Taneil Thompson
SLK110
CHAPTER 6 NOTES
Please note that these notes have been sourced
from Wayne Weiten’s Psychology: Themes and
Variations. I do not take credit for the information
in this document.
Goodluck! J
Taneil Thompson
University of Pretoria, 2020
University of Pretoria. 2020
, Taneil Thompson
Psychology- SLK110
Chapter 6 Notes
1.Define what constitutes learning.
- Learning is the process involved behind observable behaviour changes
- The way we know that learning has occurred is seeing the change in behaviour
- When behaviour is learnt through observation it is called observational learning or
modelling.
- When behaviour is learnt through learning associations between events within the
environment this is known as conditioning
2. Understand the socio-political history of education in South Africa.
- Before 1994, south Africa went through a period of apartheid in which blacks and
whites were offered a different level of education.
- Black individuals were taught only basic skills where as white’s were given an
advantage.
- After 1994, schools were unified and all students were given equal opportunities.
3. Describe classical conditioning and Ivan Pavlov’s demonstration of this
concept.
- Classical conditioning: type of learning in which a stimulus obtains the capacity to
create a certain response that was originally created by another stimulus.
- In this type of learning, the original behaviours are natural, biological responses to
a stimulus. (The process is mechanical and we don’t have a choice whether or not
we respond and how we respond)
- Ivan Pavlov, if you remember from Chapter 1, is a behaviourist so it makes sense
that he would research learning. This conditioning is ‘classical’ as it was the first
example of conditioning ever.
- How did he do this? He used to collect the saliva of dogs that was produced when
the dogs were presented with meat powder. He did this to determine the role of
saliva in the dogs’ digestive system. He noticed that the dogs started salivating
before being presented with the meat powder. This lead him to investigate further
and he began making the sound of a metronome or tuning fork every time he
presented them with the meat powder. Eventually he would only made the sound
and the dogs would already start salivating.
- Interpretation: A stimulus (the sound of a metronome or tuning fork) obtained the
capacity to create a certain response (salivation) that was originally created by
another stimulus (meat powder).
4. Understand the terminology and procedures relevant to classical
conditioning.
1) Association: a link or relationship that is made between one or more event, object
or subject.
University of Pretoria. 2020
SLK110
CHAPTER 6 NOTES
Please note that these notes have been sourced
from Wayne Weiten’s Psychology: Themes and
Variations. I do not take credit for the information
in this document.
Goodluck! J
Taneil Thompson
University of Pretoria, 2020
University of Pretoria. 2020
, Taneil Thompson
Psychology- SLK110
Chapter 6 Notes
1.Define what constitutes learning.
- Learning is the process involved behind observable behaviour changes
- The way we know that learning has occurred is seeing the change in behaviour
- When behaviour is learnt through observation it is called observational learning or
modelling.
- When behaviour is learnt through learning associations between events within the
environment this is known as conditioning
2. Understand the socio-political history of education in South Africa.
- Before 1994, south Africa went through a period of apartheid in which blacks and
whites were offered a different level of education.
- Black individuals were taught only basic skills where as white’s were given an
advantage.
- After 1994, schools were unified and all students were given equal opportunities.
3. Describe classical conditioning and Ivan Pavlov’s demonstration of this
concept.
- Classical conditioning: type of learning in which a stimulus obtains the capacity to
create a certain response that was originally created by another stimulus.
- In this type of learning, the original behaviours are natural, biological responses to
a stimulus. (The process is mechanical and we don’t have a choice whether or not
we respond and how we respond)
- Ivan Pavlov, if you remember from Chapter 1, is a behaviourist so it makes sense
that he would research learning. This conditioning is ‘classical’ as it was the first
example of conditioning ever.
- How did he do this? He used to collect the saliva of dogs that was produced when
the dogs were presented with meat powder. He did this to determine the role of
saliva in the dogs’ digestive system. He noticed that the dogs started salivating
before being presented with the meat powder. This lead him to investigate further
and he began making the sound of a metronome or tuning fork every time he
presented them with the meat powder. Eventually he would only made the sound
and the dogs would already start salivating.
- Interpretation: A stimulus (the sound of a metronome or tuning fork) obtained the
capacity to create a certain response (salivation) that was originally created by
another stimulus (meat powder).
4. Understand the terminology and procedures relevant to classical
conditioning.
1) Association: a link or relationship that is made between one or more event, object
or subject.
University of Pretoria. 2020
