Aristotle

Data: Facts and figures from which conclusions can be inferred.

Theories: Set of statements devised to explain a group of facts.

Associationism: Aristotle’s theory on memory - memory as the associations between pairs of events, sensations, or ideas; recall one elicits the other. (e.g. chair → table, hot → cold)

Principles of Association:

• Contiguity: Nearness in time/space (temporal/spacial contiguity) Events with closer contiguity tend to be associated
• Frequency: More frequent experiences → stronger associations
• Similarity: Similar things → one will trigger the other

Empiricism: Knowledge come from experience, born as tabula rasa (blank state).

• Contrast to Plato - Nativism: Most knowledge are native (inborn).
• Nature vs Nurture

“No other creature except man can recall the past at will”

Introduction - Essential Themes

Learning: Behavior change as a result of an organism’s experience interacting in the world.

Memory: An organism’s internal record of past experiences, acquired through learning.

Essential themes of learning and memory:

1. How do sensations or ideas become linked in the mind?
2. Nature vs Nurture: To what extent are behaviors and abilities inherited or learned?
3. In what ways are human learning and memory similar or differ from other animals?
4. Can scientific psychological study uncover universal principles of learning and memory.