Instrumental learning

[Amnesiac]

Yep.

[Amnesiac]

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.

[arthurk]

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

[melaniej]

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.

[arthurk]

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

[rh]

wow, nice answer

thanks for that