PSYCH: TOLMAN'S RATS, LATENT LEARNING, & COGNITIVE MAPS
Summary
TLDRThis educational video delves into Edward Tolman's theory of latent learning, where learning occurs without immediate demonstration. Tolman's experiments with rats in mazes showed that learning was retained even without an initial reward, becoming evident only when an incentive was introduced. The video uses relatable examples, such as training a dog to sit or navigating to school without GPS, to illustrate latent learning. It also introduces the concept of cognitive maps, which are mental representations of one's environment, further enriching the viewer's understanding of psychological learning theories.
Takeaways
- 🧠 Edward Tolman was a psychologist who introduced the concept of latent learning.
- 🕳️ Latent learning is the process where learning occurs but is not immediately demonstrated until there is an incentive.
- 🐀 Tolman's theory was based on experiments with rats running through mazes to understand the impact of incentives on learning.
- 🏆 The first group of rats that received a food reward for completing the maze performed faster than the control group.
- 🔄 The third group of rats, initially without any reward, learned the maze layout during the first 10 days, showing latent learning.
- 🏁 On the 11th day, when the third group was given a food reward, they completed the maze faster than the other groups, demonstrating their latent learning.
- 🐕 Another example given was training a dog to sit using verbal commands, where the dog only responded when an incentive (food) was introduced.
- 🚗 A third example involved learning the route to school by observing a parent's driving, which became apparent when the individual had to drive themselves.
- 🗺️ Tolman also introduced the term 'cognitive map,' which refers to a mental representation of one's environment's layout.
- 👀 Cognitive maps allow individuals to visualize and navigate through spaces without physically being there, as demonstrated by imagining walking from the front door to a room.
Q & A
Who is Edward Tolman and what is his significant contribution to psychology?
-Edward Tolman was a psychologist who developed the concept of latent learning, which is learning that occurs but does not become apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it.
What is latent learning according to Tolman's experiments?
-Latent learning is the process where learning takes place but is not immediately demonstrated until an incentive is introduced. This was observed in Tolman's experiments with rats running through a maze.
How did Tolman's experiment with rats demonstrate latent learning?
-In Tolman's experiment, a group of rats that initially ran the maze without any reward suddenly completed the maze faster once they were given a food reward, indicating that they had learned the maze layout but only showed it when motivated.
What was the role of the control group in Tolman's maze experiment?
-The control group in Tolman's experiment received no reward for completing the maze, which served as a comparison to show that the incentive of a reward significantly influenced the rats' performance.
How did the third group of rats in Tolman's experiment behave before and after the introduction of a reward?
-Before the introduction of a reward, the third group of rats wandered aimlessly in the maze similar to the control group. After a reward was introduced, they completed the maze faster than the other groups, demonstrating latent learning.
What is an example of latent learning given in the script involving a dog?
-The script provides an example of latent learning where a dog that previously did not respond to verbal commands to sit, suddenly does so when presented with leftover food, indicating that it had learned the command but only showed it when motivated by food.
What is a cognitive map as introduced by Tolman?
-A cognitive map is a mental representation of the layout of one's environment, which allows an individual to navigate and visualize routes without physically being there.
How does the concept of a cognitive map relate to latent learning?
-The concept of a cognitive map relates to latent learning as it demonstrates the mental process of internalizing and representing spatial information, which can be utilized when needed, such as when an incentive is introduced.
Can you provide an example of latent learning from the script involving a parent and a child?
-The script gives an example where a child learns the route to school by observing their parent's driving but only demonstrates this learning when they have to drive themselves to school, which is an instance of latent learning.
What does the script suggest as a way to identify latent learning experiences in one's own life?
-The script encourages viewers to reflect on situations where they have unknowingly learned something and only demonstrated that knowledge when faced with a specific incentive or necessity.
How does the script conclude the discussion on latent learning and cognitive maps?
-The script concludes by inviting viewers to share their own experiences of latent learning in the comments and encourages them to explore more videos on the channel for further insights.
Outlines
🐭 Latent Learning: Edward Tolman's Psychological Discovery
This paragraph introduces the concept of latent learning through the work of psychologist Edward Tolman. Latent learning is a form of learning that occurs but is not immediately evident until an incentive prompts its demonstration. Tolman's research involved studying the maze-running behavior of rats under different incentive conditions. He divided the rats into groups: one receiving a food reward for completing the maze, a control group receiving no reward, and a third group that initially ran the maze without reward but was later given a food reward. The third group, once rewarded, outperformed the others, illustrating latent learning. The paragraph also provides relatable examples, such as training a dog to sit or learning to drive to school without GPS, to help viewers understand how latent learning can manifest in everyday life.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡latent learning
💡Edward Tolman
💡incentive
💡maze
💡control group
💡food reward
💡cognitive map
💡psychologist
💡learning
💡behavior
💡experiment
Highlights
Introduction to psychologist Edward Tolman and his concept of latent learning.
