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Long-term Potentiation

Long-term Potentiation

Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre- and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.

Imprinting

Imprinting

Behavioral imprinting is observed in some newborn animals and occurs when they develop strong and specific attachments to another animal (usually a parent) following brief, early-life exposures. Offspring imprint onto parents within a brief period after birth or hatching; this time window is called the critical period. Once imprinting occurs, the bond established between the parents and their offspring is usually long-lasting.

Long-term Potentiation

Long-term Potentiation

Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when presynaptic neurons...

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...

Purposive Learning

Purposive Learning

E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a bonus...

Observational Learning

Observational Learning

Albert Bandura's observational learning, also known as imitation or modeling, occurs when a person observes and imitates another's behavior. It is a quicker process than operant conditioning. A well-known example is the Bobo doll study, where children who saw an adult acting aggressively towards the doll were more likely to act aggressively when left alone, compared to those who observed a nonaggressive adult. Many psychologists view observational learning as a form of latent learning because...

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Early Plant Learning in Fiji.

Rita Anne McNamara¹, Annie E Wertz²

¹School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. rita.mcnamara@vuw.ac.nz.

Human Nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)

|March 26, 2021

Summary

Human evolutionary history may have shaped our minds for plant foraging. Fijian children, unlike US/German infants, quickly touch familiar plants, showing cultural influences on early cognitive development and social learning.

Keywords:

Behavioral avoidance Cognitive development Cognitive evolution Culture and cognition Infancy Social learning

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Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Evolutionary Psychology
Cross-Cultural Studies

Background:

Infant studies suggest evolutionary pressures from plant foraging shaped human cognitive design.
US and German infants exhibit avoidance and social looking when interacting with plants for safe learning.
Cultural contexts may influence early childhood responses to plants.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how frequent plant interaction in rural Fijian communities shapes children's responses.
To compare Fijian children's plant interaction behaviors with those of German and American infants.
To explore the role of cultural context in the development of plant-relevant cognitive design.

Main Methods:

Conducted adult interviews to understand the local plant learning landscape in Fiji.
Utilized a time-to-touch paradigm with 33 Fijian children aged 6 to 48 months.
Examined avoidance behaviors and social looking patterns in relation to novel artificial plants, familiar real plants, and familiar objects.

Main Results:

Adult interviews confirmed widespread knowledge of plant uses and ample opportunities for informal plant learning.
Fijian children, like US/German infants, showed reluctance to touch novel artificial plants.
Fijian children rapidly interacted with familiar real plants and did not exhibit differential social looking, contrasting with German/American infants.

Conclusions:

Cultural contexts significantly and flexibly shape the development of cognitive design related to plants.
Early social learning strategies regarding plants are not universal and are influenced by environmental interactions.
Findings highlight the interplay between evolutionary predispositions and cultural practices in early cognitive development.