Animal learning- Faye

Question 1

1- research that looks at the potential evolution of associative learning

Answer 1

Ginsburg & Jablonka ( 2010):
Associative learning appears to have evolved 520-540 million years ago during the cambrian explosion

Question 2

1- research that studies embyro behaviour in a bird species

Answer 2

Kleindorfer & Robertson, 2013: superb fairy wren learn a unique note passcode they use to identify their young and not the sus imposter

Question 3

1- research that investigates the effects of metamorphosis on catapillars learning

Answer 3

Blackiston et al ( 2008) found that butterflies remember what they learnt as catapillars not because the catapillar leaves a scent message in the pupae but becuase it remains stored in the brain

Question 4

1- studies investigating the effects of imprinting in geese and ducks

Answer 4

all about lorenz he loved himself some geese and to be mummy. this is known an fillial imprinting and it occurs in many species

Question 5

1- research investigating why humans are more risk aware in adolescence

Answer 5

patwell et al., 2012 found that its because we become independent and start navigating the world for the first proper time.

Question 6

2) beef with pavlovian conditioning

Answer 6

rescolar ( 1988)
FOUND:
its not as simple as CS -> CR, animals are capable of learning more contextual complex relationships and have a more nuanced understanding than we believe

Question 7

2) sucking off associative learning

Answer 7

Heyes 2012-
defends associative learning as a powerful, widespread mechanism, found across taxa including humans, and capable of supporting not only basic behaviour but complex cognition (e.g. imitation, sense of agency, decision-making)

Question 8

3) review addressing the validity of reversal learning

Answer 8

Izquierdo et al ( 2017)
Reversal learning is a widely used test of cognitive flexibility across species.

The idea that this learning primarily measures response inhibition has been revised.

We describe how it is measured and present new definitions for its construct validity.

We also present an update of the brain regions and neurotransmitters that support it.

Question 9

3) areas of the brain associated with pavlovian fear response in rodents and its applications to humans

Answer 9

Maren et al (2013)
associative learning is context dependent, research on rodents identified a neural circuit including the hippocampus, amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex is involved in the learning and memory processes that enable context-dependent behaviour. dysfunction in this circuit may explain psychopathology e.g. ptsd in humans

Question 10

3) gap between methods to research human/ animal brain

Answer 10

Barron et al (2021)
- we study human brain on a macro level, loosly observing neural activation
- we study animal brains on a microscopic cell level, getting a lot of detail
- so to close this gap, we shouls use dofferent tools on the same species
- OR same tools on different species

Question 11

3) neurogenesis baby- use it or lose it

Answer 11

Shors et al ( 2012)
we can create new neurons as adults that become integrated with others but if we dont engage in effortful learning to maintain those connections then they will die over time

Question 12

3) the effects of aging on long term potentiation

Answer 12

Barnes (2003)
- the aging brain is worse at a lot of stuff this worsened learning/ memory may be due to deficiencies in synaptic plasticity including long term potentiation

Question 13

4) the main guy on social learning

Answer 13

heyes (1994)
- definition ‘learning influenced by observing or interacting with another individual or its products’
- mechanisms

Question 14

4) uh oh! what if social learning was just associative learning

Answer 14

lind et al ( 2019)
- used computational analysis to determine that when guided by genetic predispositions, associative processes can give rise to a wide variety of social learning phenomena, such as stimulus and local enhancement, contextual imitation and simple production imitation, observational conditioning, and social and response facilitation
- didnt use real animals tho….

Question 15

4) model based social learning

Answer 15

Camacho- Alpizar & Guillette (2023)
- meta analysis on model based social learning studies found:
- demonstrator characteristics were the most influential e.g. status of the demonstrator

Question 16

4) strategies used in social learning

Answer 16

laland ( 2004)
Social Learning Strategies
“When” Strategies
Copy when established behavior is unproductive
Copy when asocial learning is costly
Copy when uncertain
“Who” Strategies
Copy the majority
Copy if rare
Copy successful individuals
Copy if better
Copy if dissatisfied
Copy good social learners
Copy kin
Copy “friends”
Copy older individuals

Question 17

4) does teaching even exist in animals

Answer 17

Caro& Hauser, 1992:
YES animals teach, often their young but it doesnt always look like our human centered definition of teaching so it goes unnoticed e.g.

Question 18

4) cultural intelligence hypothesis

Answer 18

van schaik & burkart (2011)
- humans are goated because our social cognitive skills are goated:
- we know this because:
mean deprivation studies show monkeys raised without parental figures are shit at physical activities e.g. nest building
also enculturation studies e.g. taking in a monkey increases their comprehension skills past what is typical in the wild

Question 19

4) evidence for cultural intelligence hypothesis

Answer 19

Herrmann et al, 2007
kids are as good at certain physical tasks as monkeys e.g. puzzles but socially e.g. understanding what a demonstrator was trying to do , toddlers were way better

Question 20

3) neuronal changes as as a result of experience

Answer 20

Van praag et al (2000)
- rats in an enriched environment led to enhanced dendritic arborization,
neurogenesis and gliogenesis in the hippocampus, and
improved learning compared to baseline

Question 21

3) hebbs law

Answer 21

hebb (1949) neuronal changes occuring at the synaptic level e.g. wiring together

Question 22

3) evidence for LTP

Answer 22

Antanov et al. 2003
An NMDA receptor blocker blocks Pavlovian conditioning of the defensive gill reflex
* A calcium ion binder (‘chelator’) blocks Pavlovian conditioning of the defensive gill reflex
-synaptic plasticity matters for associative learning

Question 23

2) evidence for the importance of continuity in classical conditioning

Answer 23

Clarke& Squire (1998)
found…
amnesiac patients with damage to hippocampal lesions were unable to do trace conditioning ( gap between ucs and cs being presented) due to impaired memory

Question 24

2) criticism of rescorla-wagner model

Answer 24

Miller et al 1995
1) what about spontaneous recovery without training?
but it does inform many other models
not the best predictive strength but helpful in the field

Question 25

2) what actually is the rescorla-wagner model saying

Answer 25

rescorla & wagner, 1972 The model says that learning happens when there is a prediction error—when the outcome (like receiving food) is unexpected. If the outcome is fully predicted, no learning occurs. ΔV=αβ(λ−V) Where: Δ𝑉 ΔV: Change in associative strength (how much learning happens) 𝛼 α: Salience of the CS (conditioned stimulus, e.g. the bell) 𝛽 β: Salience of the US (unconditioned stimulus, e.g. the food) 𝜆 λ: Maximum amount of learning possible with the US (usually a constant) 𝑉 V: Current associative strength (how much the CS currently predicts the US) (𝜆−𝑉) (λ−V): The prediction error

Question 26

2) learned helplessness

Answer 26

seligman 1972 dogs given uncontrollable shocks stop trying to escape the shocks when its possible -> all about controlled trauma]-> this is cartoon villian experiments tho he rears dogs from baby only to shock them uncontrollably and drowns rats

Question 27

2) review causal learning in animals

Answer 27

Penn & povinelli, 2007 animals seem somwehat understanding of causative factors but not to the extent that humans can and maybe in a way that isnt best explained by either definition of contingent/ causative