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How do we learn?

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Connectionism

Learning is a process of making associations resulting from response to a stimuli. When measured clinically, this is known as S-R pairings. It is a rewards-based type of learning. There are three laws involved:

The law of effect
- Responses to situations which are rewarding
- The repetition of this builds habits
- Repetition strengthens a type of response
The law of readiness
- This involves a chain of a group of responses to satisfy a goal
- Pain or annoyance occurs if this chain is blocked or obstructed
The law of exercise
- Connections are strengthened with practice of a behavior
- Connections are weakened when the practice of a behavior is not maintained regularly
- Punishment weaken the connection of finding a rewarding state
- Fear of failure or actual failure weakens the connection with a rewarding state

EXAMPLE

Telly the blue bear wants to visit with Chicken.
Elmo is guarding the chicken for egg production so that he can be assured of having a tasty breakfast each morning.
Elmo uses a big stick applied to the side of the head to ward off would-be intruders
Telly has no desire to steal any eggs. He just wants to meet with Chicken for small talk and conversation
Too bad they don't have a phone, so they could talk
To achieve his goal, Telly has to satisfy Elmo's goal
Telly brings Elmo a breakfast of hot cakes and sticky syrup
During breakfast, Telly talks to Chicken
Over time Elmo realizes that Telly's motives are not malicious
Over time Elmo grows to trust Telly and lets him visit Chicken

PRINCIPLES

THE LAWS OF EFFECT AND EXERCISE
Telly learned how to win the trust of Elmo by serving him breakfast
THE LAW OF READINESS
The repeated bringing of breakfast, engaging in pleasant conversation, and not stealing the eggs or the chicken chained together to produce a sequence of rewarding experiences for Elmo
Telly can now transfer this learning to his offspring, so that they, too, can visit their productive friends.
Intelligence is a function, then, of the number of connections learned.

This theory was developed by Edward Lee Thorndike between 1913 and 1932.

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