learning_theories:connectionism
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learning_theories:connectionism [2011/06/29 15:40] jpetrovic [What is connectionism?] |
learning_theories:connectionism [2011/06/29 16:07] jpetrovic [What is the practical meaning of connectivism?] |
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| ===== What is connectionism? ===== | ===== What is connectionism? ===== | ||
| - | Connectionism was then **based on principles of associationism** which claimed that(([[http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.86.7504&rep=rep1&type=pdf|Medler, David A. A Brief History of Connectionism. Neural Computing Surveys, 1(2), p18-72. 1998.]]))(([[http://books.google.hr/books?id=wFqlQgAACAAJ&dq=Connectionism+and+the+Mind:+An+Introduction+to+Parallel+Processing+in+Networks&hl=hr&ei=kKdrTdv3C5Sq8QPzs8W_BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA|W. Bechtel and Abrahamsen, A. Connectionism and the Mind: An Introduction to Parallel Processing in Networks. Blackwell, Cambridge, MA, 1991.]])): | + | Connectionism was based on [[chunks:principles of associationism]], mostly claiming that elements or ideas become associated with one another through experience and that complex ideas can be explained through a set of simple rules, but connectionism further expanded these assumptions and introduced ideas like [[:glossary#distributed_representations|distributed representations]] and supervised learning(([[http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.86.7504&rep=rep1&type=pdf|Medler, David A. A Brief History of Connectionism. Neural Computing Surveys, 1(2), p18-72. 1998.]])) and should not be confused with associationism. |
| - | * //Mental elements or ideas become associated with one another through experience// | + | Thorndike, the most commonly cited connectionist, summed his ideas on learning intoo three laws of learning, which should have accounted for both human and animal learning:(([[http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~foreman/itec800/finalprojects/annie/thorndike%27slaw.html|Foreman, Kim. Learning Laws of Thorndike - brief overview.]] Retrieved June 24, 2011.)) |
| - | * //Experience consists of such things as spatial and temporal contiguity and (dis)similarity of ideas// | + | |
| - | * //Complex ideas are composed and can be reduced to a set of simple ideas// | + | |
| - | * //Simple ideas are sensations// | + | |
| - | * //Simple additive rules are sufficient to predict complex ideas// | + | |
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| - | But connectionism further expanded these assumptions by introducing ideas like [[:glossary#distributed_representations|distributed representations]] and supervised learning(([[http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.86.7504&rep=rep1&type=pdf|Medler, David A. A Brief History of Connectionism. Neural Computing Surveys, 1(2), p18-72. 1998.]])) and should not be confused with associationism. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Thorndike is the most commonly cited connectionist. Central to his ideas on learning were three laws of learning, which should have accounted for both human and animal learning:(([[http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~foreman/itec800/finalprojects/annie/thorndike%27slaw.html|Foreman, Kim. Learning Laws of Thorndike - brief overview.]] Retrieved June 24, 2011.)) | + | |
| * __**Law of exercise**__ (also referred to //as law of use// or //law of frequency//), which states that stimulus-response (S-R) associations are strengthened through **repetition** or weakened through lack of repetition. | * __**Law of exercise**__ (also referred to //as law of use// or //law of frequency//), which states that stimulus-response (S-R) associations are strengthened through **repetition** or weakened through lack of repetition. | ||
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| * __**Law of readiness**__ which claims learning is facilitated by learner's readiness (emotional and motivational) to learn. This potential to learn leads to frustration if not satisfied. | * __**Law of readiness**__ which claims learning is facilitated by learner's readiness (emotional and motivational) to learn. This potential to learn leads to frustration if not satisfied. | ||
| - | [[http://historyofpsych.blogspot.com/2010/01/american-behaviorism.html|{{ images:thorndikes_cat.jpg|Thorndike's cat experiment. Image borrowed from: History of Psychology: American Behaviorism. Click on the picture to follow the link. }}]] | + | This laws have set the basic principles of behaviorist **stimulus-response learning**, which was according to Thorndike the key form of learning. |
