http://psych.fullerton.edu/navarick/

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http//psych.fullerton.edu/navarick/

• Doug Navarick
• Department of Psychology California State
  University, Fullerton

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Behavioral vs. Cognitive Views of Learning
These traditions in learning theory have existed
for decades. They give different answers to the
fundamental question, What is learned when
learning takes place?
Behaviorists say Specific actions
Cognitivists say Mental representations
For example, in a Skinner Box, a rat may
receive a food reward every time he presses the
bar. He presses faster and faster. What has he
learned?
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Behavioral vs. Cognitive Views of Learning
These traditions in learning theory have existed
for decades. They give different answers to the
fundamental question, What is learned when
learning takes place?
Behaviorists say to press the bar.
Cognitivists say
that pressing produces food.
For example, in a Skinner Box, a rat may
receive a food reward every time he presses the
bar. He presses faster and faster. What has he
learned?
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Behavioral vs. Cognitive Views of Learning
Behaviorism (learns to)
1. Learning involves the formation of
associations between specific actions and
specific events (stimuli) in the environment.
These stimuli may either precede or follow the
action (antecedents vs. consequences).
2. Many behaviorists use intervening variables
to explain behavior (e.g., habit, drive) but
avoid references to mental states.
3. RADICAL BEHAVIORISM (operant
conditioning/behavior modification/behavior
analysis) avoids any intervening variables and
focuses on descriptions of relationships between
behavior and environment (functional analysis).
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Behavioral vs. Cognitive Views of Learning
Cognitivism (learns that)
1. Learning takes place in the mind, not in
behavior. It involves the formation of mental
representations of the elements of a task and the
discovery of how these elements are related.
2. Behavior is used to make inferences about
mental states but is not of interest in itself
(methodological behaviorism).
3. EXAMPLE Tolman Honziks experiment on
latent learning. Tolman, a pioneer of cognitive
psychology, argued that when rats practice mazes,
they acquire a cognitive map of the
layoutmental representations of the landmarks
and their spatial relationships.
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Response Vs. Place Learning
(Tolman, Ritchie Kalish, 1946)
Start 2
This maze had no walls or roof so that rats could
see landmarks in the room such as a window,
door, or lamp.
On a random half of the trials, the rats started
from Start Box 1, and on the other half they
started from Start Box 2.
Goal 2
Goal 1
Start 1
GROUP P always found food in Goal Box 1.
GROUP R found food in Goal Box 1 when they
started from Start Box 1 but received food in
Goal Box 2 when they started from Start Box 2.
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Response Vs. Place Learning
(Tolman, Ritchie Kalish, 1946)
Start 2
Cognitive theory predicted that GROUP P would
learn faster because they only had to learn one
cognitive map.
Behavior theory predicted GROUP R would learn
faster because they only had to learn one
sequence of movements at the choice pointa right
turn.
Goal 2
Goal 1
Start 1
GROUP P always found food in Goal Box 1.
GROUP R found food in Goal Box 1 when they
started from Start Box 1 but received food in
Goal Box 2 when they started from Start Box 2.
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Response Vs. Place Learning
(Tolman, Ritchie Kalish, 1946)
Start 2
Whats YOUR prediction?
Are you a behaviorist or a cognitivist?
GROUP P
GROUP R
Goal 2
Goal 1
Start 1
GROUP P always found food in Goal Box 1.
GROUP R found food in Goal Box 1 when they
started from Start Box 1 but received food in
Goal Box 2 when they started from Start Box 2.
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Response Vs. Place Learning
(Tolman, Ritchie Kalish, 1946)
Start 2
Whats YOUR prediction?
Are you a behaviorist or a cognitivist?
GROUP P
GROUP R
Group P learned faster.
Goal 2
Goal 1
But
Later studies found that if the maze had a roof
so the rats couldnt see things in the room,
response learning was faster.
Start 1
GROUP P always found food in Goal Box 1.
GROUP R found food in Goal Box 1 when they
started from Start Box 1 but received food in
Goal Box 2 when they started from Start Box 2.
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Response Vs. Place Learning
(Tolman, Ritchie Kalish, 1946)
Start 2
Whats YOUR prediction?
Are you a behaviorist or a cognitivist?
GROUP P
GROUP R
Group P learned faster.
Goal 2
Goal 1
Both response and place learning occur. Which
type is faster depends on what cues are
available. So both the cognitive and behavioral
views turned out to be right!
Start 1
GROUP P always found food in Goal Box 1.
GROUP R found food in Goal Box 1 when they
started from Start Box 1 but received food in
Goal Box 2 when they started from Start Box 2.