Connectionism

Summary

The script delves into Edward Thorndike's connectionism, a behavioral learning theory emphasizing the role of associations in learning. It outlines Thorndike's laws of learning: exercise, effect, readiness, primacy, intensity, and recency. The laws are explored through the context of education, highlighting how they influence student engagement and retention. The discussion also touches on the importance of motivation and the impact of rewarding or punishing experiences on learning.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Connectionism is a learning theory developed by Edward Thorndike, focusing on the formation of associations between sensory experiences and responses.
• 🔗 Thorndike's theory suggests that learning occurs through the strengthening of connections between stimuli and responses.
• 📚 The Law of Exercise states that frequent repetition of a response to a stimulus strengthens the connection between them.
• 🔄 The Law of Disuse indicates that if a response to a stimulus is not repeated, the connection weakens over time.
• 🏅 The Law of Effect posits that responses followed by satisfying outcomes are more likely to be repeated, thus strengthening the stimulus-response connection.
• 😕 Conversely, responses followed by annoying outcomes are less likely to be repeated, weakening the connection.
• 🎓 The Law of Readiness asserts that learners are more likely to engage in learning activities they find rewarding and avoid those they find punishing.
• 📈 Thorndike's experiments with cats in puzzle boxes demonstrated learning through trial and error, rather than insight.
• 📉 The Law of Primacy highlights that the first learned associations have the strongest impact and are the most difficult to change.
• 🔥 The Law of Intensity suggests that learning experiences that are emotionally intense or dramatic are more likely to be remembered.
• 📅 The Law of Recency indicates that more recently learned information is less likely to be forgotten compared to older information.

Q & A

What is connectionism in the context of behavioral learning theories?

Connectionism is a behavioral learning theory proposed by Edward Thorndike, which suggests that learning occurs through the formation of associations or connections between sensory experiences and neutral impulses.

Who are the key figures in behavioral learning theories mentioned in the script?

The key figures mentioned are Edward Thorndike, Lev Vygotsky, George Miller, and Ivan Pavlov.

What are the three laws of learning under connectionism?

The three laws of learning under connectionism are the law of exercise, the law of effect, and the law of readiness.

What does the law of exercise suggest about learning?

The law of exercise indicates that associations between stimuli and responses are strengthened through frequent repetition and exercise.

How does the law of disuse relate to learning?

The law of disuse states that when a response is not made to a stimulus, the connection's strength weakens, leading to potential forgetting of the learned behavior.

What did Thorndike revise in the law of exercise, and why?

Thorndike revised the law of exercise to include the necessity of a reward or satisfaction following practice, stating that constant practice must be accompanied by motivation for the learner.

Can you explain the law of effect in connectionism?

The law of effect posits that if a response is followed by a satisfying state of affairs, the stimulus-response connection is strengthened. Conversely, if a response is followed by an annoying state, the connection is weakened.

What is the law of readiness, and how does it apply to learning?

The law of readiness suggests that individuals are prepared to act in ways that are rewarding and avoid actions that are punishing. In a learning context, students are more likely to engage in behaviors that foster learning when they are ready and find the activity rewarding.

What is the law of primacy, and how does it impact learning?

The law of primacy states that the first thing learned has the strongest stimulus-response bond and is almost inerasable, making it more difficult to learn the same concept or skill again if the initial learning was incorrect.

How does the law of intensity contribute to learning?

The law of intensity implies that learning is more likely to be retained when students are exposed to real-world applications of skills and concepts that evoke strong emotions or are dramatic in nature.

What does the law of recency state about learning?

The law of recency suggests that concepts or skills most recently learned are least likely to be forgotten, emphasizing the importance of复习 recent learning experiences.

How did Thorndike's experiments with cats contribute to his understanding of learning?

Thorndike's experiments with cats in puzzle boxes demonstrated that learning occurred through trial and error rather than insight. He observed that successful behaviors were initially performed by chance and were then reinforced through repetition, leading to the development of his law of effect.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Connectionism and Learning Theories

The paragraph introduces behavioral learning theories, specifically connectionism, which was developed by Edward Thorndike. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the contributions of various theorists to the field of education. Thorndike's focus was on the formation of associations between sensory experiences and neutral impulses as the primary type of learning. The paragraph outlines the laws of learning under connectionism, including the law of exercise, law of effect, and law of readiness. It also explains the concept of drills and repetition as vital for learning and retention, and how the strength of connections between stimuli and responses can be affected by the law of use and disuse.

