Learning and Memory

Learning
and
Memory
Learning
• Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior that is brought
about by experience.
• “relatively permanent” - refers to the fact that when people learn anything,
some part of their brain is physically changed to record what they’ve learned
Classical Conditioning
• A type of learning in which a neutral stimulus comes to bring about a
response after it is paired with a stimulus that naturally brings about
that response.
• Ivan Pavlov (Russian physiologist)
Elements of
Other Key concepts
• stimulus generalization
• the tendency to respond to a
stimulus that is only similar to the
original conditioned stimulus with
the conditioned response.
• stimulus discrimination
• the tendency to stop making a
generalized response to a stimulus
that is similar to the original
conditioned stimulus because the
similar stimulus is never paired
with the unconditioned stimulus.
Other Key concepts
• extinction
• the disappearance or weakening
of a learned response following
the removal or absence of the
unconditioned stimulus (in
classical conditioning) or the
removal of a reinforcer (in
operant conditioning)
• spontaneous recovery
• the reappearance of a learned
response after extinction has
occurred.
Operant Conditioning
• the learning of voluntary behavior through
the effects of pleasant and unpleasant
consequences to responses.
• Edward Thorndike
• law of effect - law stating that if an action is
followed by a pleasurable consequence, it will
tend to be repeated, and if followed by an
unpleasant consequence, it will tend not to be
repeated.
• B.F. Skinner
Lets Try…
• 1. Pedro’s father nags him to wash his car. Pedro hates being nagged,
so he washes the car so his father will stop nagging.
• 2. Napoleon learns that talking in a funny voice gets him lots of
attention from his classmates, so now he talks that way more often.
• 3. Allen is a server at a restaurant and always tries to smile and be
pleasant because that seems to lead to bigger tips.
• 4. An Li turns her report in to her teacher on the day it is due because
papers get marked down a letter grade for every day they are late.
Schedules of reinforcement
Observational Learning
• observational learning -
learning new behavior by
watching a model perform
that behavior
• Albert Bandura
• Social Learning Theory
Memory
• The process by which we encode, store, and retrieve information.
Memory
• Memory is built on three basic processes—encoding, storage, and
retrieval
Three-system approach to memory
Forgetting
typically within
1 second
Short
Sensory Long Term
Information Term
Memories Memory
Memory
Sight (iconic)
Sound (echoic)
Other sensory
memories
Forgetting
within 15 to
25 seconds
Short
Sensory Long Term
Information Term
Memories Memory
Memory
Repetitive rehearsal
(retains information in
short-term
memory
Forgetting
within 15 to
25 seconds
Short
Sensory Long Term
Information Term
Memories Memory
Memory
Repetitive rehearsal
(retains information in
short-term
memory
CHUNKS
• The specific amount of information that can be held in short-term
memory has been identified as seven items, or “chunks,” of
information, with variations up to plus or minus two chunks.
• A chunk is a grouping of information that can be stored in short-term
memory.
Like…. Your phone number.

• But a chunk also may consist of larger categories, such as words or
other meaningful units. For example, consider the following list of 21
letters:
PBSFOXCNNABCCBSMTVNBC
• Because the list of individual letters exceeds seven items, it is diffi cult
to recall the letters after one exposure. But suppose they were
presented as follows:
PBS FOX CNN ABC CBS MTV NBC

Rehearsal
• the repetition of information that has entered short-term memory.
• Elaborative rehearsal occurs when the information is considered and
organized in some fashion.
Relatively permanent
depending on the kind
and amount of
rehearsal done
Short
Sensory Long Term
Information Term
Memories Memory
Memory
Elaborative rehearsal
(moves information
into
long-term memory)
Biological Basis of Memory
Forgetting and
Memory Loss

Learning and Memory

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Learning

Like…. Your phone number.

PBS FOX CNN ABC CBS MTV NBC

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