of
ordering food is learnt, but actually getting hungry is an evolutionary trait that lets us know we need
food. All environments are different, thus the behaviours learnt are different
Events that are important for survival – each species learns, due to instinct and evolution,
which events dictate their survival in an environment (knowing to put a coat on in the cold)
Stimuli that signals an event is going to happen, so maybe a siren for a tornado
Will the response create a positive or negative consequence
Habituation: Decrease in the strength of a response to a repeated stimulus; usually with auditory
signals, where the loud sounds that once irritated us now have less effect or when people who used
to be annoying to someone are now not as annoying due to being around them for so long
Sensitisation: Increase in the strength of a response to a repeated stimulus; PTSD sufferers react
horribly to gunshot like sounds almost every time and if someone hears a loud noise and gets
startled, he will be even more startled when he gets shocked, as not only are auditory systems
disturbed, but physical sensations also enhance the response
Less arousal, habituation wins, more arousal, sensitisation wins; they both happen at the same time.
Habituation is important as it ensures we do not get overwhelmed and constantly react to a
repeated stimuli, this unresponsive state helping to conserve energy. Something that helps us learn
or aids with survival must ignite a response, to which we become sensitised
Habituation –
Response to
stress decreases
the more it is
experienced
, Classical/Pavlovian conditioning: Associate a stimuli with another, to elicit a response. So an
unconditioned stimuli is a random stimulus, the unconditioned response is the unlearned behaviour
that we go through with due to associating this new stimuli with another, that would usually have
the same response, so when dogs smell food, they get hungry, but the bell ringing also makes them
hungry as hearing the bell is associated with getting food (Pavlov, 1928)
It can be linked to mental conditions, as people may relate a trauma object to a traumatic event ad
then respond with intense fear for example
Basic Principles
The food is an unconditioned stimulus, as it causes the dog to react naturally without
thinking or learning, as it is in their nature to salivate automatically
The unconditioned response is this automatic salivation reaction, since the dog does not
think, he just simply gets hungry and his mouth waters
A sound can often be used to associate with the food, in this case a tuning fork, which is a
conditioned stimuli, as the dog is taught that when he hears the bell, we will be bought food,
thus he starts to salivate even when hearing the bell on its own
This coordinates the conditioned response, as without being taught through the bell and
food process, the dog would not salivate when hearing the ding
The process must be repeated to strengthen to power of the conditioned stimulus and to reassure
the dog he gets his food when the bell sounds
Extinction: When the subject stops associating the conditioned stimuli with the unconditioned
stimuli, as the pairing fades over time, since the conditioned stimulus is presented in the absence of
the unconditioned stimulus
If people with PTSD more often associated their conditioned and unconditioned stimuli, then
extinction would be possible, however they refrain from going near what they fear, thus they cannot
actually understand what the lack of association would do. One would need trials to associate
regularly, to then be able to diminish the fear
Spontaneous recovery: Sudden reappearance of a conditioned response, even without new learning
trials. Tends to be anomalous, but can still happen. Implies that we do not unlearn behaviours, but
rather inhibit them in order to not waste energy on responding
Timing: The conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus must occur close together, or else
the strength of the response won’t be as high. This means the responses and stimulus have a
temporal relationship, where the outcome of the response happens at a stronger rate if the
conditioned and unconditioned stimuli happen within a shorter range
Generalisation and discrimination
Generalisation: People would fear a conditioned stimulus similar to the stimulus they fear, so even
though the car crash car is destroyed, cars still scare those who had an accident. Rustling sounds in
bushes pose threat to an animal’s survival, so if they heard the same rustling, even if not the same,
they must act, or else they could be attacked again even if the sound is different. Maladaptive
thoughts prevent people from confronting what they are anxious of, resulting in retaliation and
aggression if they were told to face their fears
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