05:00

🎼 The Revised Law of Exercise and Law of Effect

This section discusses the revision of the law of exercise by Thorndike, highlighting the importance of motivation and rewards in learning. It suggests that constant practice should be accompanied by some form of reward or satisfaction to be effective. The law of effect is then detailed, explaining how satisfying consequences strengthen the stimulus-response connection, while annoying ones weaken it. The paragraph uses the example of a pianist practicing for a medal to illustrate the concept. It also mentions Thorndike's experiments with cats in puzzle boxes, demonstrating learning through trial and error rather than insight.

10:02

🔄 Law of Readiness and Its Application

The paragraph explains the law of readiness, which states that individuals are prepared to act in ways that are rewarding and avoid actions that are punishing. It uses classroom scenarios to illustrate how readiness can affect learning, with students being more likely to engage when they find the task rewarding. Conversely, if students are not ready or do not know how to respond, the attempt to learn can be punishing. The law of readiness is contrasted with the law of effect to show how they influence learning behaviors.

15:05

📚 Additional Learning Laws and Their Impact

This section covers additional laws of learning, including the law of primacy, which states that the first thing learned has the strongest stimulus-response bond and is almost unerasable. It discusses the importance of correcting misconceptions early to prevent habit formation. The law of intensity is also mentioned, suggesting that experiences that are exciting and emotionally charged are more likely to be remembered. Lastly, the law of recency is introduced, indicating that concepts or skills learned most recently are least likely to be forgotten.

20:06

📈 Metacognition and Learner-Centered Principles

The final paragraph focuses on metacognition and learner-centered psychological principles. It emphasizes the role of teachers in facilitating learning by providing clear connections between current and previous learning experiences. The paragraph concludes with a prompt for the audience to reflect on the applicability of these laws in the classroom and to differentiate between the laws of primacy, recency, effect, and readiness. It also encourages participants to reflect on their learning and engage in discussions through a group chat if they have questions or clarifications.

Keywords

💡Connectionism

Connectionism is a learning theory that suggests learning occurs through the formation of associations between sensory experiences and responses. In the video, it is attributed to Edward Thorndike and is central to understanding how learning happens through the strengthening of neural pathways. The script mentions that connectionism is about forming associations or connections between sensory experiences and neutral impulses, which results in learning.

💡Edward Thorndike

Edward Thorndike was a psychologist who focused on education and is known for his work on connectionism. The script describes him as one of the few psychologists who contributed significantly to the field of education. His theories on learning, such as the law of effect and connectionism, are discussed in the video.

💡Law of Exercise

The law of exercise is one of the principles of learning under connectionism, stating that the connection between stimuli and responses is strengthened through frequent repetition or exercise. The script uses the example of practicing the piano to illustrate how frequent practice strengthens the connection and leads to better performance.

💡Law of Effect

The law of effect posits that if a response is followed by a satisfying state of affairs, the stimulus-response connection is strengthened. Conversely, if a response is followed by an annoying state, the connection is weakened. The script explains this with the example of a student who finds reciting rewarding and thus is likely to repeat the behavior.

💡Law of Readiness

The law of readiness suggests that individuals are prepared to learn when the learning is rewarding and not prepared when it is punishing. The script gives the classroom scenario as an example, where a student who is ready to answer a question finds it rewarding, while a student who is not ready may find the experience punishing.

💡Law of Use

The law of use is related to the law of exercise and states that if a response is not made to a stimulus, the connection's strength weakens. The script mentions that learners typically learn faster when they frequently apply a skill, and if the skill is not used, it may be forgotten.

💡Law of Disuse

The law of disuse is the counterpart to the law of use, indicating that when a response is not exercised, the connection between the stimulus and response weakens over time. The script uses the example of playing the piano to illustrate that without constant practice, one is likely to forget how to play.

💡Puzzle Boxes

Puzzle boxes are a tool used by Thorndike in his experiments to study learning in animals. The script describes how cats were placed in puzzle boxes and had to figure out how to escape by operating latches. This experiment was used to demonstrate learning through trial and error rather than insight.

💡Satisfiers and Annoyers

Satisfiers and annoyers are terms used in the law of effect to describe the outcomes that follow a response. Satisfiers are positive outcomes that strengthen the stimulus-response connection, while annoyers are negative outcomes that weaken it. The script mentions that these are critical to learning, as they influence whether a behavior is repeated or not.

