1. 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
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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
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3. 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.
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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.”
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5. 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)

6. 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.
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7. Examples of Cognitive Maps
Giving directions
Walking through your house in the dark

9. 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

10. Observational Learning
Accounts for such things as the rapid spread of clothing fashions and slang expressions
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11. 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.
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12. The Bobo Experiment Video
Watch the video Albert Bandura Bobo Doll experiment On Youtube

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

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

15. Reinforcement changes expectations and behavior
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
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16. 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.