Learning Theory
school of thought that concentrates on observable behaviors and NOT mental processes
behaviorism
memories that we remember the most
emotional memories
process of acquiring information and learning it for the 1st time
encording
studies the mental processes involved in perception, attention, memory, language, reasoning, and problem-solving
cognitive psychology
the process of using mental representations to process information, solve problems, and understand the world around us
thinking
learning process where the subject learns to associate 1 stimulus with another
classical conditioning
a relatively permanent type of memory that stores huge amounts of info for a long time
long-term memory
the temporary storage of information in the brain for a brief period (seconds-minutes)
short-term memory
The inability of someone to realize that they can use a wrench to drive a nail into a piece of wood and not just a hammer
functional fixedness
the ability to assess things rationally by applying logic based on new or existing information when making a decision or solving a problem
reasoning
learning process where the subject's behaviors are influenced by the consequences that follow them
operant conditioning
temporarily store and manipulate information while performing complex tasks
working memory
recalling important facts for an exam
explicit memory
claiming you knew a certain sports team would win a game after they've already won, even though you weren't confident in their victory before the game started
hindsight bias
people overestimate the risk of shark attacks because they see frequent news stories about them
availability heuristic
a dog may respond to a bell or flute in the same way it has been trained to answer to a whistle
generalization
remembering how to brush your teeth
implicit memory
when you try to remember a phone number by repeating it silently to yourself over and over until you can write it down
phonological loop
Being able to quickly address and fix a broken appliance at home
practical intelligence
Successfully navigating complex logic puzzles or brainteasers that require systematic reasoning
analytical intelligence
a child having to complete 5 chores before they are allowed TV time
fixed ratio schedule
When you are following a recipe while cooking, you need to switch between reading the instructions, measuring ingredients, and actively monitoring the food on the stove. (What are you using?)
central executive
mentally picturing the layout of your house and being able to recall where specific items are located
visuo-spatial sketchpad
If stress leads to decreased cognitive performance, and a person is experiencing high levels of stress, then that person should demonstrate lower scores on a cognitive test
deductive reasoning
A therapist observes that several clients who experienced childhood trauma exhibit anxiety symptoms in adulthood; therefore, they conclude that a history of childhood trauma may be a contributing factor to anxiety disorders in general
inductive reasoning