💡Law of Primacy

The law of primacy refers to the idea that the first thing learned has the strongest stimulus-response bond and is almost inerasable. The script explains that correcting misconceptions early is important because if not corrected, they can become ingrained habits that are difficult to change.

💡Law of Recency

The law of recency states that concepts or skills most recently learned are least likely to be forgotten. The script relates this to the idea that learners should be provided with clear connections between current and recent learning experiences to enhance retention.

Highlights

Connectionism is a behavioral learning theory by Edward Thorndike.

Thorndike focused on education and believed in forming associations between sensory experiences and neutral impulses.

Connectionism involves different laws of learning: law of exercise, law of effect, and law of readiness.

Law of exercise states that drills are vital to acquire and sustain learning.

Law of disuse suggests that connections weaken when a response is not made to a stimulus.

Thorndike revised the law of exercise to include the necessity of rewards for effective learning.

Law of effect emphasizes that satisfying results strengthen stimulus-response connections.

Thorndike's experiments with cats in puzzle boxes demonstrated learning through trial and error.

Law of readiness indicates that learners are prepared to act in rewarding situations and not in punishing ones.

Law of primacy suggests that the first thing learned has the strongest stimulus-response bond.

Law of intensity states that experiences with high emotional content are more likely to be remembered.

Law of recency indicates that most recently learned concepts or skills are least forgotten.

Teachers should facilitate learning by providing clear connections between current and previous learning experiences.

Students learn better when they are ready and the learning experience is rewarding.

Misconcepts should be corrected early to prevent habit formation.

The law of effect is crucial for understanding how behaviors are strengthened or weakened based on their consequences.

The lecture concludes with a reminder to check the module and engage in reflective activities related to the laws of learning.

Transcripts

and let's resume on the second topic

under behavioral learning theories

connectionism

okay now connectionism

is by Edward Thorndike please be guided

and do not be confused huh so cognitive

development theories

we also have social cultural by Levi

gotsky information processing Theory by

George Miller then we have classical

conditioning by Ivan Pavlov and

connectionism by Edward Thorndike please

do familiarize these persons who had

contributed a lot

in education please okay now Edward

thornback is one of the few

psychologists who focused on education

thornback believed that forming

associations or connections between

sensory experiences and neutral impulses

results in the prime type of learning so

the own found that young connectionism

associations okay to what to censor

experiences and impulses results to

learning now under connectionism we have

the different laws of learning initially

we have three

actually there are additional phrase is

the law of exercise the law of effect

and love Readiness connectionism

sabipani Edward thorndek there must be a

connection sensory

areas and imposes dorsa

um learning

there should be Association and

connection first law of exercise now

drills are vital to acquire and sustain

learning now drill images repetition

there is a repetition of the master for

the Mastery of a concept

no or a skill depending on

okay then it is divided into two parts

love exercise our repetition

between stimuli and responses are

strengthened through being exercised

frequently

of exercise

the frequent recurring of the response

connection so we have here

law of disuse

when a response is not made to stimulus

the connection's strength is weekend

then

foreign okay so learner usually learn

faster when they often apply often but

the last name apply young skill or that

is what you call the law of use

okay and then to forget

when such a response does not recur over

sometimes

then that is what you call law of this

use so we have here an example so is

peace

because of constant practice no the

exercise Is frequent but

effort and time to practice and to

exercise playing piano then more likely

performance

once the behavior is not repeated it

could be forgotten

law of use and law of deceives

okay now

okay next

now for like later revised the law of

exercise why

he confessed that simply practice Lang

rather

practicing

with constant constant practice Union

constant practice must be followed by

some reward or satisfaction

okay

to the Learner in short the pupil must

be motivated to learn

practice but rather there should be a

reward presented

practice exercises for example your main

goal non-pianist

no is to win or to have a medal

s

piano so more likely

practice practice

medal which will serve as a reward for

him

is

so more likely much better now according

to revised the statement me Thorndike

the much better reward

next is law of effect emphasizes that if

a response is followed by a satisfying

State of Affairs the stimulus response

or the SR connection is strengthened

now if a response is followed by an

annoying State of Affairs the stimulus

response or the SR connection is we can

satisfiers and annoyers are critical to

learning say for example

foreign

[Music]

