Question

Wolfgang Kohler - researcher

How does the work of the researcher you selected challenge the assumptions of Classical or Operant Conditioning models of learning? Discuss how the work of this individual chosen impacts at least one of these issues:

- Role of the mind in learning

- Free will or free choice of actions (self-determination)

- The learning process

- Role of the environment alone in learning

- Existence of insight

- Ability to problem-solve

Answer 1

To answer your first question, let’s start with the basic assumptions of Kohler’s research:

1. Commonly confused with heuristics, insight learning is, in short, realizing a new behavior to solve a problem, whereas heuristics is an experiment based technique for problem-solving, learning a discovery, which may not always lead o optimum solution
2. Insight learning was never about trial and error. It is learned through cognitive processes and interactions with the outside world.
3. Kohler’s research was conducted on a chimp, which was named Sultan, on which he conducted the empirical study of insight learning.
4. In human beings, insight learning usually occurs when the solution of the problem suddenly occurs, irrespective of what progress was made but, in this case, the study on sultan was made with the banana kept out of the cage, and when 1 sticks were kept inside the cage for Sultan to get the banana.
5. This theory contradicts behaviorism, stating facts on the empirical study of sultan suggesting learning doesn’t necessarily have to be achieved by conditioning, but can also be achieved by cognitive processes, which is intangible.
6. There might not necessarily be negative reinforcement all the time.

Assumptions of classical conditioning:

1. The ultimate goal of classical conditioning is to induce learning by creating a new response to a stimulus that doesn’t normally produce that response. In case of Ivan Pavlov’s experiment, the dog salivating at the sound of the bell.
2. Before conditioning the dog, when the food was brought, there was a salivating dog. By this, we can understand that the response from the food, (salivating) is involuntary and reflexive, and for a dog to learn to salivate at the sound of the bell, it must be conditioned.
3. Antecedent stimuli i.e. the bell is a necessary element for the desired outcome of learning.
4. Principles of classical conditioning are important to be listed for a better and a distinct understanding:
   1. Acquisition: - Response if first established and strengthened gradually
   2. Extinction: - When an unconditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the conditioned. (food not being paired with the sound of bell)
   3. Spontaneous recovery: - learned response can also emerge all of a sudden post-extinction.
   4. Stimulus generalization: - Condition when the tendency of a conditional stimulus to evoke similar response after the response has been conditioned. (in the case of little Albert, he did not only cry to the sight of a white mice, but also anything white, fluffy and furry)
   5. Stimulus discrimination: - Ability to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli.

Assumptions of Operant conditioning:

1. The main aim of operant conditioning is to increase the rate of an already occurring response.
2. The responses in this are voluntary.
3. For forming an association, consequences are important.
4. The reinforcement in operant conditioning must be immediate for learning.
5. There is an expectancy which is developed for reinforcement to follow a correct response.
6. Reinforcement may be further be divided into positive and negative.
7. All particular acts result in a consequence, which is the experience.
8. The perceived quality of the act’s consequence may affect the future behavior.
9. The main influence on the behavior is external

Kohler’s research – role of the mind in learning

In the case of insight learning, it is not necessary to have past experience. There are many ways in which an individual looks at a problem in order to get to the solution. In case there are any past experiences, they will be released in order to get to the solution. In this, trial and error method may not be necessarily used. Insight learning leads to the change in perception. There tends to be a trend or a pattern which is detected by the human mind when it comes to solving a problem. Age plays a major role in insight learning, adults are better at insight learning than children.