Running head: CONNECTIONISM IN CHILDREN

The Effects of Connectionism on Children

Katy Patt
Robert Sierra
Lionel Palacio
Efrain Briceno
Adilet Patt
Valdermar Gomez
University of Belize

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Table of Content
Introduction 3
Background description 3
Observation.. 4
Analysis 5
Conclusion 7
Reference. 8
Appendices.

Appendix A Observation Form ... 9

Appendix B Consent Form . 12
Appendix C Photographs .... 14
Appendix D Tally Chart .

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Introduction
The child observation will teach us to gather specific information that will assist in the
educational experience. The approach of this observation is using the systematic observation
(naturalistic observation) to understand the theory of connectionism. The child study will take
place in the childs immediate environment; home. According to the lifespan perspective, no age
period is supreme in its impact on the life course. Instead, events occurring during each major
period.
Background description
Our observation was held on a warm Wednesday afternoon. Jesser Patt is five years old
and he has used and come into contact with a variety of different tablets throughout his life. The
very first tablet he used was a third generation IPad, which he had regular use of for about two
years (from around age two to age four). This generation of IPad runs on an IOS operating
system. Shortly after entering primary school, he was given a Kindle Fire (HD), which he uses
up to this day. The Kindle Fire (HD) uses a proprietary version of the Android operating system.
The child is also fairly familiar with the use of laptops and a variety of Android phones,

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particularly a Galaxy Nexus and Motorola G phone that he uses for gameplay from time to time.
During this observation, he was presented with an ASUS VivoTab RT. This tablet runs on a
Windows 8 operating system. He had never seen this kind of tablet and was unfamiliar with the
gestures that were required to navigate within the operating system of this tablet.

Observation
Firstly, the child was given a new and unfamiliar tablet. He was immediately intrigued
by the idea that the tablet had a game that he could play with. The first thing he did was swipe
from right to left. This gesture is consistent with those done to unlock an IPad. Next, he asked
the observer for help and looked puzzled as to why the gesture he performed didnt unlock the
device. He started probing the lock screen searching for a way to leave the lock screen and begin
using the device. While investigating, he inadvertently turned off the device. Again, he was
encouraged to find a way to turn it back on and have a chance to play the game. He began
looking along the edges, searching for a button that would turn on the device. He found the
familiar sleep/wake button, which is similar size and in a similar position to the one found on an
IPad and pressed it. He waited for a quick second to see what would happen and when it didnt
turn on, he held the button down longer waiting for it to turn on.
Once turned on, he was greeted with the lock screen for a second time. He avoided
pressing the icons and instead began to swipe from different directions on the screen until the
secondary security screen appeared and prompted him for a four digit passcode. He smiled and
entered the only code he could remember, his moms unlock code from her Motorola G phone.
This was wrong, so he looked at the observer and asked for the code. The observer dictated the
code and he entered it.

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At this point in time, the device was unlocked and he was now able to search for the
game. He began swiping on the screen and pressing the different icons to see what would
happen. When the icons provided him with secondary menu options he avoided them and tried
other gestures to find the game. He then found and selected the Windows logo located on the
bezel of the device (this is a hardware key, similar to those found at the bottom of Android
touchscreen phones) that allowed the start screen to appear. He smiled and began swiping the
screen in search of the game. He found the game and selected it. Once loaded, the game had
menu options on the right and he began methodically searching for the one that would start the
game. Finally he found it and began playing. He managed to understand the concept of the
game fairly quickly and within 5 minutes he was already avoiding the electric obstacles that
would kill the character. He advanced to the second stage, within 11 minutes of gameplay.
He was then presented with a touchscreen laptop (that had the same operating system as
the tablet) and was asked to search for another game. His first interaction with the laptop was to
use the trackpad. After explaining that the laptop is equipped with a touchscreen he was able to
unlock the device, enter the four digit security code, load the start screen (by pressing the
Windows logo) in less than one minute. However, the game that he found was not new to him
and he decided to resume playing the game on the tablet.
Analysis
The observation allowed us to gain acute insight of how connectionism occurs.
Thorndike, the most commonly cited connectionist, summed his ideas on learning into three
laws of learning (Zimmerman, & Schunk, 2003). The first of these laws that we observed was
the law of readiness. I believe this law was observed in the very beginning of the observation, as
the child was motivated and eager to use the tablet to play the game. He had enough stimulus to

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elicit a strong emotional desire to find a way to unlock the device and play the game. This
emotional and motivational readiness allowed him to search for and eventually find the game.
The child did not get frustrated during the search for the game, rather, he was encouraged to try
again and continue. He advanced past each step (i.e. moving past the lock screen, unlocking the
device and searching for the game) because he had a general assumption that these steps were
universal based on his use/interaction with other devices. This was crucial for him to not get
frustrated and abandon the pursuit as his motivation and interest were maintained during the
observation until finally the reward (finding and playing the game) came at the end.
The second law observed was the Law of Exercise, specifically law of use. As mentioned
above, the child tried steps that he assumed should be followed based on his prior experience.
He tried unlocking the device using the swipe gestures he remembered that were necessary to
unlock an IPad. When this failed and he accidentally turned off the device, he relied on his prior
knowledge to turn the device back on. He searched for the sleep/wake button and upon finding
it, used trial and error to turn the device back on. He demonstrated this principle (law of use) by
practicing the connections he had learned from use on previous tables and applying that
knowledge for use on the new device. Also, when given the laptop, he immediately began using
the trackpad because this is how he had learned to use a laptop in the past. He was used to
operating/using a laptop with the trackpad. After realizing that the laptop was equipped with a
touch screen, he replicated the steps he had just learned from using the tablet to search for games
on the laptop.
Next, the law of disuse was observed. In the past, he had memorized the security code
for the IPad. However, it has been almost a year and a half since he last used said device and as
a result, he didnt practice the security code and had eventually forgotten it. We would like to

