Author: sfs5902

Operant Conditioning

During Dr.Wedes lecture our class discussed two different types of conditioning described as classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning is when an organism learns to associate stimuli.  A very popular example of this conditioning is Pavlov’s dogs. Operant conditioning happens when an organism forms an association between behaviors and resulting events. An example of operant conditioning is teaching a seal to balance a ball on its nose by feeding it fish after it does the action. The main difference is that classical conditioning associates an involuntary response and operant conditioning associates a voluntary behavior.

I experienced operant conditioning when I was around the age of two. My parents told me that they created a system of operant conditioning to help me potty train. My mom said she kept a jar of M&M’s in the bathroom and each time I came to the bathroom myself she would give me one. She said this worked for a while until I got bored of the M&M’s and I would walk to the bathroom just to eat the M&M’s and fell back into my routine of diapers. She then came up with a better idea and said that each time I went to the bathroom she would tally it on a chart and once it reached a certain number then we would go to Disney World. She had already been planning the trip but acted like I had to work for it and my two year old self was so excited and became determined to reach the goal. My mom was using a positive reinforcement to increase my behaviors by presenting a positive reaction and reward each time I went to the bathroom. She said I would practically run to the bathroom each time I had to go so I could reach the goal. She said that even after I reached the goal of Disney I still kept going to the bathroom because I associated a very positive feeling and reward with it.

Although this was just a small example, operant conditioning can be used in various amounts of ways. This type of conditioning is great for training pets and humans. Both types of conditioning are used in tv shows and everyday life.

Memory in school

I have recently joined a club at Penn State that requires me to memorize lots of information about the club that I am quizzed on it each week. I must write the information word for word and they are very and complex long terms and definitions. I knew this would be a challenge and I was very worried at first. But, Dr.Wedes mini lesson on how to study more effectively came at the most perfect time for me.

Dr.Wede talked about two strategies that will successfully help you commit certain information from your short term memory to your long term memory. Short term memory holds a few items for a short period of time and long term memory is relatively permanent and has limitless storage. The two strategies we discussed in class were 1) distributed practice and 2) retrieval practice.

To help me remember the information that was on these quizzes I practiced one definition each day. I spaced out my learning so I did not have to cram all of the definitions in at once. I also practiced retrieving the information by saying it aloud and writing it down whenever I had free time. I also made connections to help me remember using elaborative rehearsal. Elaborative rehearsal happens when information from short term memory is transferred into long term memory by making the information meaningful. This can be done by relating the information to prior knowledge and making it personal. I would make up a story or an event that went along with the definition which helped me retrieve the information. Lastly, I had intense study sessions where I would focus on one definition at a time for a few minutes then take a break and try to retrieve it. I would write the information on paper going by memory. I was able to space these study sessions out so I was effectively making connections with each definition so I would not get mixed up.

Dr.Wedes helpful methods really improved my performance with these weekly quizzes that once gave me so much anxiety. I can now effectively study the terms and I actually still remember all of them even two weeks later!

The Feral Child: Brain Plasticity

In Dr.Wedes Psychology course we have learned about the brains plasticity and the concepts of empiricism and nativism. Nativism is the idea that our thoughts and ideas are inborn. Empiricism is the idea that knowledge is gained through experience. We now know that the brain is mostly sculpted by our genes but also relies on our experiences and changes due to plasticity. The plasticity of the brain describes the brains ability to modify itself after some type of injury or illness. We learned that the plasticity of the brain is much more resilient in children.  

While talking about the concept of plasticity concept I couldn’t help but think about Genie Wiley. In my psychology class in high school we learned about a young girl named Genie who is known as the ‘feral child’ because she lived in almost complete isolation for her entire childhood.  

 A clearly defined black-and-white close-up photograph of Genie from the chest up against an indeterminate background. Her eyes are focused slightly above and to the right of the camera, and she has an expressionless, vacant, innocent look on her face.A slightly blurry color picture of Genie, facing slightly right of the camera, walking by herself outside in the Children's Hospital recreation yard. She is wearing a plaid-patterned dress and thin sweater and looks extremely pale, emaciated, and expressionless. Her limbs are exposed and look extremely thin. Both of her knees are very bent, and her arms are bent forward with both hands hanging down as she holds them out in front of her.

Above are pictures of Genie after she was rescued. From the time she was born she spent her life locked in a small bedroom and was abused. She was not taught any form of language and was beaten any time she made any type of noise. She had trouble walking and controlling her voluntary movements. This is certainly a unique case and would be an unethical experiment but, it is an intriguing case to gain information from. Once Genie was saved by child services, she was assigned a rehabilitation team to help her. Unfortunately, the psychologist on the team described Genie as the most damaged child she had ever seen. The psychologist compared Genie’s emotional and cognitive abilities to a one year old. Although Genie was able to learn a few more words over time a linguist concluded that Genie would never be able to fully be able to comprehend or speak language (Cherry). She could not put sentences together and did not understand the idea of grammar. This helped to prove to psychologists that learning language needs to be done during a critical time in a child’s life. “The ‘critical period’ theory states that there is a very specific period when a child needs to learn their first language, or they will never have full command over the language” (Villarreal). Genie clearly missed this period in her life while she was isolated from all human interaction. 

   Brain Plasticity

https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/brain-architecture/ 

This simple chart from Harvard University exemplifies how hard it can be for the brain to adapt after the age of ten and the amount of effort it requires from that point on. Genies case is unique because she suffered abuse and social isolation making her case more severe. The plasticity of Genie’s brain was not able to change or adapt even though she was experiencing new things. This is a real-life case of how important early learning and plasticity of the brain is. Since Genie’s case was so extreme her brain was unable to adapt but in many situations of damage the human brain is able to recover and adapt.

 

Works Cited 

Cherry, Kendra. “The Story of ‘Genie,” a Child Deprived of Nearly All Human Contact.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 30 June 2019, www.verywellmind.com/genie-the-story-of-the-wild-child-2795241. 

 

Villarreal, Daniella. “Genie Wiley: The Feral Child.” StMU History Media, 29 Mar. 2019, stmuhistorymedia.org/genie-wiley-the-feral-child/. 

 

“Brain Architecture.” Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/brain-architecture/.