| - | At the very end of the 19th century Thorndike, one of most commonly mentioned connectionists and an important learning theorist, performed experiments first on chickens and later on cats and dogs to analyze how animals learn. In one experiment, he placed a hungry cat inside a //puzzle box//, which had a mechanism that would open the doors of the box every time a string would be pulled or a button pushed. After each successful escape out of the box by opening its doors, the cat needed a bit less time to repeat the required process next time. The desired behavior slowly increased. Based on this experiment Thorndike concluded that learning is **incremental** and **not [[:glossary#insightful_learning|insightful]]**, since the learning of the correct response occurred only through repetition //trial and error// forming of associations between situation and response. Established connections or knowledge, according to Thorndike also cause and determine intelligence. | + | Thorndike also performed a number of [[chunks:Thorndikes_experiment|experiments on animals]] concluding that learning is **incremental** and **not [[:glossary#insightful_learning|insightful]]**. Established S-R connections or knowledge, according to Thorndike also cause and determine intelligence. |
| - | Thorndike later changed some of his views admitting that he was wrong and that negative reinforcement (punishment) does not really lead to any kind of learning. This had great influence on educational process helping to end the practice of punishing the students for incorrect answers. This laws have set the basic principles of behaviorist **stimulus-response learning**. | + | Thorndike later changed some of his views admitting that he was wrong and that negative reinforcement (punishment) does not really lead to any kind of learning. This had great influence on educational process helping to end the practice of punishing the students for incorrect answers. |
| Another point of Thorndike's interest in the first two decades of 20th century was the **[[:glossary#transfer|transfer of practice]]**, later often referred to as //transfer of learning//. Idea of transfer of practice is to generalize the knowledge or skills and apply them for another problem. Thorndike performed experimental studies showing that transfer of learning will not occur unless learned problem and given problem have many common characteristics. This was the opposite of what school systems mostly suggested at the time: that some school subjects like Latin language and mathematics improve student's mind in general (//doctrine of formal discipline//). | Another point of Thorndike's interest in the first two decades of 20th century was the **[[:glossary#transfer|transfer of practice]]**, later often referred to as //transfer of learning//. Idea of transfer of practice is to generalize the knowledge or skills and apply them for another problem. Thorndike performed experimental studies showing that transfer of learning will not occur unless learned problem and given problem have many common characteristics. This was the opposite of what school systems mostly suggested at the time: that some school subjects like Latin language and mathematics improve student's mind in general (//doctrine of formal discipline//). | ||
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| ===== What is the practical meaning of connectivism? ===== | ===== What is the practical meaning of connectivism? ===== | ||
| - | Connectionism was at its time considered a general theory of learning for both humans and animals. Thorndike's ideas which could well be applied for learning are the idea that rewards promote learning and that repetition enhances learning. | + | Practical implications of Thorndike's ideas are suggested through his laws of learning: |
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| + | * rewards promote learning, but punishments do not lead to learning, | ||
| + | * repetition enhances learning, and | ||
| In his book on learning of mathematics((Thorndike, E. The Psychology of Arithmetic. New York: Macmillan. 1922.)), Thorndike suggested problems children are expected to solve and learn from should be realistic. For example learning to multiply by three should be learned in context of converting feet to yards. He also emphasizes importance of **repetition** and insists on repetitive practice of basic arithmetic operations. Some of the principles in this book even seem inconsistent with his views on learning: here he refers to learning as meaningful and insightful. Well-learned basic skills enable learning of higher-order skills. | In his book on learning of mathematics((Thorndike, E. The Psychology of Arithmetic. New York: Macmillan. 1922.)), Thorndike suggested problems children are expected to solve and learn from should be realistic. For example learning to multiply by three should be learned in context of converting feet to yards. He also emphasizes importance of **repetition** and insists on repetitive practice of basic arithmetic operations. Some of the principles in this book even seem inconsistent with his views on learning: here he refers to learning as meaningful and insightful. Well-learned basic skills enable learning of higher-order skills. | ||
learning_theories/connectionism.txt · Last modified: 2023/06/19 18:03 (external edit)
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