Definition of latent learning as learning that occurs but is not apparent until an incentive is present.
Tolman's experiment with rats running through a maze to understand the impact of incentives on performance.
First group of rats received a food reward for completing the maze, leading to faster completion times.
Second group, the control group, received no reward and thus completed the maze slower.
Third group of rats ran the maze for 10 days without any reward, then given a reward on the 11th day.
After receiving a reward, the third group of rats completed the maze faster than the other groups due to latent learning.
Latent learning is demonstrated when the third group's performance improved with an incentive.
Example of training a dog to sit using verbal commands, where latent learning is shown when the dog finally responds to a command after an incentive is introduced.
Explanation of how the dog already knew how to sit but only showed it when motivated by an incentive.
Example of learning the route to school by observing a parent, which becomes apparent when the individual has to drive themselves.
The concept of a cognitive map as a mental representation of one's environment, introduced by Tolman.
Demonstration of a cognitive map by visualizing a route from the front door of a house to one's room.
Encouragement for viewers to share their experiences with latent learning in the comments.
Call to action for viewers to like, subscribe, and check out other videos on the channel.
Transcripts
what's up all stars welcome to the
school of Ireland today we're going to
talk about a psychologist named Edward
Tolman during his studies Tolman came up
with a concept called latent learning
which is learning that occurs but does
not become apparent until there's an
incentive to demonstrate that learning
so I know this definition sounds
confusing but I promise it'll start to
make sense once you see a few examples
Tolman key the term latent learning
after testing how fast rats could run
through a maze he came to his conclusion
after analyzing what impact different
incentives had on the rat's performance
the first thing he did was split the
rats into a few different groups the
first group received a food reward for
completing the Maze and the second group
aka the control group received nothing
for completing the maze so let me ask
you this which of these two groups do
you think completed the maze faster yeah
this one's pretty obvious if you said
the first group that received a food
reward you're right it's because they
had an incentive to complete the maze
faster than the group that didn't get
the food but Tolman didn't stop his
experiment here he also had a third
group of rats that was required to run
the maze for 10 days without any reward
this meant that this third group of rats
wandered somewhat aimlessly around the
maze just like the control group did but
then tomman did something very
interesting on the 11th day Tolman gave
this group of rats a food reward for
completing the maze what's fascinating
is once this third group of rats
received a reward they completed the
maze faster than both the other groups
and this is because of latent learning
in other words this third group of rats
knew or learned how to run the maze
within the first 10 10 days however this
was not apparent until these rats were
given a reward or an incentive to
demonstrate that they learned how to run
the maze let me give you another example
let's say you're trying to train a dog
how to sit using only verbal commands
but for whatever reason it just won't
listen let's say you've been trying to
train the dog for a week and you're
beginning to get really really
frustrated and then after dinner one
night you see that you have some
leftover food on your plate that you
decide to pick up and take over to your
dog and then you tell the dog to sit and
it suddenly does so well why did this
happen why didn't the dog listen earlier
the answer is late in learning the dog
already knew how to sit due to all the
training that you had already given it
leading up to this point however this
learning did not become a parent until
the dog had an incentive to show it off
let me give you one more example let's
say one of your parents drops you off at
school every single day and then
proceeds to drive off to work well let's
say one day that parent gets sick and
you have to drive yourself to school if
you can get yourself to school without
using a GPS that's late in learning you
learn how to get to school on your own
by watching the turn your parent made
every single day however this learning
did not become a parent until you had to
drive yourself and the reward in this
case is getting to school so those are
three examples of latent learning but
you should also note that Tolman coined
another term in regards to his rat
studies and that is a cognitive map a
cognitive map is a mental representation
of the layout of one's environment let
me show you how this works I want you to
close your eyes and I want you to
visualize in your head how to walk from
the front door of your house to your
room can you do it or try this one can
you visualize the route you would take
and all the turns that you would make in
order to get to your best friend's house
if you can picture these things in your
head you're using a mental or cognitive
map so that's pretty much it for today
but I wanted to ask you can you think of
any ways in which you have demonstrated
lat in learning if so go ahead and share
your experience in the comments that's
it all stars please don't forget to
check out all the other awesome videos
that are on this channel make sure you
like And subscribe have a great day
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