Monday, February 16, 2009
u-blog 3
The two main learning methods of humans, Behaviorism and Cognitive processing are two very different ways scientists look upon humans brains in the way they work. Behaviorism is the original thought that says we think like all other mammals. This way of thinking is based on our behaviors and emotions which result in the process of learning. Using the behaviors of humans and their emotions to teach them through repetition in a sense. This Behaviorism theory although is pretty scientifically true, I believe that Cognitive thinking is what actually makes humans superior to every other animal on the planet. Cognitive thinking is the ability to rationally think, break down, and process what we are learning. This is where rational thought comes in and this is where humans become superior to every animal. This process is very much similar to a computer in how it reads and processes the program that wants to be run and then if it can do it, it successfully does, but if there is an error of some sort, it fails. I think Cognitive thinking also highly reflects on the hands on method of training, which for someone like me is much better than just reading a book. If you want to teach me how to cut a piece of wood just show me and I will absorb it, don't give me an instruction manual.
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I think Anthony is on the right track, but slightly off. I do some training with horses and dogs and have researched a lot of training methods which is really nothing more than understanding how animals learn and using that to show them how to do what you want. It differs from species to species depending on factors such as whether they are prey animals or predators. For instance, dogs and humans are strongly motivated by rewards and praise. A child or a dog will light up if you praise them in a high pitched voice and be discouraged by a low sharp voice. It works the same way with adults to some extent. You would rather be around someone with a sweet disposition than some one who is gruff and offensive. Horses on the other hand are taught by pressure. You put pressure on in one form or the other, whether it be physical or mental, and release it as soon as they demonstrate the desired behavior. When they relate the cue to the action you increase the duration of the behavior your looking for. This is the behavioral learning that Tony was talking about. They have particular behaviors that you can exploit to facilitae the learning proccess. However, I don't agree when he says that have cognitive ability is what sets us apart from other animals. I've seen animals that will think their way through a process until they figure the answer. Especially if there is a snack involved. I think what really sets us apart is that we have speach and that we can think in the abstract, such as taking things that we have learned in the past and applying them to problems that we have now. Other animals can do this to a small extent, but usually not. Horses are a perfect example. If you train a horse to let you get on the saddle from one side you have to also teach it on the other side. They don't have the ability to transfer a lessen from one side of the body to the other.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your statement, it is amazing how our generation can take what comes easy to us for granted knowing there are alot of older people that does not know how to turn on a computer. Holding a training session at the Lowman Hertiage, I got an insight for how true this really is. Taking all of this reality in, I am actually in progress of starting a adult program giving hands-on training for parents of all ages on how to operate and manage a computer.
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