1. Describe the major principles in classical and operant conditioning. What are

Question

1. Describe the major principles in classical and operant conditioning. What are the similarities and differences between the two? 2. Describe the three systems of memory and explain how they are connected to the notion of learning. 3. Explain three of the five theories of forgetting. Which of these three theories do you find the most compelling? Why? 4. Explain the connection between “thinking” and language. 5. Describe Noam Chomsky’s theory of language acquisition. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Explanation / Answer

1.Classical conditioning is a learning process first discovered by the Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov in the early 1900s.The theory of Classical Conditioning deals with the learning process leading us to gain a new behavior via the process of association.Internal mental thoughts and brain mechanisms play a huge role in associative learning.Classical Conditioning works by pairing involuntary response with stimulus. After which, unconditioned response becomes conditioned response.Pavlov’s dog experiment is a base for the establishment of classical conditioning theory and its concepts. In classical conditioning, generalization is defined as the process in which a stimulus similar to the original CS produces similar behavior identical to the CR.The process in which an organism learns to difference between different stimuli in order to restrict their response to one stimulus in particular is known as Stimulus Discrimination Extinction is the decrease in the conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus is no longer presented with the conditioned stimulus. When presented with the conditioned stimulus alone, the individual would show a weaker and weaker response, and finally no response. In classical-conditioning terms, there is a gradual weakening and disappearance of the conditioned response. Related to this, spontaneous recovery refers to the return of a previously extinguished conditioned response following a rest period. Operant Conditioning is the term coined by B.F. Skinner in 1938.Operant conditioning is a form of learning which explains the relation of behaviors on certain rewards and consequences.The study of the theory only deals with expressible behaviors and not any internal mental thoughts and brain mechanisms.Operant Conditioning works by applying two major concepts, Reinforcements and Punishments, after the behavior is executed, which causes the rate of behavior to increase or decrease.Skinner’s Skinner box experiment with a rat is the base for operant conditioning theory and its concepts.The main principle comprises changing environmental events that are related to a person's behavior. For example, the reinforcement of desired behaviors and ignoring or punishing undesired ones. Classical and operant conditioning are both similar because they involve making association between behaviour and events in an organism’s environment and are governed by several general laws of association - for example, it is easier to associate stimuli that are similar to each other and that occur at similar times. The major similarity lies in its application. Both these conditioning learning techniques are used to teach a new behavior to an organism. Despite different techniques, the major goal remains the same. Although a basic feature of operant conditioning is reinforcement, classical conditioning relies more on association between stimuli and responses. A second distinction is that much of operant conditioning is based on voluntary behavior, while classical conditioning often involves involuntary reflexive behavior. For operant conditioning to work, the subject must first display a behavior which can then be either rewarded or punished. Classical conditioning, on the other hand, involves forming an association with some sort of already naturally occurring event. 2.Sensory memory stores incoming sensory information in detail but only for an instant. The capacity of sensory memory is very large, but the information in it is unprocessed. If a flashlight moves quickly in a circle inside a dark room, people will see a circle of light rather than the individual points through which the flashlight moved. This happens because sensory memory holds the successive images of the moving flashlight long enough for the brain to see a circle. Visual sensory memory is called iconic memory; auditory sensory memory is called echoic memory. Some of the information in sensory memory transfers to short-term memory, which can hold information for approximately twenty seconds. Rehearsing can help keep information in short-term memory longer. When people repeat a new phone number over and over to themselves, they are rehearsing it and keeping it in short-term memory. Short-term memory has a limited capacity: it can store about seven pieces of information, plus or minus two pieces. These pieces of information can be small, such as individual numbers or letters, or larger, such as familiar strings of numbers, words, or sentences. A method called chunking can help to increase the capacity of short-term memory. Chunking combines small bits of information into bigger, familiar pieces. Information can be transferred from short-term memory to long-term memory and from long-term memory back to short-term memory. Long-term memory has an almost infinite capacity, and information in long-term memory usually stays there for the duration of a person’s life. Without learning and memory together, it would become incredibly hard to function on a day to day basis. For example, we would not recognize our family, home, or place of work. We might also forget how to do a simple thing like tie our own shoe. In the memory process, we encode information, store it for later use, and then retrieve it for future reference. Both learning and memory are influenced by experiences and other factors including environment, cognitive skills, culture, biological state, and social development During the encoding stage, information is sent to the brain, where it is dissected into its most significant composing elements. An ensemble of brain cells processes incoming stimuli and translates that information into a specialized neural code. In the storage phase of memory formation, the brain must retain encoded data over extended periods of time. Retrieval constitutes the right of entry into the infinite world of stored information, where we bring old information out of permanent memory back into working memory, which can be mentally manipulated for usage. Due to time constraints,only some questions could be answered,the remaining can be asked as another question,they will be answered,thankyou for your cooperation

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse 1
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.