3-Learning Flashcards
LEARNING
The acquisition, from experience, of new knowledge, skills, or responses that results in a relatively permanent change in the state of the learner
Instincts and reflects
- complex set of behaviours that are shown by every animal in the species
- Unlearned
- Helps keep a species alive
where are reflexes processed
Reflexes are processed by nerve bundles in your spinal cord
- Sensory neutrons send signal to spinal cord, then to motor neurons
- Doesn’t even touch the cortex
difference between reflexes and instincts
- Instincts are complex behaviours, triggered by a broad range of events
- Involve higher brain centres
- Reflects are relatively simple motor/neural responses
- Localized (Eg hand or knee)
ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING
making Connections between stimuli or events that occur together in the environment
CLASSICAL/PAVLOVIAN CONDITIONING
type of learning whereby a neutral stimulus produces a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally produces that response
Unconditioned stimulus (US)
stimulus that naturally causes a response (happy music)
Unconditioned response (UR)
a natural response in response to the stimulus
Neutral stimulus (NS)
does not naturally cause a given response
Conditioned stimulus (CS)
once the NS is paired with the US such that the NS Elicits a response
Conditioned response (CR)
the response in relation to the NS/CS
acquisition
- learn to associate the NS with the UCS. During this time, the NS begins to create the response
- Initial period of learning
- The closer the pair is to each other (NS and UCS), the faster the learning
- For aversive (negative) conditioning, longer time lags can still lead to learning
- Served an evolutionary purpose—prepared learning
extinction
decrease in the conditioned response when the UCS is no longer presented with the CS
spontaneous recovery
a brief resurgence of the conditioned response to the conditioned stimulus
generalization
when a conditioned response is evoked by a stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus
discrimination
- When a conditioned response is not evoked by a stimulus that is similar to the original
- Weakened response (part of generalization) and no response
Higher-order/second-order conditioning
when you use the conditioned stimulus to condition another stimulus
Habituation
occurs when we learn not to respond to a stimulus that is presented repeatedly without change
law of effect
Behaviours followed by…
- Positive outcome are likely to be repeated (duh)
- Negative outcome are unlikely to be repeated
OPERANT CONDITIONING
organisms learn to associate events—a behaviour and its consequence
REINFORCER
Anything that increases the likelihood that a target behaviour will be repeated
PUNISHER
Anything that decreases the likelihood that a target behaviour will be repeated
POSITIVE
when something is added
NEGATIVE
When something is taken away
Beware of punishment
- Learned very quickly but can have negative consequences (fear the parent/home (environment)
- Can cause children to become aggressive
Beware of rewarding
Leads to extrinsic motivation (doing something for the reward) rather than intrinsic motivation
primary reinforcers
- Innate reinforcing qualities
- The reinforcement itself is enough
- Does not lose reinforcing quality
- Biologically important
- Water, sex
primary PUNISHERS
- Innate punishing qualities
- Pain
- Discomfort
- Hunger
Secondary reinforcers
- Are only reinforcing when linked to a primary reinforcer
- Money!
- “Praise” while giving a cookie
- Money
- Bed time ritual
- These are often classically conditioned
Secondary reinforcers
- Are only punishing when linked to a primary punisher
- Speeding ticket
when do reinforcement/punishment work best?
reinforcement/punishment work best when they immediately follow the behaviour
SHAPING
rewarding successive approximations of a target behaviour, instead of only the target behaviour
type of learning that results from reinforcement of successive steps to a final behaviour
is needed because it is unlikely that an organism will display anything but the simplest of behaviours spontaneously
stimulus descrimination
important part of shaping
occurs when you respond to one specific stimulus with a specific action. The person (or animal!) will respond only to that stimulus and not to others.
steps for shaping
- Reinforce any response that resembles the desired behaviour
- Then reinforce the response that more closely resembles the desired behaviour. You will no longer reinforce the previously reinforced response
- Begin to reinforce the response that even more closely resembles the desired behaviour
- Continue to reinforce closer and closer approximations of the desired behaviour
- Finally, only reinforce the desired behaviour
reinforcement schedule
when reinforcement is given
Continuous reinforcement
- when an organism receives a reinforcer each time it disaplays a behaviour
- Quickest way to teach someone a behaviour
Partial/intermittent reinforcement
- the person or animal does not get reinforced every time
- Either fixed or variable, and interval or ratio
Fixed
refers to the number of responses between reinforcements, or the amount of time between reinforcements, which is set and unchanging
Variable
number of responses or amount of time between reinforcements which varies or changes
Ratio
means the schedule is based on the number of responses between reinforcements
Interval
schedule is based on the time between reinforcements
Fixed-ratio reinforcement
- there is a set number of responses that must occur before the behaviour is rewarded
- Fixed-ratio = better to optimize the quantity of output
Fixed-interval reinforcement
- when behaviour is rewarded after a set amount of time
- Fixed-interval = higher quality of output
which reinforcement leads to the lowest rate of extinction?
fixed or variable
- Variable-ratio most product and most resistant to extinction
- Fixed-interval is the least productive and easiest to extinguish
Intermittent reinforcement effect
- behaviour is more resistant to extinction when reinforcement is discontinuous
variable interval
reinforcement is delivered at unpredictable time intervals
moderate yet steady response reate
variable ratio
reinforcement is delivered after an unpredictable number of responses
high and steady response rate
Tolman’s experiment
- rats who were reinforced solved the maze quickly
- Rats who were not reinforced, solved the maze slowly
- Un reinforced rats solved the maze as quickly as reinforced rats when a reward was intorudced
- Un reinforced rats had learned to solve the maze in the absence of a reward
- Suggests a cognitive aspect to learning
Latent learning
learning that takes place but is not observable until the organism is called upon to demonstrate it
OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING
the process of watching others and then imitating what they do
mirror neuron
imitative learning involves a specific type of neuron
Social learning theory
- brand of behaviourism→ cognitive component to learning
- observational learning NOT just imitation
- felt that pure behaviourism could not explain why learning can take place in the absence of external reinforcement
vicarious
Observed rewards / punishment
MODELS
the individuals performing the imitated behaviour
live model
live demonstration
Verbal model
behaviour is explained
Symbolic model
models that demonstrate behaviour in books/movies/YouTube
Steps for observational learning
- Attention
- Retention
- Reproduction
- Motivation
