Friday, June 21, 2013

6. THE ANSWER

* The propositional nature of human associative learning (Mitchell, De Houwer & Lovibond, 2009).
* P. 184: "Many researchers assume that learning about relationships between events in the environment (the phenomenon) takes place via the formation of links between mental representations of those events (the mechanism). Our target article argues against this position and aims to show that associative learning results, not from the automatic formation of links, but from the operation of controlled reasoning processes. These processes result in beliefs about the world in form of propositions, rather than simply links that allow one representation to activate another."
* Although this theoretical position is about human associative learning, it gives a clue about the relational content of associative learning in other species. It's hard to believe that only representational content can be assumed for events but not for relationships between them.
* P. 230: "Propositions are statements about the events in the world and how are they related. These statements may be quite specific as to the nature of the relation between events (e. g. "X causes Y"). However they can be quite general; they may specify only that particular events are related, but not how they are related".
* The relationship learned in associative learning seems to be a proposition about a "general relationship" between events: "X (is related in general with) Y".

6. LA RESPUESTA

* La naturaleza proposicional del aprendizaje asociativo humano (Mitchell, De Houwer & Lovibond, 2009).
* P. 184: "Muchos investigadores asumen que el aprendizaje acerca de las relaciones entre los eventos del ambiente (el fenómeno) toma lugar a través de la formación de lazos entre las representaciones mentales de esos eventos (el mecanismo). Nuestro artículo meta argumenta contra esta posición y busca mostrar que el aprendizaje asociativo resulta no de la formación de lazos automáticos sino de la operación de procesos de razonamiento controlados. Estos procesos resultan en creencias acerca del mundo en forma de proposiciones, más que simplemente en lazos que permiten a una representación activa a otra."
* Aunque esta posición teórica se trata del aprendizaje asociativo humano, da una pista acerca del contenido relacional del aprendizaje asociativo en otras especies. Es difícil creer que sólo se pueda asumir contenido representacional de los eventos relacionados y no de su relación.
* P. 230: "Propositions are statements about the events in the world and how are they related. These statements may be quite specific as to the nature of the relation between events (e. g. "X causes Y"). However they can be quite general; they may specify only that particular events are related, but not how they are related".
* La relación que se aprende en el aprendizaje asociativo parece ser una proposición acerca de una "relación general" entre eventos: "X (está relacionado en general con) Y".

REFERENCE / REFERENCIA

Mitchell, C. J., De Houwer, J. & Lovibond, P. F. (2009). The propositional nature of human associative learning. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 32, 183-246.
5. ASSOCIATIONS AS “CONTENTLESS” LINKS

  • Associative learning researchers, in both associationist and cognitive traditions, coincide in defining associations as “contentless” links (see Shanks, 2007; De Houwer, 2009; Shettleworth, 2010; Carter, 2012).
  • Carter, P. (2012). Interactions between sources of alignment in human spatial learning. Thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Hull, UK, July: pp. 173-174.
  • De Houwer, J. (2009). The propositional approach to associative learning as an alternative for association formation models. Learning and Behavior, 37, 1-20: p. 3.
  • Shanks, D. R. (2007). Associationism and cognition: Human contingency learning at 25. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60(3), 291-309: p. 294.
  • Shettleworth, S. J. (2010). Cognition, evolution, and behavior (2nd. Ed.). New York: Oxford University Press: p. 105.

  1. ASOCIACIONES COMO LAZOS “SIN CONTENIDO”

  • Los estudiosos del aprendizaje asociativo, tanto de la tradición asociacionista como de la tradición cognoscitiva, coinciden en definir las asociaciones como lazos “sin contenido” (ver Shanks, 2007; De Houwer, 2009; Shettleworth, 2010; Carter, 2012).
  • Carter, P. (2012). Interactions between sources of alignment in human spatial learning. Thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Hull, UK, July: pp. 173-174.
  • De Houwer, J. (2009). The propositional approach to associative learning as an alternative for association formation models. Learning and Behavior, 37, 1-20: p. 3.
  • Shanks, D. R. (2007). Associationism and cognition: Human contingency learning at 25. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60(3), 291-309: p. 294.
  • Shettleworth, S. J. (2010). Cognition, evolution, and behavior (2nd. Ed.). New York: Oxford University Press: p. 105.