Multiple Aspects of Stimuli and the Effects - Research Paper Example

?Running Head: Multiple Aspects of Stimuli and the Effects Simple Stimulus Response College Simple Stimulus Learning Learning occurs throughout our entire life. There are many ways in which learning can occur. It can occur through social learning theory where a person observes a certain set of conditions and mimics them either due to their reward/punishment. The behaviorists came up with classical conditioning and operant conditionings of learning. Classical conditioning requires the use of behavioral modification through the introduction of a stimulus and operant conditioning offers changes in motivation based either on the increase/decrease of a reward or punishment. Regardless of the type of learning, it requires an approach in the fields of sensation, perception, and neuroscience, which are all intertwined and play a role in our everyday processing. The basic concept of all learning is the stimulus. A stimulus can be described as any observable/interactive feature that can be recognized by the five senses. Once the stimulus has been recognized, the information is electrochemically transmitted through the nervous system up to the brain where it is processed. Depending on the type of stimulus that is being experienced will determine the method in which it is processed. For those stimuli that become meaningful for the person, it is encoded into the massive memory storage hierarchy and if it is not meaningful to the individual it does not make it farther than sensory memory. The way in which the memory is stored will determine how it can be retrieved. An example of this is state dependent memory; it is easier to remember a fact when your anxious if you learned it while you were anxious (May, 2007). In some cases memory and perception can be altered based on the progress of the stimulus. Too much of a stimulus can lead to stimulus overload and too little stimulus may not be perceived because it did not meet the stimulus threshold. In other instances, a stimulus is repeated over time. Due to this repetition over time, the perception of the stimulus begins to decrease. Neurologically, after someone has become habituated to a particular stimulus, they no longer begin to process it in the same manner. The neurons have become accustomed to firing at a specific rate and intensity that they continue to lower the electrochemical discharge until the neuron stops firing in response to the stimulus all together. Even though it seems that habituation can have its drawbacks, it is a very important fundamental biological and psychological construct. In a standard day, humans are bombarded with many different types of stimuli. What habituation endows the user with is the ability to filter out miscellaneous stimuli that it no longer needs to process. As a result, habituation is an inherent important adaptation needed for learning in everyday life (Domjan & Grau, 2006). Perceptual learning is a type of learning that involves the growth of any of the five senses as the result of experience in life. Like habituation, perceptual learning involves a dual role in physiology and psychology. Perception occurs in three stages. The first that must occur is that the stimulus has to be detected. After the sensory systems of the body have picked up the external stimulus, it has to recognize and discriminate against it. This then forms a memory, which shows how the body should act in response to the same stimulus. One of the important aspects is stimulus discrimination in that a person is able to recognize the exact stimulus over others that might seem similar. In other cases, the particular senses being targeted can result in the cells/tissues/organs becoming more developed due to greater usage and therefore the abilities associated with it become more heightened. There are multiple examples of this (Fahle & Poggio, 2002). For example, a musician can become more in tune with being able to hear sonic patterns due to learning how to discriminate between various forms of pitch. A chef can learn how to detect what flavors come out in a particular recipe by expanding his palate. The biggest part of what can affect perceptual learning is the biological portions that cannot be controlled. If a certain neural pathway or sensory interface has developed to the fullest extent that it can develop, there is no way to improve on the biology. There are also a number of cognitive factors that play a role in perceptual learning. The key with perceptual learning and all forms of learning is attention. The person must focus on the particular stimulus so that it can be processed quickly and efficiently. Stimulus exposure can have a couple different effects depending on the stimulus itself. It the stimulus does not reach a certain threshold in which it can be detected, and then it will not be sensed. In other cases, the stimulus can be strong to where it prompts pain in the person because they are not used to be exposed to a stimulus at that level. It has been shown that learning also occurs through stimulus exposure. One of these ways is through muscle memory. By repeating the same task, such as a workout, the body is able to adapt to where it is able to keep up with the workload and thus it gets easier up to a certain point. Simple stimulus learning is all based upon experience. For example, a wine connoisseur learns to develop his/her taste buds through trying many different types of wine in order to be able to tell a person the different textures and flavors that exist in the wine. On another front, a boxer can learn to harden and take more pain to stay in the fight by conditioning his/her body in order to withstand higher pain through the strengthening of muscles. A person who is born blind or looses their sight over the course of their life will developed enhanced feeling in their other senses in order to help them process other stimuli that sight normally would. Everyone has some ability that has become strengthened over time and as a result they have enhanced abilities. It is a delicate balance between the psychological benefits of control and the physiological. Both are intertwined and affect each other. As a result, sensation and perception are key to all aspects of learning. By exposure to different types of stimuli every day, our neural abilities are constantly evolving to accommodate these stimuli in our memory in order for us to learn how to appropriately respond to them. References Domjan, M, & Grau, J. (2006). The principles of learning and behavior. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Fahle, M, & Poggio, T. (2002). Perceptual learning. New York, NY: Chelsea House. May, M. (2007). Sensation and perception. New York, NY: Infobase Publishing. Read More