Behavioural and Cognitive Approaches to Learning Comparison

Behavioural and Cognitive Approaches to Learning Comparison Compare and contrast two perspectives in psychology and the ways in which they study learning. The two perspectives chosen to be compared in this essay were the behavioural approach to learning and the cognitive approach. The behavioural approach to learning involves the observation of identifiable behavioural characteristics and rejects anything to do with thought processes or consciousness as it regards these features unrecognisable (Miell et al, 2002). Contrastingly, the cognitive approach focuses entirely upon thought processes and the faculties associated with the conceptual mind to understand the concept learning. In this assignment we will look at the ways in which these two fields have provided support for the concept of learning, whilst appreciating the similarities and differences of either approach. The behavioural perspective was established by Watson. Concerned with the principles of objective scientific research, Watson rejected the notion of internal psychological mechanics as he believed that this could not be empirically measured (Miell et al, 2002). All Watson was interested in was observable external phenomena, which meant behaviour. The emphasis that Watson and behaviourism put on the concept of learning was that of the association made by the organism to its external environment. This places the individual as a learning vessel reacting to the environment. However, the extent and nature of this relationship has been argued across the field of behaviourist research. A fundamental distinction between the two approaches to learning within the field of behaviourism is within the notion of conditioning classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Research into classical conditioning was defined in principle by physiologist Pavlov (Miell et al, 2002). Pavlov observed tha t in relation to certain stimuli dog’s behaviour could be conditioned through association. Using the dogs’ biological response to hunger, Pavlov revealed in his experiments the basic principle relationship between an observable stimulus and its learned response as an outcome. His work indicated that a dogs’ natural reflex to hunger could be conditioned through the contrived association of a manipulated neutral stimulus. Essentially, he showed that pairing the noise of a bell with the introduction of food the dog would salivate eventually learning through association that the bell signified food. This response was labelled the conditional response and the bell was labelled the conditional stimulus. In classical conditioning, we can see that learning is defined as a modification of behaviour caused by association and manipulation of environmental stimuli. However, the extent of intelligence involved in this form of learning is very limited. The second distinction in the behavioural approach is operant conditioning. Research conducted by Skinner gave insight into the notion of developmental or figurative learning in the form of reward and positive regard (Skinner, 1948/1990). This approach assumed that animals were primarily interactive within the role of learning behaviours. Given a variety of different consequences for each potential behaviour, it was believed that animals could decide what behaviour was best to adopt in any particular environment as it had learned and could apply through relevant schemas. In Skinner’s experiment, he used rats and manipulated their environment through reinforcement to see to what extent their behaviour could be shaped through conditioned learning (Skinner, 1948/1990). Essentially, the rats in this experiment changed their behaviours through positive reinforcement, which provided evidence of learning. From these findings the role of discrimination between stimuli was believed to be understood in the form of shaping. What had been established in both forms of behavioural models is that learning could be shaped through the manipulation of specific stimuli in any environment. However, what underlines these behavioural models of learning is the idea that learning is no more than a response to certain stimuli under manipulative environmental conditioning. This is where we can see a significant difference between that of the behavioural approach and that of the cognitive. The cognitive approach addresses the human capacity to categorise, generalise and conceptualise certain phenomena (Miell, 2002). Primarily concerned with the functioning of the mind within learning with the mind this approach, concerns itself primarily with notions such as memory, perception and categorisation (Miell, 2002). Interested in the role of perception and memory within the role of category learning, the psychologist Bruner et al, devised a test to see how we constructed categories. Unlike conditioning, Bruner suggested that this was an engaging intelligent procedure performed by way of hypothesis testing stages of acceptance and rejection based upon trial (Bruner et al, 1956). A variety of shapes were used in a variety of conditions. Some of these shared the same number of shapes, some the same colour of shape and others the same number of borders. No two varieties were identical. From the results of this experiment, Bruner et al surmised that there were two forms of learn ing that had been present. Firstly, successive scanning, which entertained one hypothesis at a time and secondly, conservative scanning, which sought to eliminate classes of hypotheses such as border, number of shapes, colour (Bruner et al, 1956). Unlike the behavioural approach, we can see from these experiments that an attempt is being made to understand the operation of the intelligent mind with regards to learning through categorisation. However, categorisation as a learning process is not accepted by everyone in the field of cognitive psychology. Although much of the research that had gone to indicate that attributes revealed that a prior knowledge or experience was active and influential in category learning (Kaplan Murphy, 2000), many argue that the categories are innate (Fodor Chomsky, 1980). This argument does strengthen the behavioural notion that the conceptual structure of the mind is open to interpretation, and so cannot be as valuable as the observable findings of th e behaviourist approach. In each approach we have seen an emphasis on the nature of learning. We have seen that this emphasis on learning is different in each approach. One approach is essentially concerned with the extent to which behaviour can be shaped by the environment and how this relationship can be observed through association and shaping. Whilst the other approach seems to be only concerned with how the environment is categorised by the organism and how it subsequently applies that to a concept of structural framework. However, both agree on the fundamental principle that learning is done in conjunction with the environment. Bibliography Bruner, J, S., Goodnow, J, J., and Austin, G, A., (1956) A Study of Thinking New York: John Wiley and Sons. Chomsky, N., and Fodor, J, A., (1980) Statement of the Paradox, in Piatelli Palmarini, M. (ed.). Miell, D., Phoenix, A. and Thomas, K. (2002) Mapping Psychology 1. Milton Keynes, Open University. Kaplan, A, S., and Murphy, G, L., (2000) Category Learning with Minimal Prior Knowledge, Journal of Experimental Psychology, 26, 4, 829-846. Skinner, B, F., (1946/1990) Walden Two London: Collier Macmillan.

