Lecture 16

Learning 1

1. Learning
1. Definition
2. Reflex and Habit
3. Types of Learning
2. Classical Classical Conditioning
1. Procedure
2. Key Terms
3. Mechanics
4. Related Processes
3. Applications
1. Fear
2. Phobias
3. Aversions
4. Drug Tolerance Effects

Overview

Learning occurs when organisms display (relatively) permanent behavioral changes following experiences with environmental stimuli. Learning creates physical changes in the brain (which is why "Experiences influence brain structures and processes." is one of the psychology's three fundamental assumptions). The term, learning, commonly evokes thoughts of understanding, comprehension, and the grasping of knowledge, but this is not how psychologists use the term. In psychology, learning refers to an acquired behavior that has reflex-like qualities. This behavior is called a habit.

For many years, American psychology was ruled by a school of thought called Behaviorism. The behaviorists believed that principles of learning could explain a wide variety of human behavior, and that there was no need to invoke mental concepts like planning, thinking, or deciding.

Several different types of learning have been identified. One form, classical conditioning, was discovered by a Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov. Classical conditioning occurs when a previously neutral stimulus becomes capable of evoking a previously-reflexive response.

Specifics

• Define learning and identify four forms of learning.
• Understand the relation between reflex and habit, and know why I refer to a habit as an "acquired reflex."
• Understand the process of classical conditioning, and be able to identify the terms that describe the process.
• Know what the following terms mean, and why it's important to know what they mean: Forward conditioning, temporal delay, stimulus generalization, stimulus discrimination, extinction, spontaneous recovery, and secondary conditioning.