Our brain has a powerful capacity to learn new information and develop new skills through training. With the right focus and effort, humans have shown their potential for mastery within the arts and sciences. Our brains a fundamentally similar so we all have the capacity for greatness through our self-expression. Depending on how we spend our time, will determine the output of what we can achieve.
Types of Learning:
1. Habituation
The simplest form of learning that occurs with a reduced physiological or emotional response to a repeated stimulus.
Ex: Someone may become panicked to a fire alarm, but soon after recognizing it was a false alarm will not be responsive to the sound of the alarm while trying to turn it off.
2. Sensitization
This form of learning occurs with an repetition of a stimulus progressively amplifies a response. When someone is overwhelmed with information, they become more'sensitive' to things in their environment.
Ex: Someone is hung over and is very sensitive to loud noises or light.
3. Desensitization
Contrasting to the previous form of learning, this form is a decrease in response to the repetition or exposure of a stimulus.
Ex: The temperature of the water when I enter the shower is 'hot' at first, but after a few minutes I become used to it.
4. Classical Conditioning
Most people know of Classical Conditioning (CC) as a type of learning from Ivan Pavlov's experiments with dogs salivating to the ringing of a bell. The Conditioned Stimulus (CS), the ringing of the bell, is paired with an Unconditioned Response (UR), the salvation when anticipating food. The Unconditioned stimulus, the taste of food is paired with a neutral stimulus that becomes the CS , the ringing of a bell. The dog is conditioned to salivate to a sound that prior to pairing the sound and food together, would not of salivated. It is the pairing of the reflexive nature of the UR to the CS that creates classical conditioning.
Ex: As I give Xanadu, my cat, food or pet him, I rub my thumb and fingers together. Xanadu learns to associate me rubbing my thumb and fingers together with things that he likes, food and being pet. Later, when I rub my thumb and fingers together, Xanadu will come to me knowing he will get something he likes. Cats that have not associated rubbing a thumb and finger together will not respond by coming because they have not learned that the pairing of the two CS and UR: Rub thumb and finger = feeling good.
5. Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning (OC) is a form of learning based on our perception of the consequence of a reinforcement or punishment. OC differs from CC in the sense that OC is based on consequences, whereas CC is based on association. B.F. Skinner, the founder of behaviourism, conducted many experiments using the 'Skinner Box' where he would study pigeons' pressing a bar to get a pellet of food. Skinner would modify the pigeons behaviour by reinforcing or punishing them.
Ex: When Xanadu scratches the couch, he is punished by having to go into his kennel. When Xanadu scratches his scratching post, he is rewarded with love, affection and a treat. Thus, Xanadu has learned to only scratch his scratching post.
6. Observational Learning
This form of learning occurs from observing another person acting or behaving in a specific way. In 1961, Albert Bandura demonstrated this form of learning in his Bobo Doll experiment where children observed an adult act aggressively to the toy the child then acted aggressively towards the toy themselves. The phrase 'monkey see, monkey do' embodies this kind of learning.
When we observe someone being successful or destructive with some behaviour, we have a tendency to embody or mirror that behaviour. It is important to surround ourselves with people who we want to follow and model their behaviour due to phenomena like observational learning. See Social Safety Tool.
Observational learning is very useful when we want to embody a constructive lifestyle; the most we spend time with someone who has constructive habits, we can learn how to enact those habits by observing the other person do so in a variety of states of mind.
7. Learned Helplessness
In 1967, Martin Seligman found that the dogs in his experiment would not move away from being shocked, even when there was a safe zone to move to, because they learned or generalized from previous trials that there was 'no escape' from the shocks.
People exhibit forms of learned helplessness when we overgeneralize negative outcomes and do not try to put efforts towards actions that would be beneficial for us because we assume we will not be successful from past failures.
Brain Plasticity
Brain plasticity is our brain's ability to change its neural structure depending on the types of thoughts or behaviours that we engage in on a repeated basis. Neuroplasticity is the basis for all learning. With repeated practice people are able to master extremely complicated feats like music, art or large calculations.
Training Techniques
1. Layering
Some behaviours can be put on automatic once they are habituated and the agent can use other parts of the brain that are not predominantly in use to train other skills. For example, while cleaning the house, practice vocal scales. Another way of describe this technique is multi-tasking.
2. Primary and Secondary Project
When we identity a specific goal or skill that we want to develop, we make that our primary project. We train and focus on the primary project until we hit a learning plateau, where our brain or body is exhausted from the activity. We then engage in a secondary project, a self-love activity for example, until our mind or body has had enough time away from the primary project so our learning curve is not plateaued anymore and we are in a state of flow or focused. We then continue the primary project until we hit fatigue, mentally or physically, and rest by alternating to another secondary project.
There is a difference between being bored with a primary project and mentally fatigued. We are looking to overload our brain and or body so that it is exercised, meaning that we have exerted ourselves beyond out current limit. Once we have exercised ourselves enough, we can switch to our list of secondary activities and bring ourselves to our limits with those activities and return back to the primary project. See the Project Tool.
3. Course of Action
We can utilize a course of action composition, where we plan out our primary and secondary projects, activities, and follow through the course. If we pre-plan our course of action we can account for a change in state, emotional fluctuation or change in motivation and focus our efforts on self-discipline by affirming our goals and doing a cost benefit analysis when we begin to feel like falling off course. See Course of Action Tool.
4. Trainer
Have someone who is more skilled train you and make notes from their wisdom. When you are on your own, engage in personal training where you experiment and incorporate the lessons from another who has more experience in the domain you are learning. One does not have to limit themselves to specific one on one training, by learning and incorporating information from videos and books as well.
AJ 17.2.18, 14.3.18, 27.3.20
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