By: Jerome Fitts

Hello Everyone,

To fully grasp this week’s required discussion post, I referred to none other than the week 1 video outline (Login, n.d.-b). After watching the three-minute-plus video, I dissected the questions regarding Ramos De Jesus Pereira’s (2016) and Mackintosh’s (1997) arguments. I then realised this was a relatively new argument in contrast to other previous studies.

My initial post is below, with a thousand thanks in advance for reading:

Mackintosh’s findings are based on the associative processes in human learning from animal models derived from conditioning (stimulus-response) research” (Pereira, n.d.). Ramos De Jesus Pereira’s arguments stated that “Mackintosh (1997) argued that mental activity and human behaviour is far too complex to be understood in terms of highly reductionist behavioural experiments” (Pereira, n.d.).

Pereira also wrote; It should be apparent that one of the weaknesses of Mackintosh’s thesis is that his division between associative learning stance and behaviour analysis may not be underpinned simply by differences in their subject matters (Pereira, n.d.).

There were several arguments pointed out in Pereira’s review that made logical sense but the traditional methods of learning while incorporating new forms of both teaching and learning is unavoidable.

I agree with Mackintosh’s findings by accepting the understanding of associative processes in human learning. Why? Macintosh argued that mental activity and human behaviour is far too complex to be understood in terms of highly reductionist behavioural experiments (Mackintosh, 1997).

Based on the readings and in my opinion as much as I agree with Mackintosh’s findings, it is true that behaviour analysis studies are at a standstill. I think it is due to the forever changing fast paste environment in which we co-exist. Learning is easier these days and there is little to no discipline due to our nature in 2025 as opposed to twenty-six ago. In contrast to the “cannot handle rejection environment in the world”, authoritative methods of teaching and learning can often be described as a dictatorship. Again it is my opinion.

I also found it interesting that “Mackintosh considers two interesting possibilities; the “matching” rule (whereby the animal behaviour is generated probabilistically in proportion to its relative strength), and the maximisation rule, in which animals make a forced choice based upon which alternative appears to have greater strength” (Pereira, n.d.).

I reckon this is based on society’s influence and various forms of manipulation within certain geographical viewpoints. We do teach what we want others to learn and tolerate based on how we want others to treat us.

In writing the aforementioned, I do believe behaviour should not be dismissed due to the acknowledgement of genetic existence within our bodies (DNA), which serves as a catalyst. It is still a necessary field of study within Psychology (Mackintosh, 1997).

There is also the aspect of prerequisites established in learning that are essentially brought forward to current fields of study (FreeLibrary 2025). In other words and evolution of the human existence and surroundings.

Today there are better tools for learning that could be argued as too easy based on traditional methods.

In closing, I feel that epistemology will always provide useful insight into the theory of knowledge as we learn more from familiarity based on our memory input (Stroll et al., 2025).

References:

Psychological Theories of Learning Tutorial Video Login. (February 2025). https://authdepot.phoenix.edu/authdepot/saml/login?provider=https%3A%2F%2Fmultimedia.phoenix.edu%2Fphp-saml%2Findex.php%2Flogin%2Fmetadata.php&requestid=ONELOGIN_c179d67efd56128a1155f4bee56799a6ed87491b

Mackintosh, N. J. (1997). Has the wheel turned full circle? Fifty years of learning theory, 1946–1996. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology A: Human Experimental Psychology, 50A(4), 879–898. https://doi.org/10.1080/027249897391937

HUMAN EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY AND LEARNING THEORY: A CRITICAL REVIEW.. (n.d.) >The Free Library. (2014). Retrieved Feb 24 2025 https://www.thefreelibrary.com/HUMAN+EXPERIMENTAL+PSYCHOLOGY+AND+LEARNING+THEORY%3a+A+CRITICAL+REVIEW.-a0523795303

Stroll, Avrum, Martinich, & A.P. (2025, February 12). Epistemology | Definition, History, Types, Examples, Philosophers, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/epistemologyReply