Psychology: Learning and True Cultural Species Essays

Submitted By nehat65
Words: 411
Pages: 2

Groos
-The Play of Man (1901)
-Extended his idea of play to human beings
-Recognized basic differences between animals and humans: a. Human instincts are more modifiable by experience b. This allows us to adapt to a wider range of environmental niches c. We are the only true cultural species i. Culture: the set of learned skills, knowledge, beliefs and values that characterize a group of interconnected individuals passed on from gen to gen. d. In our evolution the drive to play heavily based on imitation. e. We're motivated to play not just common activities like running and walking but to do specialized activities that we need in order to succeed in our culture. f. People who have the genetic tendency to play better than others have a better chance to survive and reproduce. Exploration: How Animals Learn What and Where
• Curiosity is another major drive that promotes active learning
• Groos considered exploration a category of play
• 2 types of learning: ○ Learning to do (skill) = play ○ Learning about (information) = exploration/curiosity
• Animal activities are more rigidly controlled by their genetic makeup, that's why they don't engage much in play. However, they do have to explore their environment to find food, shelter, mates, etc

The Nature of Mammalian Exploration
• Exploration, unlike play, often evokes fear of the unknown. One of its purposes is to determine whether an unfamiliar thing/place is safe.
• Example: ○ A rat in a test arena first cowers. ○ Then it explores gradually ○ Eventually it engages in patrolling to see if anything has changed ○ It will focus on