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point out how his brain was quick to retain this code. After twenty minutes of using the code, he
was able to recall the code and unlock the laptop, thus, strengthening the memory of this security
code. In Thorndikes words, the strengthening influence of a reward spreads to influence
positively not only the connection which it directly followsbut also any connections which are
near enough to it (Thorndike, 1933, p. 174).
The law of effect was observed as well. The connections he made when searching for
the game on the tablet were rewarded by finding and playing a game that was new to him.
Through this law, repetition of steps (from use with previous devices) enhanced the childs
learning and the reward of playing the game also promoted learning the steps used to operate the
new device. In Thorndikes words, To any situation, which have no special original or acquired
response of their own, the response made will be that which by original or acquired nature is
connected with some situation which they resemble (Thorndike, 1914, p. 135).
Conclusion
The observation was carried out on a five year old boy named Jesser Patt. The observer
agreed to provide different types of tablets in order to illustrate how connectionism is linked in
the learning process. It was noted during the observation that repetition of steps improved the
childs learning. Also, the compensation of playing the game also promoted learning new steps
that were used to operate two new devices.

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Reference
Weibell, C. J. (2011). Principles of learning. 7 Principles to Guide Personalized, StudentCentered Learning in the Technology-Enhanced, Blended Learning Environment.
Retrieved July 4, 2011 from [http://principlesoflearning.wordpress.com].

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Appendix A
Observation Form

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Child Observation Form

Date: July 20 , 2016
Time: 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m.
Child: Jeser Patt
Childs Age: 5 years
Observes: Lionel Palacio
Other children and adults present:
Lionel Palacio (observer)

Setting:
Dining room

What the child and adults say and do (what you see and hear):
The child is handed a windows 8 tablet. He looks at it and is asked, by the observer to turn it on.
He begins by pressing the Windows logo located at the bottom of the screen, the screen is
awakened and he smiles. He swipes the screen from right to left, nothing happens. He swipes
from left to right, again, nothing happens. He looks up and asks the observer to help. The
observer encourages him to figure it out. He then begins touching different icons on the lock
screen and finds the options to shutdown, restart, or sleep. He selects the shutdown option and

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looks up smiling as the tablet turns off. The observer encourages him to turn it back on. He
then starts searching the edges of the table for the sleep/wake button. Upon finding it, he presses
it once, nothing happens. Again, he asks, help me turn it on. The observer then encourages
him to keep trying. He then holds down the button, and the tablet vibrates and turns on. He then
starts pressing around the parts of the screen until finally he swipes from the bottom to the top.
The tablet then prompts him for a four digit security code. He immediately types in the code that
he knows for his moms phone. Its wrong and asks the observer to enter it. The observer tells
him the code and he presses the corresponding numbers on the screen. Next, the observer tells
him that there is a game that he needs to find. The child then begins probing around, pressing
and swiping away on the screen, nothing happens. He then presses the windows logo and the
start screen appears. He smiles and says I think I can find the game now. He then moves the
start screen along, searching for what the game might be, until he finds the icon of the game Jet
Pack Joyride. He presses it and the game begins to load. You downloaded this game for me?
to which the observer replies, Yes.
Once loaded, the child then begins pressing the icons on the right hand side of the screen. The
icons on the right are menu options and he is able to back out of each menu item and return back
to the main screen of the game. Finally he presses the middle of the screen and the game begins.
He looks at the game intently and begins tapping the screen, jumping over the other little
characters. He smiles and says, this is easy. He begins playing the game and after running
into the electric fence a couple of times stops taping the screen to have the character jump and
begins holding it down to have the character jump longer. Each time the character dies, the game
resets to the main screen and the child restarts the game, progressively going farther by dodging
the electric fences and collecting coins.
The observer then asks the child to check the laptop on the table because it also has games on it.
The child turns on the laptop and waits for it to load. When it loads, he begins to use the track
pad to click and swipe the lock screen away. Midway into this action, the observer informs him
that this laptop has a touch screen and if he likes, he can touch the screen. The child then swipes
from the bottom to the top of the screen and again, the laptop prompts him for a four digit
security code. He looks across the table in the direction of the observer and asks, What is the
code? The observer informs him that it is the same code of the tablet and he enters it with little
hesitation. He then looks at the screen and presses the windows icon on the bottom right hand
corner of the laptop screen. He begins swiping the start screen to search for games and sees the
Angry Birds icon. Again, he looks at the observer and says, I like this game more, and as he
pushes the laptop to side, he picks up the tablet again and resumes the game.

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Appendix B
Parent Consent Form

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July 19, 2016

Dear parent/guardian,
I, Lionel Palacio, am a student of the University of Belize. I request permission for
your child to participate in a research observation to be used in my psychology of
learning class. I am conduction this observation on the theories of learning.
You and your child may be may be photographed for this observation. Only Dr. Noel
Carballo and I will have access to information in these pictures of you and/or your
child. Participation is voluntary.
Kindly indicate whether or not you wish to participate and/or allow your child to
participate in this observation by check any of the following statements that apply:
_______

I agree to allow my child to participate in the observation.

_______

I agree to participate in the observation.

_______

I do not agree to allow my child to participate in the observation.

_______

I do not agree to participate in the observation.

__________________________________
Printed name

__________________________________
Signature

_____________________________
Date

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Appendix C
Photographs

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Appendix D
Tally Chart

Law
Law of Effect
Law of Use
Law of Disuse
Law of Readiness

Tally Marks
III
II
I
II

Frequency
3
2
1
2

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