Psych 110

Front 1

In what ways do humans and other animals adapt to changing environments? (2 possibilities)

Back 1

1. They can change their behavior
2. They can change the cognitive processes that give rise to behavior

Front 2

Behavioral definition of learning

Back 2

Learning is an enduring (continuing) change in behavior

Front 3

Cognitive definition of learning

Back 3

Learning is the formation of a novel mental structure ( that is only INDIRECTLY manifest in behavior)

Front 4

Interpretation of Behavioral vs. Cognitive definitions of learning

Back 4

Interpretation of Behavioral definition- leaning is an individual and highly specific adaptation to a specific environmental constraint.
In Contrast, the cognitive definition implies that learning is a general adaptation that is conserved across these sorts of constraints both within and between species. (i.e., the ability to earn to avoid predation and to find food are both the product of the evolution of the capacity to engage in predictive learning and so are indicative of general learning processes.

Front 5

What selection pressures could have generated a common learning process?

Back 5

As fish have evolved a similar body shape to move efficiently in water and birds to move efficiently in air, a common learning process could have evolved in all species because the physical laws that constrain the environment are the same for all species:

A critical constraint that could have produced a common learning mechanism is the structure of causal relations which are the same for all species in all niches and are constrained by physics not biology:
At a bare minimum:

- effects never occur without a cause

- effects never occur before the cause

Front 6

causal relations in regards to selective pressure

Back 6

1. Causal relations are neither arbitrary, accidental, or indiscriminate.

2. Events do not stand in causal relations because of an animal’s biology, but because of environmental constraints.

3. Sensitivity to these relations is critical for survival and reproductive fitness.


Therefore…
… selection pressures ensured that animals developed a general learning mechanism sensitive to the causal texture of the specific environment to which their biology was specifically tuned to respond.

Front 7

Descartes began to change this notion

Back 7

- Dualism: Reflex (involuntary) and Intent (voluntary).
- Humans still a privileged bunch.

Front 8

Darwin blew the door off the notion of qualitative differences between humans and animals.
- The evolution of mind.

Back 8

Animal Models of Human Behavior

Front 9

Elicited Behavior and Nonassociative Learning
Types of Reflexes

Back 9

Patellar reflex

Pupillary reflex

Withdrawal/Flexion Reflex

Head turning reflex in infants

Respiratory occlusion reflex