Transcript SESSION TWO: - WOW! Locations

SESSION TWO:
Biological Bases of Learning & Memory
Learning Theory
Radical Behaviorism
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 I.
The Human Brain
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 I.
The Human Brain
– has some 12 billion neurons (nerve cells)
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 I.
The Human Brain
– has some 5,000 synapses (junctions between
neurons) where signals are transmitted chemically
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 Distributionist View
– brain functions are distributed throughout the whole
brain
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 Localization View
– certain functions are specific to specific parts of the
brain
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 Cell Assembly Concept
– a brain function, e.g., a specific memory, is localized
in a cell assembly network, but the neurons making
up this assembly are distributed throughout the
cortex (Donald Hebb)
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 Brain Formation
– brain cell generation and migration is complete in
human embryos at about 16 weeks (4 months) of
age
– yet the brain may not be fully mature until about 10
years, or even 18 years, of age
– even so, human brains are plastic; they change with
experience (though this ability may decrease with
age)
– normal brains are limited in their attentional
capacity
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 II.
Memory and Brain Processes
– Memory is not a single, unitary phenomenon
– Two Basic Memory Processes:
» Declarative: Memory for facts and events occurring
in brain systems that involve the hippocampus
» Nondeclarative or Procedural: Memory for motor
skills and cognitive operations that cannot be
represented in declarative sentences, occurring in
brain systems that involve the neostriatum
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 II.
Memory and Brain Processes
– The mind is not just a passive recorder of events; it
is active in structuring, storing, and recalling
information
– Synapse addition lies at the base of many forms of
memory
– Memory processes treat both true and false events
similarly, I.e. they activate the same brain regions
regardless of what is being remembered
» children, for instance, can be coached over time to
believe that false events are true occurrences
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 III.
Nature vs. Nurture
– What is the relationship between genetic histories
and environmental contingencies?
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 III.
Nature vs. Nurture
– Learning disabilities may have a neurological basis
(nature)
– Language may be biologically pre-programmed
(nature)
– Behaviors for which there is no predisposition to
learn may be hard to establish (nature)
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 III.
Nature vs. Nurture
– Learning organizes and reorganizes the brain, I.e.,
changes its physical structure by adding synapses
and brain cells (nurture)
– Practice increases learning (nurture)
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 III.
Nature vs. Nurture
– Development is not an unfolding process driven
solely by genetics; it is also an active process that
derives essential information from experience
(nature and nurture)
– Some experiences have the most powerful effects on
the brain during specific sensitive periods; other
experiences can affect the brain over a much longer
period of time (nature and nurture)
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 III.
Nature vs. Nurture
– Debates about Intelligence and Learning:
» Arthur Jensen: impoverished children are genetically
intellectually inferior
» The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in
American Life (Herrnstein and Murray)
» The Mismeasure of Man (Stephen J. Gould)
» Frames of Mind (Howard Gardner)
Biological Bases of Learning &
Memory
 III.
Nature vs. Nurture
– Food for Thought:
» Do American public schools, though founded on
democratic principles, simply separate the sheep from
the goats in an elitist fashion, I.e., encourage and
reward those already able?
» What does your opinion on this matter have to do
with learning theories and instructional design?