#AP Psychology: Learning - The Ultimate Study Guide 🧠

Welcome! This guide is designed to help you ace the AP Psychology exam, focusing on the critical concepts of learning. Let's dive in!

#Developing Understanding of Learning 👀

According to the College Board, this unit explores how humans and animals learn and how experiences change behavior and mental processes. It bridges physiological and psychological processes 🧠. Many psychologists focus on observable behaviors and how they can be changed or reinforced. Others study how observing others influences our mental processes and behaviors. Remember, this unit builds on the previous two, so make sure you're solid on those!

#Guiding Questions 🤔

• How do we learn? 📚
• How do our experiences shape our behaviors and mental processes? 💡

#Introduction to Learning

Learning isn't just about memory; it's about the acquisition of behaviors. This unit covers three main types of learning:

• Classical Conditioning: Learning through associations (reflexive behaviors).
• Operant Conditioning: Learning through consequences (voluntary behaviors).
• Observational Learning: Learning by watching others (modeling).

This unit accounts for about 7-9% of the AP Psychology exam. Make sure you know it well!

#Key Facts and Figures

#🤓 Psychologists to Know

#Albert Bandura

• Key Contribution: Bobo doll experiment 🤡
• What to Know: Children model aggressive behavior they observe. This highlights the power of observational learning.

#Ivan Pavlov

• Key Contribution: Classical conditioning with dogs 🐕
• What to Know: Pavlov's experiments showed how neutral stimuli can become associated with reflexive responses.

#Gif Courtesy of Giphy.

#Robert Rescorla

• Key Contribution: Contingency model of conditioning.
• What to Know: Conditioning depends on the cognitive interpretation of whether a stimulus-response pairing is logical. It's not just about pairing; it's about predictability.

#Edward Lee Thorndike

• Key Contribution: Law of Effect
• What to Know: Behaviors with good outcomes are repeated; behaviors with bad outcomes stop. This is the foundation of operant conditioning.

#Edward Tolman

• Key Contribution: Latent learning and cognitive maps.
• What to Know: Rats in mazes 🐀 learned the layout even without rewards, showing that learning can occur without immediate reinforcement. This challenges strict behaviorism.

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