Running head: COGNITIVE THEORIST

Cognitive Theorist Sharnez Lipscomb PSY/390 January 16, 2014 Marilyn Parker

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Cognitive Theorist This paper will discuss the contributions that Edward C. Tolman made to the field of learning and cognition. We will discuss the model(s) that Tolman use to demonstrate learning and cognition, and the theoretical concepts associated with the particular model(s).This paper will also discuss the modern-day relevancy of the model(s), such as in media advertisements or education. Tolmans Contributions Edward Tolman was born April 14, 1886, in West Newton, Massachusetts. His brother was a physicist at the Institute of Technology in California. Tolman switched to the psychology field, after getting a degree in engineering. Tolman spent most of his life teaching psychology. He won a court case in the Supreme Court in 1955 overturning the oath, because he refused to sign a loyalty oath, because he believed in freedom in academics. Tolmans theory assisted Watsonian behaviorism to go further. He used Gestalt to explain the learning process. He wanted to explain how the brain functioned in humans and animals. Tolman wanted to show that animals could learn about the world around them without environmental stimuli. Tolman used S-S (stimulus-stimulus) which is a non-reinforcement theory. His theory argue with the Gestalt psychology, stating animals could learn the associations with stimuli. Tolman used a mouse in a maze to prove his finding. In his finding he found that rats that ran the maze not hungry with food completed the maze on the first try correctly. This made Tolman realize that learning did not need to be rewarded. On the other hand, Hull and his admirers debated Tolmans finding, and disputed between S-S and S-R theories of learning. Tolman convinced countless psychologists studied animal learning to focus on the behavior of

COGNITIVE THEORIST the animal. Tolmans contributions included cognitive behaviorism, research on cognitive maps believe that behavior did not need reinforcement. Tolmans Model

Edward Tolman use the rat and the maze as his model in cognitive learning. In this model Tolman wanted to prove that a rat did not need a reward in order to perform a certain behavior. Tolman notice when he put a rat inside the maze for a several days the rat learned the maze, by a mental map of the maze. So Tolman decides he will block the way that the rat usually takes, but the rat was able to still make his way through the maze. Theoretical Concept of the Rats and Maze The theoretical concept of the maze and the rats were to show that behavior did not need to be reinforced or reward to meet the behavior expected. Using the rats in the maze and having the rat complete the maze without a reward said a lot. It showed that behavior did not need to be rewarded for some. Tolman noticed that the rats would complete the maze even after he blocked the normal route. The reason the rats were completing the maze was because the rats made a mental map of the maze. In this case human can make mental maps in their mind. The theoretical concept of this is that behavior can be shaped without a reward or any kind of reinforcement to control behavior. Basically behavior is based on an individual basis. Behavior is choice and cannot be shape or molded by rewards. For example: A mother gives her child everything he or she wants, but the child gets into trouble. The mother takes the childs cell phone in order to change or shape the childs behavior. But to the mothers dismay the childs behavior increases negatively. In other words, the punishment or reinforcement did not have a affect on the childs behavior at all. In other words, Tolman wanted to relay that behavior is not controlled by rewarding behavior.

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Modern Day Relevancy The modern day relevancy of the rats and the maze would be for example commercials on weight loss. The media says in order to be beautiful or sexy you have to be a size two or four. Some women are so obsessed with their weight and looking sexy for the world to see, and weight loss companies capitalize on their obsession. The women are the rats and the weight loss is the maze. The women are doing their best to lose weight that is their S-S. Therefore, some women would try every weight lost product they see on the commercials. The commercials show an obese woman and then show how the magic pill or exercise equipment made her smaller. Conclusion This paper has discussed the many contributions that Edward C. Tolman made to the field of learning and cognition in psychology. We discussed the rats and the maze that was used by Tolman to demonstrate learning and cognition, and the theoretical concepts associated with the rats and the maze. This paper also discussed the modern-day relevancy of the rats and the maze in media.