1. Introduction and History

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?