SESSION TWO: Biological Bases of Learning & Memory Learning Theory Radical Behaviorism

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b I. The Human Brain

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b I. The Human Brain – –has some 12 billion neurons (nerve cells)

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b I. The Human Brain – –has some 5,000 synapses (junctions between neurons) where signals are transmitted chemically

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b Distributionist View – –brain functions are distributed throughout the whole brain

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b Localization View – –certain functions are specific to specific parts of the brain

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b Cell Assembly Concept – –a brain function, e.g., a specific memory, is localized in a cell assembly network, but the neurons making up this assembly are distributed throughout the cortex (Donald Hebb)

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b Brain Formation – –brain cell generation and migration is complete in human embryos at about 16 weeks (4 months) of age – –yet the brain may not be fully mature until about 10 years, or even 18 years, of age – –even so, human brains are plastic; they change with experience (though this ability may decrease with age) – –normal brains are limited in their attentional capacity

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b II. Memory and Brain Processes – –Memory is not a single, unitary phenomenon – –Two Basic Memory Processes: » »Declarative: Memory for facts and events occurring in brain systems that involve the hippocampus » » Nondeclarative or Procedural: Memory for motor skills and cognitive operations that cannot be represented in declarative sentences, occurring in brain systems that involve the neostriatum

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b II. Memory and Brain Processes – –The mind is not just a passive recorder of events; it is active in structuring, storing, and recalling information – –Synapse addition lies at the base of many forms of memory – –Memory processes treat both true and false events similarly, I.e. they activate the same brain regions regardless of what is being remembered » »children, for instance, can be coached over time to believe that false events are true occurrences

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b III. Nature vs. Nurture – –What is the relationship between genetic histories and environmental contingencies?

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b III. Nature vs. Nurture – –Learning disabilities may have a neurological basis (nature) – –Language may be biologically pre-programmed (nature) – –Behaviors for which there is no predisposition to learn may be hard to establish (nature)

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b III. Nature vs. Nurture – –Learning organizes and reorganizes the brain, I.e., changes its physical structure by adding synapses and brain cells (nurture) – –Practice increases learning (nurture)

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b III. Nature vs. Nurture – –Development is not an unfolding process driven solely by genetics; it is also an active process that derives essential information from experience (nature and nurture) – –Some experiences have the most powerful effects on the brain during specific sensitive periods; other experiences can affect the brain over a much longer period of time (nature and nurture)

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b III. Nature vs. Nurture – –Debates about Intelligence and Learning: » »Arthur Jensen: impoverished children are genetically intellectually inferior » »The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life (Herrnstein and Murray) » »The Mismeasure of Man (Stephen J. Gould) » »Frames of Mind (Howard Gardner)

Biological Bases of Learning & Memory b III. Nature vs. Nurture – –Food for Thought: » »Do American public schools, though founded on democratic principles, simply separate the sheep from the goats in an elitist fashion, I.e., encourage and reward those already able? » »What does your opinion on this matter have to do with learning theories and instructional design?