Brainy Beginnings
Define learning and explain what “relatively permanent” means
Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavioral potential due to experience; “relatively permanent” excludes temporary states.
What are empiricism and rationalism?
Empiricism = sensory experience; Rationalism = logical reasoning; both guide science
Who said “tabula rasa”?
John Locke
What was Thorndike studying in his puzzle boxes?
Cats learning by trial and error in puzzle boxes
What’s an operant?
Operant = emitted behavior selected by consequences
What distinguishes learning from performance?
Learning = capability; performance = occurrence of behavior.
What does falsifiability mean?
Falsifiability = ability for a theory to be disproved
What are Aristotle’s three main laws of association?
Similarity, contrast, contiguity (frequency).
Define Law of Effect.
Satisfying outcomes strengthen S–R bonds; annoying ones weaken them
Distinguish positive from negative reinforcement.
Positive adds appetitive; negative removes aversive (both increase behavior).
Give one example of something that looks like learning but isn’t.
Fatigue, drugs, illness, maturation.
What’s an independent variable?
Independent variable = manipulated factor in an experiment.
What is hedonism in behavior?
Behavior driven by pleasure/pain (Hobbes)
Define Law of Readiness.
Acting when ready is satisfying; blocked action is frustrating
What is extinction?
Extinction = remove reinforcement; behavior decreases.
Define habituation vs. sensitization
Habituation: decreased responding; Sensitization: increased responsiveness.
Define heuristic function of a theory.
Heuristic function = generates hypotheses
Explain Descartes’ reflex theory.
Reflex is mechanistic; mind-body dualism (Descartes)
What is belongingness?
Belongingness = connections form better when stimuli naturally fit.
Name one reinforcement schedule and describe its pattern.
FR = break/run; VR = high steady; FI = scallop; VI = steady moderate.
What makes reinforcement different from reward?
Reinforcement increases behavior probability; reward may not; behavior—not person—is reinforced.
What is a paradigm shift?
Paradigm shift = change in the dominant scientific framework (Kuhn)
How did Kant influence cognitive psychology?
Innate mental categories shaping perception (Kant)
How did Thorndike revise his laws later in life?
Abandoned Law of Exercise; punishment doesn’t reliably weaken responses.
What’s the Premack Principle?
Premack Principle = high-probability behaviors reinforce low-probability ones.