What is Learning?
Lesson 1
Psychology
Scientific study of behavior and cognitive
processes
 Behavior
 Text: What you do
 any event that can be objectively
measured
 Cognitive processes
 mental processes that control behavior ~

Behavior
Adaptive Behavior
 Helps us to survive in
changing environment
 Origins of behavior
 Inherited

genes

Learned
experience
~
Surviving in an Uncertain World
Detect changes in environment
 Integrate important information
 Respond adaptively ~

Learning Mechanisms Inherited
Survival value
 Behavior results from neural activity
 Adjust behaviors to changing
environment
 neural activity & structure changes
 relatively permanent ~

Definition of Learning
A relatively permanent change
in the ability to exhibit a behavior
resulting from prior experience
with specific environmental events or
similar events
 Can be an  or  in behavior
 Event learning
 How to respond to events
 Relationships / associations ~

Excluded Changes in Behavior
Reflexes
 Temporary changes in physiological
state
 Maturation ~

Learning vs. Performance



Performance: Organism’s activities at
particular time
Learning  ability to exhibit behavior
Inferred by performance
successful
performance
unsuccessful
performance
learning
no learning?
Not
necessarily
Learning vs. Performance

Determinants of performance
 learning
 motivation
 physical abilities
 sensory abilities
 opportunity ~
Terminology
Adaptive/Maladaptive
 Stimulus
 Response
 Stimuli & Responses
 Behaviors
 Emotions
 Thoughts
 Overt/covert ~

Learning is adaptive
Survival value
 Behavior results from neural activity
 Adjust behaviors to changing
environment
 neural activity & structure changes
 relatively permanent ~

Learning
Usually adaptive
 It benefits the individual
 Can be maladaptive
 Harmful to individual ~