stimulus

more likely there will be a repetition

of the participation

behavior of reciting will be

strengthened

satisfying appreciation

must strengthen your behavior more

continuous

[Music]

appreciate me teacher so that is what

you call annoying

foreign

but we can Behavior site

so that is love effects

satisfiers and annoyers are crucial to

learning

law of effect

okay Behavior now or your response is

[Music]

so more likely

that is love effect next

let's watch this video first

[Music]

but how is a new

question which began to Fascinate

Thorndike to answer it he built some

ingenious puzzle boxes for which Cats

Could Only Escape by operating latches

and then you go

the cat appears to be very clever in

engineering its Escape solving the

problem with a deftly placed paw and a

push of its nose

[Music]

but Thorndike didn't believe that an

animal even a clever cat understands the

consequences of Its Behavior

when he placed a cat in the puzzle box

for the first time Thorndike was unable

to see any evidence of flashes of

insight

the successful actions appeared first by

chance

he proved that the apparent cleverness

arose by trial and error and use graphs

to measure the rate of learning

[Music]

a well-practiced cat quickly recalls the

actions that help it escape to its

reward of food

[Music]

beautiful

if an action brings a reward thought I

believe that that action becomes stacked

into the mind

in his thesis he explained further his

ideas about learning that behavior

changes because of its consequences

he call this his law of effect

which explained how even wild creatures

develop new habits

okay isn't that nice

experiments

okay

you first cage

no especially

I know metal satisfyiers

box which is your food right then the

following times

or what we call the satisfier so since

no the response is preceded with a

satisfying event more likely the

behavior is strengthened the behavior is

repeated black

foreign

find it annoying no you can response was

preceded with an annoying event so more

likely young Behavior

cage is weekend okay so that is what you

call law of effect

okay next law of Readiness everyone is

prepared to act to do is rewarding and

not to do is punishing so English

so more likely say for example

it's a classroom

no discussions

to answer a particular question then you

question

sagot

then

you find it rewarding

for you is rewarding bucket you are able

to answer the question so that is what

you call love Readiness

I prepared to do or to act

for you is rewarding

recitations

but since you are not ready and you do

not know to answer the question so for

you the event is punishing

no so more likely

when students are ready to learn a

particular react particular action then

the behaviors that Foster this learning

will be rewarding and meanwhile when

students are not ready to learn no or

not ready to response

attempting to learn is punishing so

burden some Paras

and even becomes a waste of

then

rewarding

ready no punishes

because you are not ready to learn

okay so that is a lot of Readiness and

we also have other loss of learning one

is love Primacy

the first thing learned has the

strongest stimulus response Bond and is

almost in erasable

is more likely nothing

a learning a concept or skill again is

more difficult than the first time one

has to learn it this explains why

teachers correct students

have misconception in a new lesson when

misconception is not corrected for the

first time that might lead to Habit

formation Okay so kayanga

foreign

okay

correct or what I mean is

changed

perception not and not unless it is

corrected

misconception among Learners

or else it will last long say for

example initially

giraffe is geography

Rafi

instead of geograph

regarding the first learned Concepts

next is

law of intensity

exciting okay dramatic you're more of

emotions no

exposing the students in real world

application of the skill and Concepts

makes them most likely to remember the

experience

senses

exciting mastermatic no with emotions

intensity no love intensity more likely

recall ha

so more likely

say for example computer

experience so that is what you call law

of intensity then law of recency the

concepts are skill most recently learned

are least forgotten

since that's a behavior learning series

um

40 like Learners centered psychological

principles

components

components of metacognition

love reasons

teachers should provide facilitate

learning by providing the Learners with

a Clear Connection

current or young recent The Learning

Experience a previous not learning

experience

least forgotten

okay and that ends

connectionism

by Edward Thorndike

so let us check your module

okay here again Rita read

the contents of your module

and for the activity again

you are to make a graphic organizer

then

you think the laws do you think the laws

are applicable inside the classroom

then you cite specific application each

law

then you differentiate love Primacy and

love reason see recency law of effect

and law of Readiness then of course for

Express you are to reflect on the

following questions and still

be guided with the learning rubric

provided okay and then again I just

wanted to remind you if you have

questions and clarifications you may

simply erase it through our group chat

okay

so thank you that's the end of

connectionism pero we still have to

discuss

three more behavioral learning theories

have a great day