Class notes on basic terms and definitions

Introduction to Learning
L1 Recap
Plato Aristotle
Knowledge is inborn. Knowledge is acquired through
Nativist (nature) perspective. He experience.
assumes that a person’s abilities Empiricist (nurture) perspective.
and tendencies are largely present He assumes that a person’s
at birth and that they come from abilities and tendencies are
the soul. learned through the experiences
they have throughout life.


Aristotle proposed 4 laws
 LAW OF SIMILARITY – events that are similar to each other are
readily associated.
 LAW OF CONTRAST – events that are opposite from each other are
readily disassociated.
 LAW OF CONTIGUITY – events that occur in close proximity to
each other in time or space are readily associated.
 LAW OF FREQUENCY – the more frequently two items occur
together, the more strongly they are associated.
Descartes
 He believed that humans possess free will.
 MIND-BODY DUALISM – some human behaviours are automatic
reflexes but others are controlled by the mid/free will.
Lecture 2
Edward Titchener
 STRUCTURALISM – determining that layout of the mind by
identifying the basic elements of acquired knowledge.
 INTROSPECTION – accurately describing thoughts, emotions and
sensations.
 Titchener focussed on systematic observation in order help establish
psychology as a science.
William James
 FUNCTIONALISM – assumes the mind has evolved to help us get
used and adapt to the world around us.
 James saw that the focus of psychology should be on studying
adaptive processes and not the structure of the mind.
Darwin