{"id":1063,"date":"2024-08-29T16:03:10","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T20:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/psychologymtdi\/?post_type=chapter&p=1063"},"modified":"2024-08-29T16:03:11","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T20:03:11","slug":"learning-introduction","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/psychologymtdi\/chapter\/learning-introduction\/","title":{"raw":"Learning Introduction","rendered":"Learning Introduction"},"content":{"raw":"

[pb_glossary id=\"595\"]Approximate reading time:[\/pb_glossary] 2 minutes<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_225\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"350\"]\"A Figure LE.1. Learning to swim.<\/strong> Loggerhead Sea turtle hatchlings are born knowing how to find the ocean and how to swim. Unlike the sea turtle, humans must learn how to swim (and surf).[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe summer sun shines brightly on a deserted stretch of beach. Suddenly, a tiny grey head emerges from the sand, then another and another. Soon the beach is teeming with loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings (<\/span>Figure LE.1<\/span>). Although only minutes old, the hatchlings know exactly what to do. Their flippers are not very efficient for moving across the hot sand, yet they continue onward, instinctively. Some are quickly snapped up by gulls circling overhead and others become lunch for hungry ghost crabs that dart out of their holes. Despite these dangers, the hatchlings are driven to leave the safety of their nest and find the ocean.<\/span>\r\n\r\nNot far down this same beach, Yao and their child, Naomi, paddle out into the ocean on surfboards. A wave approaches. Naomi crouches on their board, then jumps up and rides the wave for a few seconds before losing their balance. Then, Naomi emerges from the water in time to watch Yao ride the face of the wave.\r\n\r\nUnlike baby sea turtles that know how to find the ocean and swim with no help from their parents, we are not born knowing how to swim (or surf). Yet we humans pride ourselves on our ability to learn. In fact, over thousands of years and across cultures, we have created institutions devoted entirely to learning. But have you ever asked yourself how exactly it is that we learn? What processes are at work as we come to know what we know? This chapter focuses on the primary ways in which learning occurs.\r\n

\r\n

Image Attributions<\/h1>\r\nFigure LE.1. Figure 5.5 as found in Psychology 2e by OpenStax<\/a>\u00a0is licensed under a\u00a0CC BY 4.0 License<\/a> and contains modifications of the following works: \"Turtle\"<\/a> by Nicholas\/Intricate Explorer<\/a>, and \"Surfer\"<\/a> by Brian Matangelo<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"

Approximate reading time:<\/a> 2 minutes<\/p>\n

\"A
Figure LE.1. Learning to swim.<\/strong> Loggerhead Sea turtle hatchlings are born knowing how to find the ocean and how to swim. Unlike the sea turtle, humans must learn how to swim (and surf).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The summer sun shines brightly on a deserted stretch of beach. Suddenly, a tiny grey head emerges from the sand, then another and another. Soon the beach is teeming with loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings (<\/span>Figure LE.1<\/span>). Although only minutes old, the hatchlings know exactly what to do. Their flippers are not very efficient for moving across the hot sand, yet they continue onward, instinctively. Some are quickly snapped up by gulls circling overhead and others become lunch for hungry ghost crabs that dart out of their holes. Despite these dangers, the hatchlings are driven to leave the safety of their nest and find the ocean.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not far down this same beach, Yao and their child, Naomi, paddle out into the ocean on surfboards. A wave approaches. Naomi crouches on their board, then jumps up and rides the wave for a few seconds before losing their balance. Then, Naomi emerges from the water in time to watch Yao ride the face of the wave.<\/p>\n

Unlike baby sea turtles that know how to find the ocean and swim with no help from their parents, we are not born knowing how to swim (or surf). Yet we humans pride ourselves on our ability to learn. In fact, over thousands of years and across cultures, we have created institutions devoted entirely to learning. But have you ever asked yourself how exactly it is that we learn? What processes are at work as we come to know what we know? This chapter focuses on the primary ways in which learning occurs.<\/p>\n