ATAR Notes: Forum
VCE Stuff => VCE Science => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Psychology => Topic started by: khalil on October 26, 2008, 12:09:36 pm
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In one of the VCAA exams they require you to know what instrumental learning is. Im trying to look for a definition but the grivas book says that 'the individual is instrumental in learning the correct response.'
what the hell does that mean?
does anyone have a legitimate definition?
thanks
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isn't instrumental learning another way of saying operant conditioning?
edit: i think it's called that because in operant conditioning the learner is instrumental (active?) in the learning process, while in classical conditioning the learning is unconscious and occurs passively..
or something? lol. i'm not really sure about any of this.
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spot on 'rh'
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and i forgot to mention, what exactly does the saving score mean?
according to 'revise in a month' the saving score "gives a measure of the amount of retained information?"
that doesnt sound correct to me
can any1 help me out...please :)
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"With reference to Thorndike's puzzle box experiments, explain the relaionship between trial and error learning and intsrumental learning" (VCAA 2006)
According to Grivas, instumental learning=trial and error learning=operant conditioing
There must be some distinction
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Isnt instrumental learning or instrumental conditioning another term Thorndike used to describe trial and error learning??? Because in his experiment with the puzzle boxes he called trial and error learning instrumental conditioning because the cats were instrumental (took on an active role) in escaping the puzzle box to get food.
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Learning something that has been learned previously, so as to measure memory of the prior learning = Savings score. In a question about the savings score you would probably just have to state the formula to get marks.
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A savings score determines amount of time saved when relearning information, expressed as a percentage. A savings score is calculated using the following formula:
SS = T1 – T2 x 100 T1 - Time for original learning.
T1 1 T2 – Time for relearning.
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thanks rh, thats the definition i wanted!
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yes stephanie your're correct, but how would you go about answering the VCAA question
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Whats the exact VCAA question?
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"With reference to Thorndike's puzzle box experiments, explain the relaionship between trial and error learning and intsrumental learning" (VCAA 2006)
According to Grivas, instumental learning=trial and error learning=operant conditioing
There must be some distinction
maybe it's that trial and error learning is an example of instrumental conditioning. the cat in thorndike's experiment learned through the consequences of its behaviour (operant/instrumental conditioning) that by pushing the lever it could escape and be rewarded with food and that other random behaviours had no consequence. so eventually the cat's random behaviour was replaced with lever pushing.
have a look at the assessment report on the vcaa website, maybe that will explain it. if i got that question on the exam i wouldn't really know what to write either.
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In trial and error learning, as with operant conditioning, it is the learner's behaviour that is 'instrumental' or paramount to the process of learning. This type of learning is active, unlike classical conditioning.
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extracted from the 2006 assessment report:
"Initially, Thorndike’s cat tried to escape the puzzle box using ‘trial and error’ (random voluntary movements) trying many techniques until it accidentally pulled the string and the door opened so that it could reach its reinforcement (food). After several trials, the cat learned to pull the string to escape the box and reach the food. Thorndike concluded that the cat had learned the association between its behaviour (pulling the string) and the consequences (reaching the food). This is instrumental learning.
This question was very poorly answered, mainly because students did not follow the instructions in the question and relate their answer to Thorndike’s puzzle box experiment."
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So trial and error learning eventually leads to instrumental learning, correct?
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Yep.
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Actually, they can often be regarded as one in the same. However, whilst Thorndike carried out Trial and Error, Skinner followed on from his research and introduced Operant Conditioning. So, in a way, Trial and Error learning is basically just a more simplified version which less detail.
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so in a way it was just linking trial and error with operant conditioning in that after trial and error responses the cat learned to associate the food with the behaviour and thus produced the behaviour more often?
i guess for such a question id just ramble on for like 5 lines hoping that the correct answer was in there somewhere
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Trial and error learning describes an organism’s attempts to learn, or to solve a problem, by trying alternative possibilities until a correct solution or desired outcome is achieved. It generally involves a number of attempts, and a number of incorrect choices before the correct behaviour is learned. (showed by Thorndikes cats). Trial and error learning has also been referred to as instrumental learning, as the individual is ‘instrumental’ (active) in learning the correct response. Trial and error learning involves motivation, exploration, incorrect and correct responses, and reward.
extracted from my summaries.
Instrumental learning is where the organism learns the association between behaviour and its consequences - active process, which is in essence, the process of operant conditioning.
So its kinda like:
Trial and Error ----> Instrumental learning ----> Operant conditioning
With operant conditioning being the specific concept, the others being more broad.
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A savings score determines amount of time saved when relearning information, expressed as a percentage. A savings score is calculated using the following formula:
SS = T1 – T2 x 100 T1 - Time for original learning.
T1 1 T2 – Time for relearning.
If it ever asks you "What does the savings score calculate?" you should say that it's the percentage of information that has been retained from the original learning experience, this is because your second experience is usually faster or takes less trials than the original learning (that's probs why its the most sensitive measure of retention) thus the percentage obtained shows how much information has been retained from the original learning because if you did not retain anything from the original learning then it should take you the exact same amount of time to learn the information in both trials
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wow, nice answer
thanks for that