Forms of Simple Stimulus Learning - Essay Example

Forms of Simple Stimulus Learning Abstract Learning is the process of obtaining new experience, knowledge or skills. In fact, human ability to learn reveals the adaptive changes in the behavior of an individual as the result of acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, skills, preferences, and other information. The inborn flexibility of central nervous system permits having the range of variable responses to the same repeating stimulus. As far as learning may occur consciously or without awareness of the process, the forms of simple non-associative learning are interesting for analysis as the most natural way of human mind to accumulate new knowledge about reality. As the most primitive form of learning, “habituation is a simplest form of knowledge, the predisposition to become recognizable with a stimulus after frequent exposure of it” (Terry, 2006, p.26).  It is the most fundamental, individual way to reduce the unnecessary excitability of nervous system. Habituation appears after the multiple systematic repetitions of a particular stimulus. If it is not threatening life and body, after many perceptions of a stimulus, reaction decreases steadily. It depends on the frequency of repetitions until complete disappearance of the reaction. In other words, we "learn" do not react to stimuli, which do not cause any harm for us. For example, a person, living in the vicinity of a railway, stops responding to the noise of passing trains very soon. Though, at first, the noise was annoying enough and interfered with sleeping. The same way, we get used to the sounds of clock and flowing water, to billboards and road signs. The stimuli are no longer come to our consciousness. Perceiving familiar stimuli as common things, we just ignore them. For us, such adaptation means getting a state, where we can recognize easily new, important stimuli among the multiplicity of familiar, insignificant ones.   The reaction of habituation does not mean getting fatigue or tiredness of receptors. After the development of habituation, the nervous system continues perceiving a stimulus; just it needs a little effort to cause reaction immediately. In nature, habituation is represented widely: from primitive creatures up to human beings. It provides an adequate reaction of a body to eliminate all superfluous, unnecessary perceptions, maintaining just reactions to the most important key stimuli. Such adaptation of nervous system saves lots of energy for an organism. The psychological concept of perceptual learning means the process of obtaining information about objects through performing some perceptual tasks (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory or taste). Manfred Fahle and Tomaso Poggio (2002) considered perceptual learning as the “part of the learning process that is independent from conscious forms of learning”, based on the “permanent modification of perception and behavior following sensory experience” (p. xiv). Primarily, perceptual learning develops the ability to identify and categorize perceived objects or situations. It involves learning about things more than comprehension what to do with them. Nevertheless, mere exposure is still not a reason for perceptual learning to occur. Among factors affecting perceptual learning, we should accentuate the role of interest and attention in the process. The inborn interest of a little child to explore the world through tactile and other perceptual ways seems surprising for an adult person. Having already some experience and being mostly adapted to their environment, adults, usually, have lack of interest for perceptual learning. That is why, such learning may occur successfully through the reinforcement process, in which a reward is the main stimulus increasing interest. The repeated exposure of a specific stimulus followed by a reward (material prize or just emotional satisfaction) leads to the readiness of perceiving a main stimulus. It proves that interest is an inner disposition for perceptual learning. When interest is keen, one can learn under the most difficult circumstances. Another factor, which is important for perceptual learning, is that a stimulus should be recognizable. It helps capturing person’s selective attention, which plays an important role in any learning process. William James (1890) presented an extreme view asserting that, "My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items, which I notice, shape my mind — without selective interest, experience is an utter chaos" (ch.11) Conditions are also the factor, which may influence the process of perceptual learning. After the range of experiments with dogs, Ivan Pavlov discovered that differential conditions were not effective for perceptual learning. Pavlov's studies were followed by many training studies, which found out that the success of the learning depended on the training order rather than on the total amount of exposure. Along with the traditional cognitive forms of learning, perceptual learning is the significant component of any educational process.  The effect of stimulus exposure is a psychological phenomenon, which appears as the tendency for people to prefer some things just because they are familiar with them. The earliest researches on the exposure effect were conducted in the end of the XIX century. In the 1960s, experiments of Robert Zajonc demonstrated that simply exposing a familiar stimulus to persons motivated them to rate it more positively than other, similar stimuli, which had not been presented earlier. (Zajonc, 1968, p.1-27). The experiments brought Zajonc to the final conclusion that the exposure effect takes place without conscious cognition, and that "preferences need no inferences" (1980, p.151-175). Priming represents another form of stimulus exposure effect. Priming is the quality of human memory to keep the impression from the first stimulus, what may cause reducing reaction to following ones. “Priming occurs, when one presentation of a stimulus facilitates the processing of a closely following repetition of the same or a related stimulus” (Terry, 2006, p.42). For example, if an experimenter demonstrates a picture before the demonstration of the range of similar imagers, during experiment a person will prefer that one, which has been seen the first among others. Also, the exposure effect has limitation as concerning liking a familiar stimulus. The maximum of presentations, which increase positive reaction, is within 10-20. It may cause even dislike after a longer series of exposures. For example, people generally like a song more after they have heard it a few times, but many repetitions can reduce this preference. A delay between exposures, actually, tends increasing the strength of the effect again. Simple stimulus learning is widely represented in real life situations and educational process. The example of habituation, which we experience every day, is putting on our clothes. The stimulus that the clothes create to our skin at first touch does not last long. But after the clothes have been on a moment, it is not an unusual feeling for us anymore. The perception of it disappears from our awareness. As the example of perceptual learning, we may analyze the training process of musicians and painters. Accordingly, the students of musical faculties learn to differentiate notes, chords, and instrumental voices in musical pieces by audio perception. Art students learn to differentiate strokes, textures, and styles, and they learn to classify paintings by periods and artists through their visual learning. In both examples, it maybe the range of different reinforcements, stimulating perceptual learning of students: starting with the simple wish of getting a good mark till some inner motives and lofty ambitions. The exposure effect appears to have a natural place in advertising, in the most areas of human decision making. For example, many traders prefer to invest in domestic companies rather than in the similar international ones, merely, because they are more familiar with their native market, despite of the fact, they should have even better alternatives. Simple stimulus learning plays an important role in our everyday life. There are many stimuli, which we unaware, having got used to them. Some other stimuli govern our behavior and preferences. Nevertheless, the analysis of the forms of simple stimulus learning gives us better comprehension of their influencing our adaptation in changeable actuality. References Fahle Manfred (Editor), and Tomaso Poggio (Editor) (2002). Perceptual Learning. The MIT Press, p.xiv James, W. (1890). The Principles of Psychology. Classics in the History of Psychology. An Internet resource developed by Christopher D. Green. York University, Toronto, Ontario. Chapter 11. Web Terry, W.S. (2006). Learning and memory: Basic principles, processes, and procedures. Third Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, p.26, p.42 Zajonc, R.B. (1968). Attitudinal Effects of Mere Exposure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9, p.1-27. Zajonc, R.B. (1980). Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no inferences. American Psychologist, 35, p. 151-175. Read More