How Does Cognitive Psychology Explain Learning According to

How Does Cognitive Psychology Explain Learning? According to cognitive psychology, some forms of learning must be explained as changes in mental processes, rather than as changes in behavior alone Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

How Does Cognitive Psychology Explain Learning? • Insight Learning – Problem solving occurs by means of a sudden reorganization of perceptions. . suddenly perceiving familiar objects in new forms or relationships • Cognitive Maps – A mental representation of physical space Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Wolfgang Köhler and Insight Learning • Example: chimp stacks crates to reach food • This is a form of cognitive learning • Behaviorism has no convincing stimulus-response explanation for Kohler’s demonstration. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

• Köhler observed the manner in which chimpanzees solve problems, such as that of retrieving bananas when positioned out of reach. • He found that they stacked wooden crates to use as makeshift ladders, in order to retrieve the food. • Köhler concluded that the chimps had not arrived at these methods through trial-and -error (which Thorndike had claimed to be the basis of all animal learning, through his law of effect) • Rather they had experienced an insight (also known as an “aha experience”), in which, having realized the answer, they then proceeded to carry it out in a way that was “purposeful. ” Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Edward Tolman’s Cognitive Map • Organisms learn the spatial layout of their environments by exploration, even if they are not reinforced for exploring • (Evolutionary perspective: Animals forging for food)

Edward Tolman’s Cognitive Map • Argued that is was a cognitive map that accounted for a rat quickly selecting an alternative route in a maze when the preferred path was blocked • Challenged the work of Pavlov, Watson, and Skinner • Claimed learning was mental, not behavioral. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Examples of Cognitive Maps • Giving directions • Walking through your house in the dark

Observational Learning: Bandura’s Challenge to Behaviorism • A form of cognitive learning • We learn by watching others’ behavior and the consequences of their behavior • Albert Bandura: Proposed that rewards can be effective if we merely see someone else get them

Observational Learning • Accounts for such things as the rapid spread of clothing fashions and slang expressions Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Bandura’ Bobo Doll Experiment 1961 • Bandura found that the children exposed to the aggressive model were more likely to act in physically aggressive ways than those who were not exposed to the aggressive model. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

The Bobo Experiment Video Watch the video Albert Bandura Bobo Doll experiment On Youtube

Children See, Children Do Watch the video Children see. Children Do. on Youtube

Recent Cognitive Psychologists Findings Rescorla Kamin • Has shown that the most critical feature of a • Expanded on this concept and CS is its value in demonstrated that a predicting when the US CS - R connection only will occurs if the CS contains unique information about the UCS

Summary Reinforcement changes not only the behavior but also the individual’s expectations for future rewards and punishments in similar situations. Reinforcement changes expectations and behavior Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Are There Two Learning Circuits? ? • Simple ‘mindless’ learning, like learning to ride a bike • More complex learning that requires conscious processing: concept formation, insight learning, observational learning, memory of specific events.