U.s. Scourge Spreads South Of The Border :: essays research papers fc

U.S. SCOURGE SPREADS SOUTH OF THE BORDER   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a recent newspaper article written in the San Diego Union Tribune called â€Å"U.S. Scourge Spreads South.† A very disturbing fact was opening drug doors just south of our own community, which is why I chose to do an in depth study of the easiness of drug purchase in our southern neighbor. It's not new news but a overwhelming growth in the usage of drugs, especially Rohypnol.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Mexican border town called Tijuana across from San Diego, California, once was a famous as a playground for drunken sailors and college students. Today, authorities on both sides of the border warn, it has turned into a gangland run by a growing number of ruthless cartels that sell drugs. It is no longer just marijuana (pot), but a growing problem with other types of drugs like Heroin, Crystal Methamphetamine, and Cocaine.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I recently visited the neighbor city of Tijuana and rode in a Tijuana taxi and was immediately met with a taxi driver named Jose, a Tijuana taxi driver in an open-necked, baby blue silk shirt, he sizes up the tourists trudging off the footbridge from the United States. â€Å"Taxi, sir? You want pharmacy? I get you a good pharmacy,† he urges, stepping from a line of beckoning taxi drivers in big belts and straw cowboy hats. â€Å"Good prices! No prescriptions!† Do I look like I want drugs?! I didn't even solicit the business. I almost felt weird because this is exactly what I was planning to do my paper on. Soon he is nosing his long yellow Oldsmobile through scruffy streets choked with pharmacies. I asked for Somas-a drug that gives the user a feeling of drunkenness without all the liquor, and illegal in the United States. In less than 45 minutes I was able to purchase the drug right over the counter. Of course, I didn't actually purchase the drug, but kindly told the pharmacy that his price was too high.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This just goes to show you how easy it was to get an illegal drug just 30 minutes from SDSU. And instead of being sold by gun-toting drug traffickers, it is available in much of Latin America with a doctor's prescription--often easily obtained. It appears to be crossing the U.S. border via booming pharmacies in cities such as Tijuana.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sudden popularity of the drug (Somas) has returned the spotlight to Mexico's border drugstores, which for years have done a thriving business with Americans but have recently exploded in number with the Tijuana residents. â€Å" Tijuana residents are nearly twice as likely to have used an illegal drug as

