Class notes
Intro to psychology Part 1: Learning
- Course
- Institution
This is a summary of lecture series about learning, which covers the way in which humans learn behaviours
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
rachel64
Content preview
LEARNING LECTURE 1:Behaviourist theories:
- John B. Watson, Edward Thorndike, B.F. Skinner- they were critical of
frued
- Emphasis on NB of the scientific method
- Belief that only observable behaviours can be scientifically investigated
( not emotions, motivations, and thoughts as these are subjective)
- Early experiments mostly in labs with animals and children –
questionable because what you see in a lab isn’t necessarily what you
will see in real life
Watson: classical conditioning
- Behaviourism doesn’t take religions, moral and free will into account. –
believe you can condition a person to do anything, but
- Want to treat research as if it was chemistry or physics- but people are
more complex than that
, - Good evidence base to support behaviourist theories
- Theories also criticised for being deterministic (I can determine what you
do, you have no free will), reductionistic (people are complex,
behaviourist simplify this) , too dependent on external observations
while ignoring internal processes and social factors.
What is learning?
Learning is a relatively permanent or enduring change in behaviour or
knowledge that results from previous experience with certain stimuli or
responses
- Learning allows us to adapt to our environment
- Learning influences how we perceive the environment and interpret
stimuli
- Learning results in physical change in the brain
- However, not all behaviour change is the result of learning e.g. illness,
fatigue, developmental stage.
Categories of Behaviours:
Reflexes:
- Involuntary responses to stimuli
- Fast, reliable responses controlled by the CNS
- E.g. sneeze, fight/flight response, laughing, eye blink
Instincts:
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller rachel64. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.39. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
79271 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now