How Reading As A Young Child Encouraged Essay

When I was a young boy, while my other friends were busy playing ball, riding bicycles, playing games and doing other forms of leisure, I was always listening to my mother as she read comic books to my ears. My mother would always read the interesting comic books to my attentive ears; I would sit with my mother on the sofa as she read the comic books to my ears. I grew up from listening to my mother to reading the comic books on my own. My mother always bought me several books to read every week, as soon as I finished reading one book there was always another book to be read. I developed interest in several comic books, ranging from Iron Man, Spiderman and the likes. I inculcated the habit of reading right from a very tender age. My early reading habit really helped me in life as I developed an undying love for reading and improved greatly on my writing. While growing, I developed from reading comic books to reading more voluminous books, newspaper articles, magazines, novels etc. Books were packed in the shelves of our house. My friends always called our house a library. Reading was always the only option to kill boredom. My flare for reading encouraged me to get involved in writing as I discovered that the more I read the better I wrote. I could relate what I read in several books and combine them into writing something better. My reading habit really boosted my diction and I learnt new words each day I picked up a book to read. I learnt the rules of language, my grammar was greatly improved. Over the years I garnered a lot of experience from reading both fictional and true life stories. I applied some of the knowledge acquired from reading these books to various aspects of my life. Reading lots of books gave me a hint on the ways writers wrote, the style of language used and how best to communicate to a particular audience. I am a testimony of the quote that says that â€Å"A good reader is a good writer†. The more I read, the more I improved on my reading speed and grasped new ideas on how to write. Reading frequently made me a better reader and a good writer. I developed from reading for fun to reading for the acquisition of knowledge. Books like; the Richest man in Babylon, Thinking Big, the tale of two cities and many others were already in the long list of books that I have read . My whole life was affected positively by my reading habit as I read several motivational books that have been spurring me to achieve greatness in life. Through writing I could now transfer my thoughts and imaginations into a book or piece of article. The knowledge that I have acquired over time is what has made me the better person I am today. As I now read more, write better, have better grammar and have become a better man. The saying that you are what you read and you are an expression of what you write is definitely true as I have noticed tremendous changes in my life as a result of the past books I have read. I will have to thank my mother for imbibing the culture of reading in me; if not for her I would not have been a good writer and would definitely not be what I have been fashioned out to be today.

Final Project It 284 Handling Difficult Customers Essay

Final Project IT 284 Handling Difficult Customers Handling Difficult Customers Vutha Dingman Axia College of University of Phoenix May 9, 2010 IT 284 Consumers are customers that are buyer’s influenced by their children, spouse, and other household members. Each consumer make decisions for certain products or the household may make the decisions together. Customer support really has to cater to wants and needs of the long time customers. Their loyalty can be forgiving if there is a mistake or they may be more likely to complain. Listed are some of the reasons why customers become difficult when communicating technical problems. 1. Wanting a live operator but ending up in an automated telephone loop. 2.†¦show more content†¦If the customer senses that they are communicating with someone who is incapable, it will create another reason to be frustrated or angry. If you don’t have the power to solve the issue or answer the question, tell the customer that you own the problem. Let them know that you will apply your personal effort to find a solution, even if you need to ask someone else. Sounding bored or disinterest is absolutely preventable! Have your environment arranged in a way so that the telephone conversations are customer oriented, convenient, and efficient. Reduce distractions by tuning out office noise, have paper and pencil handy to take notes when necessary. Be prepared to answer the telephone by having it within easy reach, no more than an arm’s length away. Customer callers do not hear the first two words of the conversation so when answering the phone use buffer words. You can say something like, â€Å"Thank you for calling . . . ,† or â€Å"Good (morning or afternoon) this is. . .† Don’t just say â€Å"hello† and then wait for customers to answer. Self-control When you respond with hostility, or lose your self-control, you are contributing to the escalation of the situation. 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